Francis Mallmann (born January 14, 1956) is an

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

celebrity

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

, author, and restaurateur who specializes in

Argentine cuisine Argentine cuisine is described as a blending of cultures, from the Indigenous peoples of Argentina who focused on ingredients such as humita, potatoes, cassava, peppers, tomatoes, Poroto, beans, and yerba mate, to Mediterranean cuisine, Medit ...

, and especially in

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

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, it also has more than 20 international editions. Founded in 1933, it flourished during the Great Depression and World War II under the guidance of ...

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

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original series ''

Chef's Table ''Chef's Table'' is an American documentary series created by David Gelb', which premiered on video streaming service Netflix on April 26, 2015. The series takes viewers inside both the lives and kitchens of a variety of acclaimed and successful ...

''.

Early life and education

Mallmann was born in

Acassuso Acassuso is a locality in the San Isidro "partido" of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. 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 ...

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...

in 1956. Son of an Argentinian father and Uruguayan mother. In 1958, he moved to

Bariloche San Carlos de Bariloche (from the Mapuche name ''Vuriloche'', meaning "people from the other side of the mountain"), commonly known simply as Bariloche (), is the largest city in the Argentine province of Río Negro and the seat of the departm ...

in Patagonia when his father, Carlos Mallmann, was employed as the head of the

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

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

Lake Nahuel Huapi Nahuel Huapi Lake () is an Andean lake in the lake region of northern Patagonia between the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén, in Argentina. The lake has a northwest-southeast elongated shape and complex geography with several branches, pe ...

in 1970.

Career

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

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, 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 w ...

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 Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

. 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 grew to become a resort for the Latin and North American jet set and tourists. T ...

, 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

He has double nationality Argentinian/Uruguayan. In April 2016, Mallmann married Vanina Chimeno, with whom he has two daughters. He has five other children, 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