In Urubamba, a town in Peru's Sacred Valley, a restaurant called AMA has an unusual soundtrack: children laughing in the garden while their mothers work. Founded in 2018 by Julio Chemi Sanchez Hernandez, AMA exists for one reason — so that single mothers don't have to choose between earning a living and looking after their kids.
The idea came from Julio's own childhood. He and his four siblings were raised in Andahuaylas by their single mother, Giovanna, who had him at 19 and spent years pouring everything she had into her children's education. When Julio settled in Urubamba after a year travelling around Peru, he kept meeting women stuck in the same position his mother had once faced — talented, capable, but shut out of work because no employer would accommodate childcare. So he built the kind of employer he wished had existed for her.
Today 45 women from five regions across the Sacred Valley work at AMA. Some cook in the kitchen with local ingredients, others weave wool into sweaters, tend the gardens or run the boutique selling handmade crafts from communities across the valley. The operation includes training programmes, communal childminding and nutrition initiatives. The name says it all: ama means love in Spanish.
Travellers are central to the model. Intrepid Travel has partnered with AMA since 2019, and its small groups — many en route to Machu Picchu — account for roughly 95% of the restaurant's business. Visitors settle onto the porch with hot cocoa or coffee and a brownie served on handmade ceramics while Julio tells his story. Head chef Lupita Castro Arias, known as Lupe, is one of those whose life changed here: after separating from her husband when her son was seven, she struggled to find work that would let her keep him nearby. Now her son — and the children of the other mothers — do their homework in the garden while the women work.
AMA's ambitions stretch beyond the restaurant. Having learned that many local children arrived at school hungry after only tea, water and bread, the team set up a breakfast programme delivered through the school system, with AMA chefs teaching local mothers to cook nutritious recipes from local ingredients. In 2025 they delivered 500 breakfasts; the targets are 2,000 in 2026 and 10,000 in 2027. Julio is also scouting a larger space near the market for a community open kitchen where tourists could take cooking classes. From 2027, Intrepid's Peru: Women's Expedition will add a hands-on chocolate-making workshop led by the women of AMA.
For travellers, this is a genuinely different way to pass through the Sacred Valley. Instead of just ticking off ruins on the way to Machu Picchu, you can spend an afternoon hearing women's stories directly, supporting a fair-trade craft business and funding school breakfasts with your visit. You can visit AMA on several Intrepid trips, including Inca Trail Express and the Women's Expedition.
