https://players.brightcove.net/5344802162001/1cMNiwC9oQ_default/index.html?videoId=6190734472001

Chef Massimo Bottura is a chef who embodies his philosophies of reducing food waste to make cooking more sustainable. Massimo channels his principles so fully into his work that he has forever changed the world as a result. 


A Guide to Chef Massimo Bottura’s Work and Philosophy

[Chef Massimo Bottura](https://www.masterclass.com/classes/massimo-bottura-teaches-modern-italian-cooking) was born and raised in Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, an area bolstered by tradition and known for balsamic vinegar, opera, and pinky ring-sized tortellini. Massimo, one of the town’s native sons, tends to look at food—and the world—from a critical point of view, not a nostalgic one. When it comes to Italian cooking, this makes the Italian restaurateur something of an iconoclast: Massimo first garnered worldwide attention because of this inclination to buck tradition in favor of experimentation. 

Bottura’s time spent working abroad in New York, under the tutelage of renowned chef Alain Ducasse at Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo. This experience exposed him to techniques that would ruffle feathers when applied to centuries-old Italian recipes; a nudge from visionary Spanish chef Ferran Adrià encouraged him to ruffle a few more. In 1995, after a stint at law school, Bottura opened his flagship Modenese establishment, Osteria Francescana; it was later joined by Franceschetta 58, a brasserie and bar with a more casual atmosphere, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Beverly Hills, and Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Florence. This sister restaurant went on to win its own Michelin star. 

Osteria Francescana broke into the top five of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2011, and was ranked number one in 2016 and 2018—the only Italian restaurant ever to win first prize. It also carries three Michelin stars, the Michelin guide’s highest honor, a distinction that encourages travelers to make a memorable trip to a city or country just to visit a restaurant. 

- __Opening__: When it opened in Modena in 1995, neither customers nor critics had much of an appetite for Massimo’s methodology: taking beloved, traditional recipes of the region and retooling them into dishes that are equal parts respectful and contemporary. It wasn’t until he began serving his tagliatelle with hand-chopped ragù that Massimo got buy-in from locals.
- __First Michelin star__: In 2001, one of Italy’s most celebrated food writers stopped in on a whim, wrote a glowing review, and helped the restaurant win its first Michelin star. From there, word of Massimo’s virtuosic improvisation in the kitchen spread, and curious eaters began making their way to Via Stella for a taste of his idiosyncratic genius. 
- __Media appearances__: The premiere season of Netflix’s *Chef’s Table* featured the restaurant and its creator. Massimo and Osteria Francescana were also featured on an episode of the acclaimed Netflix series, *Somebody Feed Phil*, which follows Phil Rosenthal, the creator of *Everybody Loves Raymond*, as he visits his favorite eateries around the globe. 

Massimo founded the nonprofit Food for Soul, with his wife, Lara Gilmore, in 2016, with a single mission: to find a use for the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted worldwide each year. 

- __Debut__: Massimo first introduced a tangible vision for cooking sustainably and eliminating [food waste](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-chef-massimo-bottura-combats-food-waste) during Expo Milan 2015, whose theme was “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.” He called the outing “Refettorio Ambrosiano” and set up the community-based kitchen in a de facto dining room inside an abandoned theater in Milan’s low-income Greco neighborhood. (The word “refettorio” comes from the Latin “reficere,” meaning to “remake or restore.”) Using more than 15 tons of food salvaged from the <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/what-is-exposition-film' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/what-is-exposition-film","linkCopy":"exposition","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>exposition</a>, Massimo—along with more than 65 internationally renowned chefs, including Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm and El Celler de Can Roca’s Joan Roca—made thousands of meals that went to the city’s poor, unhoused, and otherwise underserved. 
- __Refettorios around the world__: Massimo and Lara have used Food for Soul to power several more Refettorios, including Refettorio Gastromotiva (Rio de Janeiro), Refettorio Felix (London), Refettorio Paris, and two others in Modena and Bologna. Each community kitchen occupies a formerly dilapidated space in its respective city. More than 130 celebrated chefs have cooked at the various locations, all of whom use their expertise to craft gourmet dishes from proteins nearing their expiration dates and bruised or misshapen (or “ugly”) produce.
- __Long-term plans__: In 2017, the Rockefeller Foundation awarded Food for Soul a $500,000 grant to fight food insecurity in American cities. As of 2021, there are 11 Refettorios worldwide, and plans to launch a virtual hub for experts in different fields to collaborate on long-term food system innovation.

To learn more about Bottura’s creative process and [zero-waste](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/zero-waste-lifestyle-explained) philosophy, check out his books:

1. __*Pasta* (2011)__: Bottura penned an introduction to this comprehensive guide to Italy’s most iconic pastas, released by the Academia Barilla Culinary Center.
2. __*Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef* (2014)__: Bottura’s first book is an ode to the restaurant that made his name, Osteria Francescana, and delves into the inspiration and execution behind the menu and ambiance. 
3. __*Bread is Gold* (2017)__: In *Bread is Gold*, Bottura tackles the larger implications of food waste and creativity, showcasing economical, zero-waste recipes and meals from world-renowned chefs. 

Every dish on Osteria Francescana’s menu has its own unique backstory, but a select few transcended the physical restaurant and captured the world’s imagination from afar.

1. __The Crunchy Part of the Lasagna__: An ode to the corner pieces of the casserole and a love letter to the Italian flag, “The Crunchy Part of the Lasagna,” made its Osteria Francescana debut in 1995. The dish features flags of crunchy, crisp wafers made from Parmigiano-Reggiano and spinach pasta atop a rich base of ragu, béchamel sauce, and tomato terrine soon became a calling card for Massimo’s playful sense of nostalgia.
2. __Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in Different Textures and Temperatures__: Massimo’s ode to Italy’s beloved cheese, this dish showcases the many nuances of aged Parmigiano with a demi-soufflé and [mousse](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-dominique-ansels-recipe-for-chocolate-mousse), served on a puddle of Parmigiano sauce, and crowned with a Parmigiano wafer and Parmigiano “air”—a fine foam made from a broth of Parmigiano, aged a minimum of 50 months. 
3. __Oops! I Dropped the Lemon Tart__: A dessert known as Oops! I Dropped the Lemon Tart was born when sous chef Taka Kondo accidentally dropped one of the pastries in question. Now, the dessert is always served upside down and smashed. 
4. __Emilia Burger__: The hamburger is an ideal candidate for culinary experimentation: all of its elements—meat, cheese, bread, condiments—can be easily amended based on what’s locally available. The [Emilia Burger](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/learn-how-to-make-chef-massimo-botturas-famous-emilia-burger) features a patty of Italian beef mixed with gelatin from cotechino (a local pork sausage) and Parmigiano-Reggiano, paired with a balsamic mayonnaise and an herb sauce based on [Italian salsa verde](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-massimo-botturas-italian-salsa-verde-recipe).
5. __Passatelli With Brodo di Tutto (Broth of Everything)__: In the spirit of Massimo’s zero-waste philosophy, this “broth of everything” extracts the “mood” from various scraps and forms the flavorful base for passatelli, a pasta made with bread crumbs from stale bread. Learn how to make Massimo’s [Passatelli With Brodo di Tutto](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-reduce-food-waste-with-chef-massimo-bottura).

Become a better chef with the [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com). Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Massimo Bottura, Gabriela Cámara, Niki Nakayama, Chef Thomas Keller, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, Gordon Ramsay, Alice Waters, and more.
Chef Massimo Bottura is a chef who embodies his philosophies of reducing food waste to make cooking more sustainable. Massimo channels his principles so fully into his work that he has forever changed the world as a result.

<a href='https://www.masterclass.com/classes/massimo-bottura-teaches-modern-italian-cooking' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/classes/massimo-bottura-teaches-modern-italian-cooking","linkCopy":"Chef Massimo Bottura","category":null}'>Chef Massimo Bottura</a> was born and raised in Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, an area bolstered by tradition and known for balsamic vinegar, opera, and pinky ring-sized tortellini. Massimo, one of the town’s native sons, tends to look at food—and the world—from a critical point of view, not a nostalgic one. When it comes to Italian cooking, this makes the Italian restaurateur something of an iconoclast: Massimo first garnered worldwide attention because of this inclination to buck tradition in favor of experimentation. Bottura’s time spent working abroad in New York, under the tutelage of renowned chef Alain Ducasse at Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo. This experience exposed him to techniques that would ruffle feathers when applied to centuries-old Italian recipes; a nudge from visionary Spanish chef Ferran Adrià encouraged him to ruffle a few more. In 1995, after a stint at law school, Bottura opened his flagship Modenese establishment, Osteria Francescana; it was later joined by Franceschetta 58, a brasserie and bar with a more casual atmosphere, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Beverly Hills, and Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Florence. This sister restaurant went on to win its own Michelin star.

A Brief Introduction to Massimo Bottura 

Osteria Francescana broke into the top five of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2011, and was ranked number one in 2016 and 2018—the only Italian restaurant ever to win first prize. It also carries three Michelin stars, the Michelin guide’s highest honor, a distinction that encourages travelers to make a memorable trip to a city or country just to visit a restaurant. <ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">Opening: When it opened in Modena in 1995, neither customers nor critics had much of an appetite for Massimo’s methodology: taking beloved, traditional recipes of the region and retooling them into dishes that are equal parts respectful and contemporary. It wasn’t until he began serving his tagliatelle with hand-chopped ragù that Massimo got buy-in from locals. </li><li class="">First Michelin star: In 2001, one of Italy’s most celebrated food writers stopped in on a whim, wrote a glowing review, and helped the restaurant win its first Michelin star. From there, word of Massimo’s virtuosic improvisation in the kitchen spread, and curious eaters began making their way to Via Stella for a taste of his idiosyncratic genius. </li><li class="">Media appearances: The premiere season of Netflix’s Chef’s Table featured the restaurant and its creator. Massimo and Osteria Francescana were also featured on an episode of the acclaimed Netflix series, Somebody Feed Phil, which follows Phil Rosenthal, the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, as he visits his favorite eateries around the globe. </li></ul>

Massimo Bottura and Osteria Francescana

Chef Massimo Bottura Offers Tips for Combating Food Waste

Massimo founded the nonprofit Food for Soul, with his wife, Lara Gilmore, in 2016, with a single mission: to find a use for the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted worldwide each year. <ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">Debut: Massimo first introduced a tangible vision for cooking sustainably and eliminating <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-chef-massimo-bottura-combats-food-waste' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-chef-massimo-bottura-combats-food-waste","linkCopy":"food waste","category":null}'>food waste</a> during Expo Milan 2015, whose theme was “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.” He called the outing “Refettorio Ambrosiano” and set up the community-based kitchen in a de facto dining room inside an abandoned theater in Milan’s low-income Greco neighborhood. (The word “refettorio” comes from the Latin “reficere,” meaning to “remake or restore.”) Using more than 15 tons of food salvaged from the <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/what-is-exposition-film' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/what-is-exposition-film","linkCopy":"exposition","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>exposition</a>, Massimo—along with more than 65 internationally renowned chefs, including Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm and El Celler de Can Roca’s Joan Roca—made thousands of meals that went to the city’s poor, unhoused, and otherwise underserved. </li><li class="">Refettorios around the world: Massimo and Lara have used Food for Soul to power several more Refettorios, including Refettorio Gastromotiva (Rio de Janeiro), Refettorio Felix (London), Refettorio Paris, and two others in Modena and Bologna. Each community kitchen occupies a formerly dilapidated space in its respective city. More than 130 celebrated chefs have cooked at the various locations, all of whom use their expertise to craft gourmet dishes from proteins nearing their expiration dates and bruised or misshapen (or “ugly”) produce. </li><li class="">Long-term plans: In 2017, the Rockefeller Foundation awarded Food for Soul a $500,000 grant to fight food insecurity in American cities. As of 2021, there are 11 Refettorios worldwide, and plans to launch a virtual hub for experts in different fields to collaborate on long-term food system innovation. </li></ul>

Massimo Bottura and Food for Soul 

To learn more about Bottura’s creative process and <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/zero-waste-lifestyle-explained' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/zero-waste-lifestyle-explained","linkCopy":"zero-waste","category":null}'>zero-waste</a> philosophy, check out his books:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Pasta (2011): Bottura penned an introduction to this comprehensive guide to Italy’s most iconic pastas, released by the Academia Barilla Culinary Center. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef (2014): Bottura’s first book is an ode to the restaurant that made his name, Osteria Francescana, and delves into the inspiration and execution behind the menu and ambiance. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Bread is Gold (2017): In Bread is Gold, Bottura tackles the larger implications of food waste and creativity, showcasing economical, zero-waste recipes and meals from world-renowned chefs. </li></ol>

3 Books by Massimo Bottura

Every dish on Osteria Francescana’s menu has its own unique backstory, but a select few transcended the physical restaurant and captured the world’s imagination from afar.<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. The Crunchy Part of the Lasagna: An ode to the corner pieces of the casserole and a love letter to the Italian flag, “The Crunchy Part of the Lasagna,” made its Osteria Francescana debut in 1995. The dish features flags of crunchy, crisp wafers made from Parmigiano-Reggiano and spinach pasta atop a rich base of ragu, béchamel sauce, and tomato terrine soon became a calling card for Massimo’s playful sense of nostalgia. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in Different Textures and Temperatures: Massimo’s ode to Italy’s beloved cheese, this dish showcases the many nuances of aged Parmigiano with a demi-soufflé and <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-dominique-ansels-recipe-for-chocolate-mousse' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-dominique-ansels-recipe-for-chocolate-mousse","linkCopy":"mousse","category":null}'>mousse</a>, served on a puddle of Parmigiano sauce, and crowned with a Parmigiano wafer and Parmigiano “air”—a fine foam made from a broth of Parmigiano, aged a minimum of 50 months. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Oops! I Dropped the Lemon Tart: A dessert known as Oops! I Dropped the Lemon Tart was born when sous chef Taka Kondo accidentally dropped one of the pastries in question. Now, the dessert is always served upside down and smashed. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Emilia Burger: The hamburger is an ideal candidate for culinary experimentation: all of its elements—meat, cheese, bread, condiments—can be easily amended based on what’s locally available. The <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/learn-how-to-make-chef-massimo-botturas-famous-emilia-burger' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/learn-how-to-make-chef-massimo-botturas-famous-emilia-burger","linkCopy":"Emilia Burger","category":null}'>Emilia Burger</a> features a patty of Italian beef mixed with gelatin from cotechino (a local pork sausage) and Parmigiano-Reggiano, paired with a balsamic mayonnaise and an herb sauce based on <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-massimo-botturas-italian-salsa-verde-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chef-massimo-botturas-italian-salsa-verde-recipe","linkCopy":"Italian salsa verde","category":null}'>Italian salsa verde</a>. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 5. Passatelli With Brodo di Tutto (Broth of Everything): In the spirit of Massimo’s zero-waste philosophy, this “broth of everything” extracts the “mood” from various scraps and forms the flavorful base for passatelli, a pasta made with bread crumbs from stale bread. Learn how to make Massimo’s <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-reduce-food-waste-with-chef-massimo-bottura' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-reduce-food-waste-with-chef-massimo-bottura","linkCopy":"Passatelli With Brodo di Tutto","category":null}'>Passatelli With Brodo di Tutto</a>. </li></ol>

5 Iconic Dishes by Massimo Bottura

Become a better chef with the <a href='https://www.masterclass.com' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com","linkCopy":"MasterClass Annual Membership","category":null}'>MasterClass Annual Membership</a>. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Massimo Bottura, Gabriela Cámara, Niki Nakayama, Chef Thomas Keller, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, Gordon Ramsay, Alice Waters, and more.

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Chef Massimo Bottura is a chef who embodies his philosophies of reducing food waste to make cooking more sustainable. Massimo channels his principles so fully into his work that he has forever changed the world as a result.