Most visiting chefs making special appearances in New York kitchens hail from countries like Spain and France, and accordingly, bring foams and terrines aplenty. The Argentine chef Francis Mallman, however, will be packing one thing only with him later this month when he arrives for his guest chef stint at Bond Street restaurant Il Buco, and that one thing is Special Techniques in Advanced Patagonian Grilling. Hopefully, it clears customs. more ›

28 year-old chef Ignacio Mattos started work at 6 am today to get the coals hot enough to roast a pig in the middle of Bond Street this afternoon. The annual Sagra del Maiale event at Il Buco is a celebration of the autumnal equinox and at its center is a whole roasted heritage breed pig. From 1-6 pm, $20 gets you a plate of cross-Ossabaw meat and sides like panzanella with greenmarket vegetables, sausage made from Flying Pig Farms pork, and apple fritters doused with saba. From 6pm to midnight, the festival moves indoors and the menu expands to include charcuterie plates and pasta with walnut pesto. Beer and wine are extra, but look for apple wine from local Wölffer Estates. We asked Uruguayan-born chef Mattos about his mentor Francis Mallman, being a vegetarian, and what it might be like to go live amongst the pigs on Ossabaw Island. more ›