Centuries-old chimichurri sauce makes local eatery sizzle

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Having cooked up Argentine food for 21 years, Carlitos Gardel in Los Angeles is actually trending now due to the popularity of a particular sauce known as chimichurri.

"People thought it was a funny name with a funny spelling, and they had no idea what chimichurri was," said chef Gerard Bozoghlian.

But they loved the taste!

"Chimichurri was a sauce created by the gauchos to cook large amounts of meat," said Bozoghlian.

Chimichurri, which has been around for 200 years has now moved front and center into hip eateries in L.A.

It's best known as a grilling sauce for meats and fish, but also acts as a base or dressing, even a nuance that creates a special dish.

Chimichurri is also perfect for that flank steak or as a topper to a seafood empanada.

You can even layer it over one of America's favorite snacks. For example, Bozoghlian recommends balsamic chimicurri fries.

Bozoghlian grew up chopping ingredients for chimichurri in the Carlitos Gardel kitchen after school.

He remembers diners requesting bottles of the sauce to take home, but at the time, it was simply served at the restaurant.

Now, there's six flavors of their formerly secret sauce.

The chef says flat leaf parsley is the main ingredient, but let's be clear - this is fresh with no preservatives. And it took him five years to put it together.

"And approved by the FDA to be able to sold nationwide shelf stable," claimed Bozoghlian.

Hand crafted, authentic and preservative free, Carlitos Gardel's chimichurri sauces average $11 a jar at major supermarkets.