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[title]Tomás Treschanski is still four years away from turning thirty, yet he has already traveled the world, cooked alongside renowned chefs, and opened his own restaurant, Trescha, in his hometown. But it doesn’t stop there; his flagship restaurant, barely a year old, has become a benchmark for fine dining in Buenos Aires, has been awarded a Michelin star, and he has even been honored with the Young Chef Award 2024 – he is the youngest chef in the Americas to receive it. What might take many gastronomists several decades – or they might never achieve – this young man from Saavedra has accomplished by the age of 26.
We spoke with Tomás about how he handles global recognition, the projects he has ahead, and even what he likes to do in his free time. Here’s the chef of the moment.
Trescha
You didn’t choose a fancy location or a posh neighborhood for Trescha. Instead, you opted to open your restaurant in a refurbished house in Villa Crespo. Why?
From the very beginning, I wanted the facade of my restaurant to be an old house. From the start, it was a challenge to find an old house that was licensed for gastronomy. During that search, the opportunity arose when the team from i Latina – the restaurant of Colombian chef Santiago Macías – who were previously at the property, left and offered it to me. From the moment I saw it, I said, “This is it.” Without much hesitation, we signed the contract.
In such a complex context as Argentina, Trescha has had a year of pure success. How would you define this first year of the restaurant?
I am very critical of everything related to “the world of Trescha.” I always find many areas for improvement within the restaurant, and I truly believe it can be much better than it is today. But I also feel that it is much better today than it was a year ago. This is something I try to instill in everyone who works with me from day one: we need to be better than the previous day; there is always something to improve, always something to grow and learn from the day before. At the same time, I believe this year has brought great maturity to the restaurant; it has grown a lot. For me, it’s a completely different restaurant from when we opened. Those who came in the first months will find a different restaurant now, and I hope the same happens for those who come in a year.
“In this first year of the restaurant, there has been great maturity”
Tomás, you’ve received many awards. How do you handle recognition? What place do you give to these accolades?
It’s a nice reward for everyone who works in the restaurant and puts a lot of effort into it every day. It’s also a recognition that indicates we’re doing things right and helps drive us to strive for more and push to be better. At least that’s how I see it. Keep in mind that a prize is achieving one goal, but it automatically sets another, which is to aim higher. Therefore, awards and recognition give me motivation and indicate we’re on the right track.
Trescha hosts Chef Series, where you invite chefs from Argentina and around the world to cook, like Javier Rodríguez from the prestigious El Papagayo in Córdoba or Álvaro Clavijo from the renowned El Chato in Bogotá. What do you enjoy most about opening Trescha’s doors to colleagues from around the world and cooking with them?
It’s incredibly rewarding for me. It’s great to share with such talented colleagues, exchange ideas and knowledge, see what they cook, their techniques, and how they work. You learn a lot. Not only do I benefit, but everyone who works with me sees new things; it helps us break out of the routine and do something different. All these encounters with different colleagues are very positive, and they also help us become known in other places.
Trescha is one of the few – if not the only – restaurant in Buenos Aires with a Test Kitchen. What are you currently working on? Any news about the research being done there?
In the development kitchen, we’re constantly testing new things. I would love to communicate more about what we’re working on in that space, but sometimes due to time constraints and the daily rush, it becomes a bit complicated. We are always experimenting with new ideas, dishes, ingredients, and innovations to apply in the restaurant. For me, it’s a fundamental part of our space, of what we are, and it drives much of what Trescha is because I see innovation as movement, and movement within a restaurant is essential. Monotony, for me, annihilates everything. So, we’re always trying to change, do new things, challenge ourselves, and that’s what the Test Kitchen is for.
What are your short-term and long-term goals for Trescha?
They are always the same, and it’s a bit repetitive of what I mentioned earlier: to keep improving daily so that the restaurant is always better than the day before.
And for you, as a chef?
Look, Trescha is my life. Everything that happens at Trescha is a reflection of what happens to me, so I have the same goals for the restaurant. Of course, I’d like to open new places to create new experiences, open in other countries and cultures, work with different products. I’ve always worked and lived abroad, so I’d love to have that experience again in the future, but without rushing. Right now, I’m 100% focused on Trescha, and things will happen when they’re supposed to.
When you’re not at Trescha and want to enjoy a good meal in the city, where do you go?
For dinner, I really enjoy Mengano, Gran Dabbang, Piedra Pasillo, Niño Gordo… These are all restaurants I like to visit when I have free time. For steakhouses, I really like El Secretito, Parrilla Peña, Don Julio, but what I enjoy the most is having barbecues at home. So, I try to have them regularly and invite friends and colleagues to enjoy together.
“What I enjoy the most is having barbecues at home”
Although you didn’t grow up in a cooking environment, we know you’ve always loved cooking. What would you say to that young Tomás who used to watch El Gourmet?
I still can’t believe everything that has happened in such a short time, but I’d tell him to be proud. I’m proud of everything that’s happened at the restaurant. There’s something I’ve come to understand over time since we opened the restaurant, and that is to learn to enjoy the present. Even though you automatically set goals for the future and always want to improve, and in my case, I’m very self-critical, you need to learn to enjoy the moment and the whole process of growing the restaurant because I will never experience it again, so I’d tell him to enjoy the day-to-day. I try to do that, even though it’s a bit challenging!
Where: Murillo 725. Reservations here.