Wild Cooking with Francis Mallmann | Argentina

SMALL GROUP JOURNEY

Wild Cooking with Francis Mallmann

Argentine master-chef Francis Mallmann receives guests on his private Patagonian island for an exclusive and hands-on gastronomic experience. With his quiet lakeside haven as their backdrop, Mallmann’s guests will spend six days learning the art of cooking over embers, flames and smoke during daily fire cooking classes led by the renowned chef. At the end of each day, guests will cosy up in their host’s treasured cabin, laden with bookshelves and enough wine to go around.

This small group journey provides a primitive return to the simple elegance of cooking with and within nature and finding joy in every step of the process.

DATES

3-9 March, 2025

PRICE

Starting from $21,409 per person

GROUP SIZE

8-11 people

HIGHLIGHTS

Open fire cooking classes led by the legendary chef and Patagonian native himself, Francis Mallmann.
Six nights and seven days accommodation at La Soplada, Mallmann’s private lakeside lodge located on a remote island in Argentine Patagonia.
In addition to outdoor cooking, a private mountain guide takes guests hiking, fishing, and boating.

DAY BY DAY

DAYS 1 & 2:

Arrive to Buenos Aires for a two-night stay at the elegant Casa Lucia, located in the leafy and strollable Recoleta neighbourhood. Enjoy a welcome dinner, private tour of the city, and a tango lesson.

DAY 3:

Planes, cars, and boats transport the group from Buenos Aires to their remote destination of La Soplada. Fly 2.5 hours from Buenos Aires to Comodoro Rivadavia. From there, a private transfer takes the group on a 5-hour journey through remote cattle pastures to arrive at Lago La Plata. Finally, a 45-minute boat ride brings you to your final destination, La Soplada, where you’ll settle in for the next six days.

DAY 4:

Mallmann begins to impart his knowledge of open fire cooking to his party of guests. During this first lesson, the group will learn how to bake fresh lake trout in clay and enjoy their creation with a bottle of Argentine Malbec.

DAY 5:

After the day’s cooking lesson, guests explore the natural beauty of their surroundings with the help of a local mountain guide. Hiking, boating, and fly fishing are also available. End the day curled up by the fireplace with a good book or outside, gazing up at the untainted Patagonian night sky. It’s also possible to project a classic film for a memorable movie night with your group.

DAY 6:

Learn the seven different types of fire from your host, who’s known to recite poetry while he cooks. Take this exclusive opportunity to get to know the enigmatic Francis Mallmann beyond his culinary intuition.

DAY 7:

Spend the day exploring the private island. Go for a refreshing swim in the lake before taking a boat trip with Mallmann to fish for your lunch. Today’s lesson will focus on the inseparable connection between cooking and the natural world.

DAY 8:

On your final full day at La Soplada, choose to relax in the silence of your surroundings, or take one last hike through the lenga trees. The final cooking lesson will be about the joy of cooking, combining everything the group learned throughout the week.

DAY 9:

Wake up once more to a lake view before bidding farewell to it and your host. Board the boat and transfer back to Comodoro Rivadavia and then fly to Buenos Aires for one final night in the city.

DAY 10:

Unwind and reminisce on your week together during one final single-night stay at Casa Lucia before boarding your international flight home the next day.

WHERE YOU’LL STAY

Mallmann’s private cabin is located on a remote island in the heart of Lago La Plata in Argentina’s southern Chubut Province. Framed low against the horizon and hemmed by lenga trees, Mallmann’s cabin, La Soplada (Spanish for “windblown”), has six cosy bedrooms, each with their own private bathroom and stunning view of the peaks of Cerro El Gorro on the horizon. Throughout the dwelling, La Soplada’s large windows frame views of impenetrable forests reflecting on the clear lake waters. The sounds of trees swaying against one another, and the crackle of the fireplace burning will embrace you and your group.