Il Buco ::: Restaurant


			Ignacio Mattos has recently joined il Buco. Born in Santa Lucia, Uruguay, Ignacio gleaned his first experience in his Italian grandmother's kitchen, full of savory flavors from the family farm. In his first year of culinary school Ignacio was recruited to do an internship with Michel Kerever, the mentor of Alain Passard, and never turned back.


	In 1997 Argentine Chef Francis Mallman whisked him out of culinary school to join him in the Mediterranean kitchen of his seaside restaurant, Los Negros in Jose Ignacio, just north of Punta del Este, Uruguay, the South American "Riviera." He then continued on to Francis Mallman 1884, Mallman's restaurant in the historic Bodega Escorihuela winery in Mendoza, Argentina. For the next several years he would join Mallman in various ventures in Latin American and the U.S. In 2000, Mallman introduced Ignacio to the Belarminos family, a father and son restaurant group and began working at Figueira Rubaiyat, one of their many high volume restaurants in Sao Paulo, built around a courtyard with a giant fig tree (figueira) serving classic Mediterranean fare. Ignacio began there as Sous Chef and later became Executive Chef.

	In 2001, Ignacio made his way north to San Francisco to do a "stage" at Judy Roger's James Beard Award winning restaurant, Zuni Cafe, where he was deeply impressed by the quality of ingredients used in the simplest, flavorful combinations. He took that experience back east to assist Francis Mallman in opening Patagonia West, his only US location at the time. He then returned to Argentina as Chef de Cuisine at Mallman's Patagonia Sur in Buenos Aires, serving classic Argentinian fare (Italian and Spanish with Incan influences). At the end of 2002 Mallman sent Ignacio on an educational trip cooking and eating his way through Italy and Spain to expand his experience. He worked in several kitchens including Martin Berasategui a 3-Star Michelin rated restaurant in Lasarte-Oria, Spain and il Cesare in Albaretto de Latorre, Italy. Upon his return he continued to work with Mallman in both New York and Argentina. In the winter of 2004, Ignacio served Alice Water's partner of Chez Painisse at Patagonia Sur, and was recruited to work with them in San Francisco. Working in Chez Painisse's downstairs kitchen for one year, Ignacio had the opportunity to work with the finest ingredients, expand his own perspective, and nurture his own vision. His desire to return to the east coast in his own right brought him to the Spotted Pig in New York, where he was first introduced to il Buco. Ignacio's kitchen reflects a commitment to honoring the simplicity of the prime ingredients highlighted by intense, full flavors - a perfect complement to the il Buco philosophy.