Francis Mallmann (born January 14, 1956) is an Argentine celebrity chef, author, and restaurateur who specializes in Argentine cuisine, and especially in

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

n cuisine with a focus on various Patagonian methods of barbecuing food. Is Francis Mallmann the Most Interesting Chef in the World?
Jeff Gordinier,

Esquire Magazine ''Esquire'' is an American men's magazine. Currently published in the United States by Hearst Communications, it also has more than 20 international editions. Founded in 1933, it flourished during the Great Depression and World War II under t ...

, January 22, 2018 He has been featured on numerous international television programmes, as well as on the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

original series '' Chef's Table''.

Early life and education

Mallmann was born in

Acassuso Acassuso is a locality in the San Isidro "partido" of Buenos Aires Province. It is about 16 kilometres north of the city of Buenos Aires, between Olivos and San Isidro. It borders on the River Plate where an approximately 10 hectare municipal ...

, Buenos Aires Province in 1956. In 1958, he moved to

Bariloche San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche (), is a city in the province of Río Negro, Argentina, situated in the foothills of the Andes on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake. It is located within the Nahuel Huapi National Park ...

in Patagonia when his father was employed as the head of the

Balseiro Institute Balseiro Institute ( es, Instituto Balseiro) is an academic institution that belongs partially to the National University of Cuyo and partially to Argentina's National Atomic Energy Commission. It is located in Bariloche, Río Negro province, ...

. It was there where Mallmann started working as a cook on a boat for tourists on

Lake Nahuel Huapi Nahuel Huapi Lake ( es, Lago Nahuel Huapí) is a lake in the lake region of northern Patagonia between the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén, in Argentina. The tourist center of Bariloche is on the southern shore of the lake. The June 20 ...

in 1970.

Career

At the age of nineteen, he began managing a restaurant with a partner. He then, at the age of twenty, travelled to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, where he spent over two years learning alongside

Alain Chapel Alain Chapel (; 30 December 1937 – 10 July 1990) was a French chef, credited with being one of the originators of Nouvelle Cuisine. He earned three Michelin stars. Early life Chapel was born in Lyon, the son of Maître d' Charles and his wi ...

and other reputable chefs. After returning to Argentina, he spent several years driving the kitchen of a fashionable restaurant. In 1983 he decided to open his own restaurant on Honduras street in Palermo. It was open only at night and behind closed doors. During the day, Mallmann worked as a cooking teacher. During this time, he wrote his first book, ''La Cocina al instante,'' which was published in 1984. He began working in television in the early 1980s. Between 1987 and 1996, the program was recorded in his restaurant and, in the summer months, in

Punta del Este Punta del Este () is a seaside city and peninsula on the Atlantic Coast in the Maldonado Department of southeastern Uruguay. Starting as a small town, Punta del Este later became internationally known as a resort for the Latin and North American j ...

, excluding 1992, when the program was recorded at the Seville Expo where Mallmann was representing Argentina. His visibility in television significantly influenced the reach and scope of his work. Mallmann is Argentina's most famous chef known for his open-fire cooking. He currently runs 9 restaurants worldwide: Patagonia Sur (Argentina), Los Fuegos (Miami), Fuego de Apalta (Chile), 1884 Restaurant (Argentina), Garzón (Uruguay), Bodega Fuegos (Argentina), Orégano (Mendoza), Mallmann at Chateau La Coste (France).

Personal life

In April 2016, Mallmann married Vanina Chimeno, the mother of his two daughters, Alba and Heloisa. He has five other children, Andino, Allegra, Ambar, Alexia and Francisco, from previous relationships.

References

External links

Restaurante Patagonia Sur
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mallmann, Francis 1956 births Living people Argentine television chefs Argentine people of German descent Argentine people of Uruguayan descent