inthekitchen
col lapsed in A rgentina in 2001, he
relocated to Ein Gev, a kibbutz in Israel,
where he ran a large kitchen.
Then one day in 2008, he received a
Facebook message from a school chum.
“He said, I live in Winnipeg and you
should come here.”
The message turned out to be life
changing. After paying a visit in 2009, the
Maurys moved to Manitoba, at the very
time Winnipeg was to see its fi rst major
South American restaurant. Alfonso
found a job at Hermanos.
Maury’s reputation for running a tight
ship and bringing unbridled enthusiasm
and creativity to any task quickly had him
taking up new opportunities. By 2012, he
was overseeing Corrientes, under the same
ownership group.
His natural leadership resulted in
being selected in 2014 to reopen the city’s
signature revolving restaurant. Prairie
360, a passion project for FB Hospitality
Group’s owner, Noel Bernier, was a perfect
at Corrientes are fl avoured with Buenos
Aires. Thanks to a massive wave of Italian
immigrants to Argentina in the early part
of the 20th century, the country’s cuisine
is infl uenced by the Mediterranean. Today,
more than 60 per cent of Argentineans
have at least one Italian ancestor.
Pesto, ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, and
other familiar toppings appear on the
creative pies, but Maury’s heritage shows
keenly in a selection of Argentinean-style
pizzas. Each is named after the legendary
Buenos Aires restaurant–all of which are
located on iconic Avineda Corrientes–that
made it famous. The recipe for Banchero,
a high-walled creation made from a
mozzarella-filled crust, a second crust
layered inside, and a heap of white onions
is featured here.
Love for the classic foods of their
home country prompted the launch of a
second business venture. In February, they
opened La Pampa, a take-away bakery and
café serving up 22 varieties of the hand
“It’s the best fi nger food in the world!”
fi t for an exacting chef.
That summer, the growing restaurant
company a lso ser ved nearly 15,000
e mpa n ad a s at t wo of W i n n ip e g ’s
largest summer festivals. Despite the
enormit y of t he endeavor, Maur y’s
empanada obsession was ignited with the
enthusiastic response. The empanada is a
chef’s dream: a blank canvas for creation.
“It’s the best fi nger food in the world!” he
enthuses. “It starts with great dough and
from there, you can add anything you
want.”
A s he a nd Roxa na pondered t he
possibility of opening a restaurant built
around empanadas, the opportunity to
purchase Corrientes arose. The couple
jumped at it, and by the spring of 2015
they were its sole owners.
T h e s p e c i a lt ie s c om bi ne S out h
American classics: pizza and empanadas.
While pizza may be a familiar item on
Winnipeg restaurant menus, the offerings
12
ciao! / oct/nov / two thousand seventeen
held treats. Among the most popular is the
namesake, featuring charcoal grilled beef,
cheese curds, chimichurri and hot sauce.
For Winnipeg diners in search of a
South A merican experience, Maur y
delivers the real deal.
“When I was around nine years old, I
went to my fi rst Argentinean barbeque,”
Maury recalls. “It was out in the country
and the fi re was tended by a real gaucho–
he had a sombrero, knife, belt and boots–
just like out of a movie. He was cooking
a suckling pig over the glowing orange
stones. He took out the kidneys, a delicacy,
and shared them with me. It was a special
moment, and I knew I wanted to cook and
make people happy right there and then.”
Inside the warm heritage space on
Bannatyne Avenue, over a plate of pizza
or steaming empanadas, with his family
surrounding him, it’s easy to see the
resemblance: a proud chef reaching out
and sharing a de