flâneur

Francis Mallmann interview: the chef on wine and other burning passions

cluboenologique.com · 2,592 words · saved by 1 readers

‘Wine is quite… romantic,’ says Francis Mallmann as he sits in the garden of his restaurant in Provence, his signature monogrammed beret slanted towards the sun. It might not be much of a surprise to learn that he feels this way about the humble grape and its slow journey to the glass. He has to be the world’s most romantic chef, after all; a man who quotes Edgar Allan Poe in his Instagram bio and who turned his back on the Michelin-starred kitchens of Paris to take to the wilds of his native Patagonia and harness the power of fire in his cooking – something he claims he is yet to master, even after 30 years dedicated to the craft. But in his mind, winemakers have it even tougher in their pursuit of perfection. ‘Serious winemakers who make one or two wines at the most, they have 35 years or 40 years to show that they’re good. For all the other trades, it’s different. Like with cooking: we practise every lunch and every dinner,’ says Mallmann in his considered style of poetic prose. ‘Su

‘Wine is quite… romantic,’ says Francis Mallmann as he sits in the garden of his restaurant in Provence, his signature monogrammed beret slanted towards the sun. It might not be much of a surprise to learn that he feels this way about the humble grape and its slow journey to the glass. He has to be the world’s most romantic chef, after all; a man who quotes Edgar Allan Poe in his Instagram bio and who turned his back on the Michelin-starred kitchens of Paris to take to the wilds of his native Patagonia and harness the power of fire in his cooking – something he claims he is yet to master

related reading