Five facts you should know about García, Luciano García’s ambitious establishment in Buenos Aires

Argentina is in luck. In 2023, the renowned pastry chef Luciano García opened a spectacular and ambitious space on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, where cooking and pâtisserie merge with great success.

The establishment is called García, the most personal project of this popular professional; a space of more than 700 m2 with a dynamic offer, which adapts to the different moments of the day and which highlights the beauty hidden in simplicity. The chef himself tells us the details of this new project in so good.. magazine 31.

Photos: Pablo Baracat / Photos restaurant: Rodrigo Cresta

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A space with soul

Luciano was clear from the beginning that this project had to be based on a clear premise: to have a soul to endure over time. But a soul in what sense? It had to reflect who he is, his journey, his career. For example, to visualize his Italian origins on his mother’s side, a family that owned a pasta factory. It also had to reflect his 20-year career as a pastry chef, or to show his passion for bars… “A pastry shop alone, in this place, was going to be too small. It was necessary to offer a kitchen and a pastry shop that had to do with whoever was in charge. Hence the name García. It seemed playful and fun to opt for this common surname and associate it with simplicity, but with personality; to look for elegance in the everyday.”

The kitchen in the center and in view

García has a space of more than 700 square meters with views of a large garden with a lake. There are two entrances, one for take away, and another which is the main entrance to the dining room. In the center of the room is the glass-enclosed workshop and around it is a 360º bar where classic and signature cocktails are served. “In the end, we cover all the services, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. There’s a lot going on all day long!

The most interesting thing about this concept is that the kitchen is in the center and in view. “People here are not used to that, to being shown everything, to seeing the cook making the pasta, the baker making the bread. Our first ambition was to uncover the whole process.”

The pastry offer changes according to the time of day

At the beginning of the day, García offers more savory pastries, and others with bread as the main ingredient. As the day progresses, the service and products are more oriented towards take away. And in the afternoon, during the tea service, the products are the classic ones that usually accompany this moment, more traditional.

“The challenge was for people to respond well to these changes that occur throughout the day. Fortunately, since we opened, success has been with us. Maybe it has to do with the fact that diners find me there every day.”

Simplicity as the creative axis

Luciano seeks for his products to be simple and organic, easy to understand. “I have found there is a way to grow in a sustained manner over time. Today, developing a current and trendy product is very complex, and doing it from simplicity is simplifying the process. This path will also help us to grow in the future, to move forward. I often see projects that start quickly and then do not evolve or disappear.”

Commitment to Argentinian products

Luciano wants García to be a loyal project with his message from him in the program ‘Cocineros argentinos’ (Argentinian cooks). “It wouldn’t be acceptable if on television, I am traveling all over the country showing what producers from each place do, and then open a project that does not value those products. Maintaining professional coherence was the biggest challenge.”

Discover these creations with recipes in so good #31