Francis Mallmann
On being yourself.
I think everyone secretly loves to cook. Some of us more than others. Composing a symphony on a plate in your home is rewarding- even if you are just cooking for you. Chefs have recently taken a sort of celebrity status in the almost mainstream media, it would appear - Alton Brown has a theater act, Chopped on Food Network, Snapchat even has food devoted channels! Netflix has caught on with a series called “Chefs Table”. The series shadows a handful of cutting edge chefs from all over the planet. Of the episodes I’ve been watching, Francis Mallmann has been the most avant-garde.
To understand my fascination with Francis, you would have to go back to his late teens and twenties. At this time in his life, Francis up and moved to Paris. Here, he went, quite literally, door to door to restaurants asking for jobs. When he couldn’t get into the places he wanted, he set his sights at the top and sent letters to all the 3 Michelin Star restaurants. Most said no, but the ones that said yes afforded Mr. Mallmann the greatest culinary professors at the time. Francis would grow and return to his home of Patagonia opening a restaurant and teaching along the way.
In the interview with him from Chefs Table he says he was cooking for the head of Cartier. At the end of the meal, the gentleman came up to Francis and told him that while the meal was a monstrosity, it wasn’t actually French cooking at all. Francis disregarded the comment, but deep down, it struck a chord with him sort of prompting him to go “his own way”. In 1995, Francis would win the Grand Prix de la cuisine with potato dishes inspired by the Andes Mountains in Chile (he smuggled half a ton of dirty potatoes to make his table dressings and dishes to win the competition). And this is where it gets interesting.
Instead of relishing his accomplishment, Francis turned his back to the the awards, and broke off from the flow of the culinary scene. He seems to live by the motto of when something is at its best, it’s time to let it go. In his documentary, Mallmann says something to the effect of “Growing up means not being afraid to be yourself, even it if hurts you, or the other person.” Those are lesson everyone should learn. I don’t think he has malicious intentions in his ways, just a sincere disinterest in interacting with people who bring nothing to the table- people who are afraid to speak their mind.
Too many times, I see and hear people say “That’s great, we want to think about it.” Or “I have to talk to my significant other before making that decision.” We all good and well know that you have no intention of doing anything. The only person you are really fooling is yourself. Sure, you can hide behind the polite excuse of not wanting to be offensive, but please realize, you’re doing just that by not telling what you’re really after. It’s lying, in essence. What are you so afraid of? Who cares if I disagree with what you are saying?
This might not be for everyone. Some people prefer to turn a blind eye to the things that make them uncomfortable. And, there are a hand full of people who actually do need to talk to their significant other, or, genuinely need to think it over (there’s an exception to every rule type of thing). For me, however, this is how the world should be. All my friends know, if you ask me something, don’t be offended when I tell you how I really feel. Of course, exercise a bit of tact while saying it, but you get the gist.
Francis Mallmann and this aspect of his life, at least as portrayed, is someone I admire. Here is a man who has done exactly what he’s wanted to do, exactly how he’s wanted to do it for most of his life. Hes taken cooking as a way to learn how to be an individual. He is someone I believe to be truly avant-garde, and completely original to his approach to life and food alike. If that isn’t worth looking up to, then I don’t know what is.
-N
