Francis Mallmann’s episode of the Netflix series Chef’s Table earned a disproportionate amount of attention. He was, in fairness, the only subject to roast whole animals over open flames in the Patagonian wilderness. Today, the chef is perhaps the most celebrated ambassador of Argentinean cuisine, and he owns and operates nine restaurants around the world. Despite his high profile, he still spends much of his time on a remote island called La Soplada (“the blown away”) in the middle of La Plata, a lake in Argentinean Patagonia. This month, he publishes a new cookbook, Green Fire: Extraordinary Ways to Grill Fruits and Vegetables, from the Master of Live-Fire Cooking. On the occasion, he shares his key components to the good life. —Ashley Baker
Airline: All airlines have faults, but the American Airlines Concierge Key membership makes flying into the clouds graceful and does it with ease.
Airport: The old dirt strip near my island, in Patagonia, where we land even on windy days. But just be sure not to forget to ring a neighbor to be sure there are no cows on it.
Alibi: “Me, yesterday in a gray old Mercedes with a brunette? Impossible. I was in Paris with Lou Lou.”
App: Windguru, the wind app that lets us know if we can safely sail the boats to the island.
Bag: The Beretta carry-on bags made of brown canvas and immaculate leather.
Bedtime: My happiest moment of the day, when I put on an XXL black nightshirt long to my toes. Which, I might admit, becomes my uniform for breakfast, pruning my plants, or taking a stroll to the plaza of the small town of Garzón for coffee, in Uruguay.
Bike: My bicycle at Château La Coste holds an engine that helps me climb the dirt road to my hut up the hills near Aix-en-Provence.
