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[title]It’s difficult to write about Francis Mallmann without resorting to something that’s already been said, but his story, full of contrasts and nuances, never stops surprising. Francisco José Mallmann is an icon of Argentine cuisine, a lover of beauty and the finer things, “a lover of life” as he defines himself, and also passionate about being alone. He enjoys his moments of silence, usually at 5 a.m. when the day breaks, drinking a rich cup of coffee, dedicating himself to painting or sewing.
Francis has lived many lives in one: at 13, he dropped out of school; at 16, already emancipated from his parents, he packed his bags and left the country. He lived off music in California and, at 18, after a brief culinary experience in Bariloche, his childhood home, he emigrated to Paris to learn from the best. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, this self-taught chef, who learned cooking by observing the best and languages at the university of life, admits that the freedom he had from such a young age inspired his life and existence. Francis is an open book and a born entrepreneur. He speaks slowly, with the serenity of someone who knows that life is made of moments and they must be enjoyed.
We had the privilege of talking to him at his iconic restaurant Siete Fuegos, in The Vines of Mendoza, during the Smoke & Fire program, an event created by the exclusive resort in Valle de Uco, for wine tourism enthusiasts.
You’ve given thousands of interviews in your life. What question are you tired of being asked?
When they ask me if my inspiration was my mom. Also, it depends on the questions and how I feel at the moment. If I feel that a question is asked with intention, I dedicate time to it.
You’re self-taught: you never went to university to learn languages, but you speak French and English perfectly. You didn’t study cooking, you learned by watching the best in Paris and around the world. That’s amazing...
Mine has been a search, a tension. I was in love with life... I still am. I’ve always thought that “everything that is possible, is possible.” That has been my motto.
I’ve always thought that “everything that is possible, is possible,” that has been my motto.
You take so many flights a week. Where do you feel at home? What place for you is “home”?
It’s very confusing because I don’t know where home is. I live everywhere. But if I have to mention some important places, Garzón in Uruguay, my house in Mendoza where my daughters and my wife, Vanina, live. In La Boca in Buenos Aires, where I have my Buenos Aires home. I love that neighborhood! Also in Patagonia.
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When and with whom can you be 100% Francisco José Mallmann?
With my children, I have 7. In my work too, you know? When I talk to a client or create a dish, somewhere there, I feel like there is a very beautiful exchange between me and the people.
After so many years in gastronomy, how is your relationship with cooking today?
Cooking is always a surprise, like being a painter and facing a blank sheet. Even if you make a recipe often, every time you make it, it has a different intimacy. That’s very beautiful. If it’s fish, to make it delicious, first you have to fall in love with the fish you’re going to cook. Understand where it comes from, in what state it is.
You have a devotion for potatoes. What makes this product so special to you?
The potato is, for me, a symbol of the greatest simplicity in cooking. It’s a tuber that adapts to what each person wants. It can be a delicious and wet mashed potato, a soup, a crushed potato with its crunchiness and soft, tender part. A French fry, a baked potato with onion that becomes all golden. I’ve always loved potatoes, and besides being South American, I adore them. I seriously think I’ll start sleeping with a bag of potatoes!
The potato is, for me, a symbol of the greatest simplicity in cooking.
What would you say to that Francis who left school and, emancipated, left the country in search of a new life?
At 13, I left my parents’ house, and at 16, my father signed my emancipation. I would tell him that I didn’t make a mistake, that the freedom I had from a very young age inspired my life. It was very tough, but that freedom led me to where I am today. That thing of being able to choose every day what to do and not being tied to other people’s dreams for you.
That freedom from a very young age inspired my life.
Mendoza has 100% Mallmann imprint. You’ve left your mark on several local restaurants and chefs. What does this province mean to you?
Mendoza is one of my homes, it’s a place I love. I’ve worked in the province since 1983 when I took over all the restaurants in Las Leñas and worked four years in the ski center managing the mountain’s gastronomy in the hotels. That was my first encounter with the province. In the 90s, we opened 1884 Restaurant, 14 years ago we inaugurated Siete Fuegos at The Vines of Mendoza resort, and the Kaiken Ramos Generales restaurant, 4 or 5 years ago. Also, Lahuen Có in Los Molles, Las Leñas. So, I have four restaurants in Mendoza, plus my love for the province. I’m very much a mountain person, I love the mountains. I grew up in a mountain full of trees in Bariloche, and this is a different mountain that I’ve learned to know and love. I must admit that, at first, I struggled with the lack of trees in Mendoza’s mountains.
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Also, you have restaurants in Buenos Aires, Chile, France, Miami, and we keep counting. How do you manage to stay on top of everything that happens in them?
I delegate a lot to the head chefs. I call them, but they can’t call me with problems. They have to solve them because I always tell them, “If you make a mistake, I support you.” I don’t want to make decisions about what happens in each restaurant, they have to make them because they hold that role for a reason.
What is your leadership style? Are you like the bad chefs we see in series and movies?
Not at all! I’m a pond, I’m very peaceful. That doesn’t mean I’m not demanding through peace. I always tell my teams: “I’m not your dad nor a teacher, you know what you have to do. The day I have to call your attention, it’s already too late.”
You’re an ambassador of Argentine gastronomy and a role model for many chefs. What do you think is the legacy you’ve left in gastronomy?
I think my legacy in gastronomy and the new generations is that I taught that our roots, the native cuisines of Argentina, in the north, in Mesopotamia, in the south, in the Pampas, have fantastic gastronomy, instead of looking to Europe, as I did when I left for Paris at 18. Young people can now travel to Paris and see what’s happening there, but I also invited them to realize that there’s a lot to rescue from our kitchens, our culture, and our gastronomic identity, and they have done and are doing it, right? That makes me very happy. I fought a lot for that. It’s not something I invented or that I carry the flag alone, many others did it and helped me, but I think that’s important.
How do you feel about social media?
At the moment, I’m a bit distant. I started with Twitter and Facebook, which I don’t use anymore. Then I joined Instagram, but honestly, it’s also abandoned because I’m not in the mood. My social media is an extension of my heart, I manage them myself, I’d rather close them before having someone else manage them.
My social media is an extension of my heart, I’d rather close them before having someone else manage them.
You travel a lot, do you have time to be in Buenos Aires? What do you think of the city?
I love Buenos Aires. When I can stay for two days, I’m super happy. And when I leave, I usually go eat at El Preferido because I really like the simple food they make, the project has a heart that I like. I’d like to live more in Buenos Aires to go to the Teatro Colón because I love opera and concerts.
You really love music, poetry, and cinema too, right?
Yes, I’m planning to take my daughters to the cinema to see the Bob Dylan documentary, “A Complete Unknown.”
Who do you admire?
I admire many film directors, musicians, and also a lot of writers. For me, words are the most beautiful thing we have, our greatest treasure is words, languages, because what you can do with words, you can’t do with anything else.
Words are the most beautiful thing we have.
When will we see a new restaurant with Mallmann’s signature?
This year, we’ll open a new restaurant in the Meatpacking District of New York, specializing in grilled cuisine.