Julio Báez came to Buenos Aires from his hometown of Chacabuco at the age of 18 to study biochemistry. Within a year and a half, he dropped out. Instead, he studied cooking. Báez later worked in several restaurants and hotels, including a stage at Mauro Colagreco’s iconic Mirazur in France.

Then, in 2019, Baez plowed all his savings into his own venture, Julia, in Villa Crespo, Buenos Aires. It paid off: in 2022, the 50 Best organization deemed Baez’s restaurant one of the finest in Latin America. This prompted Julia to set up a waiting list for people eager to snag one of its coveted 22 dining spots. In 2024, Julia received a recommendation in the Michelin Guide.

Through time, effort, technique, and passion, a project with just Báez in the kitchen and one person waiting tables turned into a runaway success.

With Julia already thriving, Julio decided to up the stakes. In late 2022, he partnered with a friend to open Franca. His second restaurant, based on firewood grilling and wines, also received Michelin recognition — but Argentina’s tough economic situation, which is bruising the service industry, forced Franca to close down in June 2025.

Baez chatted to the Herald about his projects and Argentina’s restaurant scene. The following interview has been slightly edited for length and clarity.

What made you decide to close Franca?

We had a very large structure, and we weren’t bringing in the number of customers we needed to cover costs. While it had a certain volume of patrons, it wasn’t enough, and we’d been spending our own money to cover everything for a few months. And we’re not talking the last two months, we’d been going on like that for quite some time, so we had to make the decision to close before we bled out.

What’s your take on the restaurant scene in Buenos Aires? On one hand there is a big drop in people’s consumption levels, but at the same time there are........

© Buenos Aires Herald