osteria francescana

The Italian chef Massimo Bottura may be a big dreamer, but he’s also a firmly grounded-in-the-earth operator. Based in Modena, Italy, Bottura is famous for his three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Osteria Francescana, which has twice held the top spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. He also runs Food for Soul, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting social awareness about food waste and world hunger. With its first Refettorio opened in 2015, Food for Soul now runs a network of 13 Refettorios around the world—from Paris to San Francisco to Naples—designed to serve people in need via food-recovery programs. In 2019, with his wife, Lara Gilmore, he also opened Casa Maria Luigia, a hospitality concept in the Emilian countryside that became the jumping-off point for their new recipes-slash-interiors book, Slow Food, Fast Cars (Phaidon). In everything he does, Bottura keeps the tradition of the Emilia-Romagna region alive while constantly imagining and executing new possibilities.

On this episode, Bottura discusses the art of aging balsamic vinegar; his vast collection of thousands upon thousands of vinyl records; his deep love of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Maseratis; and how he thinks about the role of time, both literally and philosophically, in and out of the kitchen.

Special thanks to our Season 9 presenting sponsor, L’École, School of Jewelry Arts.

Show notes:

Massimo Bottura

[03:27] Food for Soul

[03:27] Refettorio Harlem

[03:27] Refettorio Ambrosiano

[03:46] Universal Exposition in Milan

[15:36] Carlo Petrini

[10:40] Gastromotiva

[12:30] “Chef Massimo Bottura on Why the Future of Food is in Our Trash”

[15:22] Slow Food, Fast Cars

[15:36] Trattoria del Campazzo

[56:07] Casa Maria Luigia

[58:50] Osteria Francescana

[41:32] Cavallino

[41:32] Lo Mejor de la Gastronomia

[43:30] Joseph Beuys

[43:30] Lara Gilmore

[1:01:42] Tortellante

This week on Passport to Everywhere, Melissa welcomes Massimo Bottura, a prolific chef, innovator, entrepreneur, and the founder of Food for Soul, a nonprofit organization empowering communities to fight food waste and end hunger.

The captivating conversation spans Massimo’s earliest memories of food, his perspective on culinary creativity, his experiences as a restaurateur, and advice for young travelers.

They also discuss Massimo’s love of fast cars, modern art, the process of creating the stunning Casa Maria Luigia, his childhood friendship with Marco Bizzarri, the CEO of Gucci, and the joy of feeding others.

Visit Massimo’s website.

Help Food for Soul here.

Learn about Casa Maria Luigia.

Follow Melissa on Instagram.

Learn more about Indagare Travel.

On today's episode of All in the Industry®, host Shari Bayer's guest is Massimo Bottura, world-renowned, Italian chef and restaurateur. With over twenty years of experience helming acclaimed 3-Michelin star restaurant, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, which has held the number one spot on the World's 50 Best Restaurant list, and thanks to his innovative energy and social sensitivity, Massimo is considered one of the world’s leading culinary figures. In 2015, he decided to apply his creative energy to the issue of food waste, and dedicate himself to community projects, founding Food for Soul, along with his wife Laura Gilmore. They also recently opened Francescana at Maria Luigia, an Italian country house in Modena. Massimo is the author of Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef, and Bread is Gold, the first book to take a holistic look at the subject of food waste, both published by Phaidon. Today's show also features Shari's PR tip; Speed Round; Industry News discussion with Massimo and Italian chef Antonia Klugmann from Michelin starred restaurant, L’Argine a Vencò in Gorizia, Italy, who was participating in Eataly NYC's “Identità Golose". Plus, Shari shares her Solo Dining experience at Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain. Listen at Heritage Radio Network; subscribe/rate/review our show at iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify. Follow us @allindustry. Thanks for being a part of All in the Industry®!

Join Heritage Radio Network on Monday, November 11th, for a raucous feast to toast a decade of food radio. Our tenth anniversary bacchanal is a rare gathering of your favorite chefs, mixologists, storytellers, thought leaders, and culinary masterminds. We’ll salute the inductees of the newly minted HRN Hall of Fame, who embody our mission to further equity, sustainability, and deliciousness. Explore the beautiful Palm House and Yellow Magnolia Café, taste and imbibe to your heart’s content, and bid on once-in-a-lifetime experiences and tasty gifts for any budget at our silent auction. Tickets available now at heritageradionetwork.org/gala.

Photo Courtesy of Massimo Bottura and Antonia Klugmann.

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With over twenty years of experience at the helm of his three-Michelin-star restaurant Osteria Francescana, and thanks to his innovative energy, chef Massimo Bottura is considered one of the world’s leading culinary figures. In the last years, Massimo decided to apply his creativity and social sensitivity to the issue of food waste, and dedicate himself to the creation of community projects around the world by founding, in early 2016, the non-profit organisation Food for Soul.

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Our first season just keeps getting better and better as one of the most acclaimed chefs on the planet, Massimo Bottura of Modena's Osteria Francescana, drops in to talk about his new book Bread is Gold. The book tells the story of his ambitious project at the 2015 Milan Expo where he brought 65 chefs from around the world together to show highly creative ways to use past-their-prime ingredients and minimize food waste. We also talk about how the project is distinctly Italian, why he considers New York City a second home, and some key turning points in his life. This famously high-energy, passionate chef brings it in this memorable conversation.

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Chef Massimo Bottura of Modena’s critically acclaimed restaurant, Osteria Francescana, shares his inspiration and vision for his charity work with Food For Soul. He talks about its creation, using art to create a universal experience and helping to create a culture movement.