Carito Lourenço, the First Argentine Chef Awarded a Michelin Star, Shares Her Story of Fierro Restaurant, Other Projects, and the Role of Women in the Culinary World.
The story
Carito Lourenço, the first female Argentine chef to earn a Michelin star, fell in love with cooking at a young age, making sweets with her grandmother. Born in Córdoba, she studied gastronomy in Mendoza. After earning her degree, she decided to try her luck in Europe, relocating to Valencia to pursue a postgraduate diploma in Kitchen Management and a master's degree in Food and Beverage Management at the Centro Superior de Hotelaria e Tourism. It was there that she met her colleague Germán Carrizo, with whom she has shared both her life and kitchen ever since. Together, the couple embarked on an incredible culinary journey, starting in the team of the El Poblet restaurant and then working at the renowned chef Quique Dacosta establishment during the peak of his career.
In 2015, the two decided to venture on their own, giving birth to Fierro, a restaurant specializing in fire and grill cuisine, drawing inspiration from the Argentine roots of the couple and the vast Mediterranean pantry. In 2021, Carito Lourenço earned her first Michelin star and has no plans to stop there. In partnership with Carrizo, she founded Tandem Gastronomico, a restaurant consulting network, and also established Doña Petrona (homestyle cuisine), La Central de Postres (a pastry shop managed by Lourenço herself), and La Petite Brioche (a bakery).
Today, with the Michelin star proudly embroidered on her uniform, Carito thinks about the current role of women in fine dining, the possibility of promoting Argentine wines in Europe, and anticipates her upcoming projects. Being the first chef in the country to receive such recognition (even though the restaurant is in Spain) "represents a significant achievement," she tells winesfoargentina.com. "Because not many women can boast of it yet, but I'm sure they will soon."
"Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to work with Argentine chefs in various parts of the world, all with impressive talent. It's worth mentioning that women in the kitchen are gaining visibility, and more and more are choosing to fully dedicate themselves to this profession. I am truly pleased with these developments and have confidence in the strength of female talent in any field." Compared to the current scenario, her debut in Valencia seems distant now: "Since I entered the industry, the percentage of women in restaurants has progressively and significantly increased. I have always worked in high-end restaurants, and, for example, in 2006, I was the only woman in a team of 15 employees. Now, at Fierro, our staff consists of 12 people in total, with 8 of them being women."
Many projects are in progress, including - she emphasizes - "offering and introducing more options of Argentine wines to the public. We are also known as a restaurant where you can taste drinks that are not usually found elsewhere. We are working to become a kind of 'Argentine wine embassy' in Spain." While keeping in mind that "the offering is as diverse and dynamic as possible. When we present a dish, we always try to ensure that the wine accompanying it is the best choice to enhance its natural flavor. Our sommelier is Eva Pizarro, a skilled professional from Spain. People recognize the more 'traditional' tastes, and they are pleasantly surprised when we offer them something different."
Regarding future establishments, "we have several new ventures in Spain, and we are working to bring a touch of Fierro's style to Buenos Aires with the opening of a restaurant in the coming months. And since we dream big, why not aim for a Michelin star in Argentina in the future? We are in talks with various investors, and we won’t stop; who knows..."
