Mind of a Chef

Argentina

Fire is the most elemental part of a kitchen - without it, food would simply be eaten, never "cooked." And yet in the post-Nouvelle-Cuisine age, food and fire have become distant from one another. Ed travels to Argentina to visit Francis Mallmann, the country's most esteemed chef and the godfather of open-flame cooking, on his private island nestled in the foothills of the Andes. While on La Isla for three days, Francis and Ed create a feast that reunites the simplest - and arguably the best - ingredients and cooking techniques. Armed with fire, smoke, meat and salt, Ed relishes this once-in-a-lifetime experience.