Roberto Fernández Beyró (1909–1991) was an Argentine journalist, restaurateur, and food critic who wrote a regular column in La Nación critiquing the lack of gastronomic traditions in Argentina. He was a member of several gourmet food clubs and wrote a cookbook of simple, traditional recipes.
Biography
Roberto Antonio Fernández Beyró Méndes Gonçalves was born on 27 October 1909 in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Juan Antonio Fernández Beyró and María Eugenia Méndes Gonçalves. Fernández Beyró managed restaurants in Buenos Aires, including the Jockey Club and Plaza Hotel and then opened his own restaurant, Monty's on Calle Honduras in Buenos Aires, and a restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, which allowed him to become an expert in Brazilian gastronomy. He was also a member of both the gourmet clubs Epicure and The Fork Club. He wrote a regular column in La Nación and collaborated with Miguel Brascó, who ran Diners magazine critiquing restaurants. He often criticized the lack of an Argentine gastronomic culture, believing that its traditional dishes were a poor mixture of recipes inherited from Spain combined with South American flavors. To counter that, he wrote a book, Los platos de mi mesa (Dishes from my Table), in 1986 of simple, traditional recipes.
In 1941, he fell in love with Amelia Bence, and they had a serious relationship until 1944. Bence refused to give up her career, which Fernández Beyró insisted upon when he proposed, and she ended the relationship.
He died on 5 November 1991 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
References
- "Immigration Cards, 1902–1980". Family Search (in Portuguese). São Paulo, Brazil: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 26 February 1955. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ "A Curry from Buenos Aires". Table Conversation. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ Maglione, Alejandro (2013). "Roberto Fernández Beyro: homenaje a un gran periodista gastronómico" (in Spanish). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Conexion Brando. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- Cóncaro, Ada (24 July 2005). "En realidad, soy profesora de matemática" (in Spanish). Buenos Aires, Argentina: La Nacion. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- "Roberto Fernández Beyró". WorldCat. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- Bence, Amelia; Etchelet, Raúl (2011). La niña del umbral: Amelia Bence: memorias (in Spanish). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Corregidor. p. 80. ISBN 978-9-500-51934-2.
- "Roberto Fernández Beyró Méndes Goncalves". Geni. Retrieved 28 August 2015.