Massimo Bottura

In 1995, Bottura opened his Osteria Francescana in historic central Modena, where he was able to freely blend his creative take on Italian cuisine with cutting edge contemporary art and design, bringing a modern aesthetic to the junction of tradition and innovation. Another formative experience—this time under Ferran Adrià—encouraged Bottura to continue pushing the envelope in his cuisine. Over the last 10 years, Bottura has worked to do just that, creating dishes such as “Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in different textures and temperatures” that showcase his maturity as an innovator, as well as his respect for his ingredients.

Three Michelin stars and a first-place ranking in San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants list prove that Bottura’s explorations are more than successful; they’re inspiring. Like so many cutting-edge chefs, Bottura cooks to invite and evoke contemplation of history, territory, and flavour. And on the stage of gastronomic conferences around the world, Bottura freely shares his creative process in demonstrations, lectures and film, such as his latest “Chef’s Table” on Netflix and the conceptual “We Are the Revolution,” a narrative exploration of “original sound” through art, music.

The Emilia-Romagna region is known as the land of slow-food and fast-cars. This lush and fertile region is considered the epicentre of Italian cuisine and has created the Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic vinegar, sparkling red Lambrusco wine, prosciutto and well-known pasta like lasagne, tagliatelle and tortellini.

A culinary centre with gastronomic traditions that is home of course to Massimo Bottura, who catapulted Italy’s Modena to worldwide gastronomic glory when he opened his Osteria Francescana in 1995, showcasing his avant-garde take on traditional Italian cuisine.