Leo Lanussol: “Ness is Proper 2.0”

After marking a before and after in the Buenos Aires scene with Proper, Leo Lanussol surprised again with Ness, an intimate, experimental restaurant with a punk spirit that quickly became a new cult spot. In this conversation, the chef and musician recalls his early days among pots and guitars, reflects on the current state of Argentine gastronomy, and explains why Ness is, for him, a more conscious and perfectionist evolution of everything he had already started building.

Do you remember the moment you said “I want to cook”?

Yes, I was 17 years old, playing in a punk band and cooking for the whole band. I saw the band wasn’t going anywhere and, since I had to support myself at 18, it was like, “Well, here in the kitchen, there’s a career path.”

Was it a sudden flash or something that slowly developed?

It was a sudden flash because I started, got hooked, and couldn’t stop. I’ve been cooking for 23 years now.

After Proper, which was a big hit, you launched Ness, which has a different vibe—more intimate, more ritualistic. How did that idea come about and what were you feeling at that moment?

When I created Proper, I was a disruptive person, like I am today, but with an unconsciousness I now manage differently. I think what having Proper gave me was understanding that dreams can come true. Today, Ness is Proper 2.0. It’s still disruptive, still punk, but with a daily pursuit of continuous perfection.

How do you see Argentine gastronomy today? What excites you and what frustrates you when you look at the current scene?

I really like everything happening with the union of young chefs. I love that we share, that there are buying pools. I like sharing suppliers and recipes. I think there’s a socioeconomic issue affecting all of us. I talk about the gastronomic world that used to be nice when you’d meet with a chef from another restaurant and they’d say, “Yesterday I went to Julia or Gran Dabbang.” Now, those conversations have shrunk or become: “I went to eat at the little grill around the corner.” I think that’s what’s happening today: gastronomy is becoming something for few people, and that’s what hurts me the most.

"Gastronomy is becoming something for few people, and that’s what hurts me the most"

Your cooking relies a lot on intuition and letting the ingredients speak. Do you often clash with what is expected of “a restaurant” today?

I work daily with imperfection-perfection, which is a contradiction, but after all, it’s what we do: making rustic things look beautiful and letting the ingredients shine without having to add things. Simply cooking them with love and passion.

What dream do you still want to fulfill as a chef? Is there some crazy idea on your “someday…” list?

I’d love to have a restaurant on the beach for 10 people and cook without pressure. Simply wake up in the morning, go to a market, get the catch or vegetables of the day, and cook a very simple menu based on what I found. Then surf in the morning and afternoon.

"I’d love to have a restaurant on the beach and cook without pressure"

Porteño Ping Pong with Leo Lanussol

A porteño dish you love: milanesa with mashed potatoes.

A food you would never cook: so hard, but maybe something with intestines, very countryside things I’m not used to eating. I like to try them, but I don’t know how to cook them.

A porteño street to get lost walking: San Telmo has a very European vibe. Argentines forget that Buenos Aires is as beautiful as Paris or Madrid.

A neighborhood bar you never fail to visit: I always go to Lo de Charly after concerts with friends, to eat something at that famous, beautiful “tachero” spot. The entraña never fails.

An unconfessable gastronomic vice: when I worked in Japanese restaurants, I couldn’t stop eating raw fish.

An Argentine chef who blows your mind: I really like Francis Mallmann, all his spirit, his environment, and his way of seeing life. I also really like Narda Lepes, all the fight she leads around food and the values she brings to Argentine tables.

Barbecue on the terrace or vermouth on the sidewalk: barbecue on the terrace.