Unforgettable evening at Marismo
Rutini wines has kick started the season in José Ignacio. On December the 21th, Federico Desseno organized a very special dinner at his restaurant, Marismo: with guest chef Juliana López May to cook alongside, the restaurant received its guests, including Francis Mallmann. This renown chef and mentor of many first line cooks, among which López May and Desseno stand out, showed up at Marismo to enjoy the menu this unique occassion had to offer: summer punch with an onion and smoked aubergine´s piadina to welcome the guests; clay oven baked carrots with burrata, hazelnuts and mint for starter; as main course the chefs offered slow roasted catch of the day and meditarrenean baby potatoes; and dessert table for closure.
Juliana López May was the evening’s guest star. She and Desseno have known each other since the days of Los Negros (Mallmann’s restaurant where they both worked in the mid-nineties) and so agreeing on the menu was no hard test. The catch of the day helped out: four soles brought from La Paloma and one black croaker. The fire, the kitchen in full view of the diners and the reunion with Mallmann made it a perfect night for Lopez May. The wines chosen for the occasion were: Rutini Pinot Noir, Rutini Sauvignon Blanc, Rutini Cabernet Malbec y Trumpeter Extra Brut.
Federico Desseno arrived in Uruguay in 1996 “with a bicycle and a bag” for an internship at Los Negros. When the summer finished, Mallmann asked him to stay working during March and, at the end of March, he decided to stay the whole year. Since then he lives and works in Uruguay with his family. In addition to Marismo, which opened its doors in 2001, Desseno also runs La cantina del vigía, in Maldonado. Federico belongs to a lineage of cooks and carpenters. Marismo was built with his own hands. He likes to tell that his grandfather on his mother’s side “glued with hot fish tail”. Among his ancestors there were ship cooks, bakers, bartenders. Desseno himself is a true mix of fire, wood and sea.
In Marismo everything has an intimate and artisanal mood: from the unique atmosphere that the fire, the stars and being outside create, to the very ingredient sought with care and respect for real food. It is not just the fish brought by local fishermen: Desseno defines himself as a seeker whose cuisine is defined by the quality of the product. Much of the work means finding the best raw materials. Then comes the ability to honor them in the kitchen and to turn them into an unforgettable dish. From that point of view, a bunch of freshly harvested carrots from a neighbor’s agroecological garden may be a finding that sets the course of the day’s menu. Another detail that makes the unique atmosphere of Marismo are the wooden sculptures that inhabit that wild space. They are works of a paternal uncle of Federico, the award-winning artist José Alberto Desseno, some of whose works can be seen in Parque Avellaneda or in the port of Mar del Plata.
Rutini Wines had the privilege of opening the season in this unique enclave of José Ignacio where Desseno and López May had the pleasure of entertaining their teacher on an unforgettable night.