Meet Massimo Bottura, the Superstar Chef Who Put Modena on the Map

Issue #78

Mar 28, 2024

Massimo Bottura needs little introduction. You might have seen him on Stanley Tucci’s show Searching for Italy or Chef’s Table on Netflix. An iconoclast who takes the ingredients and flavors he grew up eating in Modena and reinterprets them in inspiring and thought-provoking ways, he’s the visionary behind Osteria Francescana, which was ranked the best restaurant in the world on the 50 Best Restaurants list in 2016 and 2018 and is still the only restaurant in Emilia Romagna with three Michelin stars.

Last month, I was lucky enough to stay at Casa Maria Luigia, the B&B that he and his wife Lara Gilmore run, dine at three of his restaurants (not Osteria Francescana—for that you must book six months in advance), and interview him in connection with an assignment for Vogue. Though I’m sure he has done hundreds (if not thousands) of interviews, and probably gets tired of getting asked the same questions again and again, he certainly didn’t show it. On the contrary, his enthusiasm and passion for Emilia Romagna and its food is infectious. I’m truly thrilled to share this interview with him as part of my series of interviews with creatives and entrepreneurs in Italy.

So I read that you studied law…

I started because my father wanted me to become a lawyer because my oldest brother was an engineer, the second was a doctor, the third an accountant, and the fourth had to be a lawyer. But I was very unhappy. My mother, who knew me better than anyone else in the world, was able to convince my father to let me go and do what I wanted to do. As Bob Dylan says, “The secret to success is: I get up in the morning, I go to bed at night, and in the middle, I do what I want.” And what I wanted to do was to be a cook.

But, you know, in the ‘80s, there was a different mentality than there is in 2020 and having a piece of paper with a degree on it was very important. And my father never digested this. But I was always very close to my mother. Maybe that’s why I became a chef, because my mamma loved to cook and I was the youngest, so I was always close to her. It transmitted in my DNA this sense that cooking is an act of love.

So even in the most difficult moments, when I was really exhausted—because people were like, “Whoa! What’s this crazy cook doing?”—I always persevered because I didn’t want my father to ever go back to my mother and say he was right. It was revenge.

And now what does your father say?

My father is no longer with us, but when I officially decided to leave the family company and I was in his office, I said, “You’ll see, one day I’ll bring three Michelin stars to Modena.” There had never been a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Emilia Romagna. Even now, we’re the only one. But when he died, it was one year after I received three Michelin stars. So he saw the success we had.

When Osteria Francescana opened in 1995, it struggled to get diners in the door. Now it’s one of the most coveted reservations in the world.

But in the beginning, the Modenese didn’t go to Osteria Francescana, did they?

No, even now it’s very difficult. Now it’s logical. People come from South Africa, from Argentina, from every part of the world, and for the Modenese, it’s a big advantage because they saw an astronomical growth in tourism, but above all the growth of Francescana as an attraction because now Francescana isn’t just that little restaurant in Via Stella, but it’s also Casa Maria Luigia. They have the same brand.

So from the post-lockdown era, we decided to give the possibility to all our guests who come to Modena to choose the experience they want to have. So we have a restaurant in Maranello called Cavallino in collaboration with Ferrari.

Where we’ll go tomorrow.

Bellissimo, you’ll have fun. Where you eat traditional cuisine. Then we have Franceschetta, which is a gastro-bistro, with all young passionate guys that experiment. In fact, we send many young interns there to work on their ideas.

We were there last night.

Interesting, no? Then we have Francescana at Casa Maria Luigia, which is in a completely unexpected context: a three-Michelin-star restaurant with all the iconic dishes, because I wanted to transfer from Francescana in Via Stella all the iconic dishes to Casa Maria Luigia. So you want to eat the five ages of Parmigiano Reggiano, Oops I dropped the lemon tart, the beautiful, psychedelic spin-painted veal, the crunchy part of the lasagna? You need to come here. And in Via Stella, we continue with experimental cuisine.

And then we inserted Al Gatto Verde, because there will be ten more rooms but above all because we wanted to give the possibility to our Canadian chef Jessica, who takes care of breakfast and the brigade at Francescana (she worked at Francescana for eight years) to develop her own cuisine based on fire, smoke, and flames that respects the barbecue that we had on Sundays. And people go crazy for it—it’s always sold out, there’s always a waiting list.

But now if you want to eat at Osteria Francescana, how far in advance do you need to book?

Six months.

And the other restaurants are a bit more accessible?

Much easier. Now it’s becoming difficult to find a table at Gatto Verde—it’s always full.

Franceschetta58 is easier to get into and more affordable than Osteria Francescana.

So in the end, you won the Modenese over?

Yes, especially here and at Cavallino. Cavallino has three different types of clientele: car people who come from all over the world to see Ferrari and then stop by to dine at the restaurant, which has very nice memorabilia. There's the clientele of Ferrari: managers, employees who come for a quick lunch. And there’s the gourmet clientele. So it’s very difficult to manage. After three years, we found a very good balance and we’re very happy. On the other hand, Gatto Verde gets tons of Modenese, since tourists aren’t arriving yet.

In September, October, and the beginning of November, there were tons of Americans. Imagine Americans when they come to eat contemporary barbecue here, they go crazy. It’s amazing. And then, imagine this context: they see fast cars, slow food, they go to visit the acetaia, and they see all this contemporary art from Italy and the United States. The whole collection is very tied to me and Lara and this passion that has always united us.

So they say, “Wow! Incredible! How much culture there is in this place.” So maybe they stay another day here and they try the barbecue one day and the Osteria another day.

And how do you manage to split your time between the restaurants and all your other projects?

My main projects are Osteria Francescana and Casa Maria Luigia. That's where I always am. I chat with all the guys, we have a chat together that starts early in the morning. The first is Tokyo. Antonio in Tokyo sends me all the news about what’s happening. Then Seoul opens, Singapore, Dubai, Florence. This year we have a fantastic event in Florence to present the Easter eggs. I was in Milan with Gucci Osteria because these Easter eggs will be sold in all the Gucci Osterias in the world. It’s a project I did with this chocolate factory. I pushed them to make Easter eggs with the scent of lemons and rosemary. And then arrives Miami, Los Angeles.

So the first thing I said to everyone is: We need to foster a big sense of independence in all the restaurants. We need to give visibility to the chefs, because they’re the ones responsible for these projects, not me, and then if they need to talk to me, my door is always open. And this in my opinion is the secret of our success. Because in a busy world, we continue to evolve and find talented people that work for us and chefs who develop their knowledge with us have the chance to communicate that with the world because we give them this possibility.

At Casa Maria Luigia, Massimo and Lara’s passions for art and food collide

This morning I was talking to Lara and she said that from the moment you opened Casa Maria Luigia, everything changed. How has it changed your vision of hospitality?

For me, I don’t know, in my opinion the big step was the Refettorio—this cultural project to fight food waste and social isolation. Because there we became aware of what the power of hospitality really is. Our relationship with the most fragile clients made us develop a sense of hospitality because it’s very hard. And from there, from the moment when you develop this profound sense of welcoming people in your heart, everything changes.

It also changed our relationship with all the people who come to visit us in Modena, whether it’s a rock star or a teenager who arrived by train from Sicily—it doesn’t matter. It’s the sense of welcome that you give that changes the entire experience. And our sense of welcome is different from every other hotel, bed and breakfast, boutique whatever that there is in the world.

And so we called it, Casa—not hotel, not villa, not whatever. We called it Casa because we wanted to take the attitude that my mom had that there was always a chair available for a guest waiting. Our doors were always open. My brothers called our house Hotel California because my mom always had something ready for guests. So we wanted to call it Casa and communicate to the world this new way of approaching hospitality, where the kitchen is always open, there are always snacks ready for whoever wants one, always Parmigiano and Lambrusco on the shelf, the coffee machine is always ready for whoever needs to make themself an espresso first thing in the morning before talking to anyone—because that’s what I need.

So I wanted this attitude. My vinyl room with 8,000 vinyl records that are available for everyone exactly like at my house. And in every corner: art, always art. So this is Casa Maria Luigia dedicated to my mom, who was named Maria Luigia.

I can see that art is one of your biggest passions.

You walk around here and see cars and motorcycles, but our true passions are art and music.

Breakfast at Casa Maria Luigia features an array of local specialties

You have also traveled a lot, no?

Yes, a lot, all over the world.

As a person who has seen so many places in the world, what do you think it is about Emilia Romagna that can attract a cultured person like yourself?

I think the entire world is still in love with Italy, despite the many defects that we Italians have. But the beauty and the culture of this country is incredible—and I don’t say it because I’m Italian, because I’m the first one to criticize my country. I always look at the past through a critical lens, never a nostalgic lens. But it’s beauty, it’s villages, it’s sunsets, the countryside, the Amalfi Coast, the Dolomites, these things are unique in the world. I just came back from the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone Ranch, one of the most beautiful places in the United States, but when I think about the Dolomites with these peaks, these valleys, I say, “Wow, the Dolomites are a whole other thing.”

And then when I think about Emilia Romagna, I think about food. There are two things that people travel for: one is art and the other is food. Now, actually, food comes before art. Art has moved to second place. Emilia Romagna is the Food Valley, so all the most important gastronomic products—balsamic vinegar, culatello, prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, mortadella—we have more IGP and DOP protected products than any other country in the European Union—not just in Italy but in Europe. Every corner has this obsession with quality. Then there’s the history that brought us here. The transformation of these ingredients into the most extraordinary dishes—tortellini, lasagna—they’re all dishes from our land. So this is already an incredible starting point.

Then we can talk about art—I could be here for an hour talking about the art in Modena. Just think that in Modena there’s a gallerist of contemporary art—aside from the Galleria Stesa, the Galleria Civica, the Cinque Teatri, the Teatro Pavarotti, the biggest school of singing in the world—but this gallerist who has a private gallery where there’s still this guy who’s 80 years old who’s doing unbelievable things. He was the first person to exhibit Basquiat in the world. It was Emilio Mazzoli in Modena. He works with Alex Katz, Robert Longo, Ross Bleckner—all the most important names in contemporary art. Imagine in Modena a gallerist like him. And you think, how is it possible? It’s possible.

Next to the Ferrari factory and museum, Cavallino serves elevated takes on traditional Modenese dishes

I never would have imagined!

You see, you never would have imagined and I’m telling you this. In Bologna, at the end of January, there’s the most important art fair that exists in Italy—more important than the fairs in Milan and Turin. So you see, there’s so much.

Then this obsession with quality; imagine that in Modena, in 30 kilometers between Borgo Panicale, Sant’Agata Bolognese, Castelfranco Emilia, Modena, and Maranello, there’s Ducati, Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani, and Ferrari—the most beautiful cars in the world. Plus there’s a company called CPC that makes the most experimental cars for Lotus, Aston Martin, and McLaren all in carbon and they’re working with Google because Google came to Modena to make their cars with solar panels for the future. We’re creating the future here! The future of transportation, movement—we’re creating it here in Modena.

I went to Parma and Modena a few months ago, and coming from Rome the thing that struck me is these cities seem very livable. There’s not all this chaos and crowds.

This is one of the most beautiful things for me. Modena and Parma are two very rich cities thanks to these industries.

Also historically, no? With the Farnese dukes...

Historically, yes. There are very important families. And they haven’t created big hotels. Around Osteria Francescana in these years hundreds of chic little bed and breakfasts have opened. So the tourists that come here to Casa Maria Luigia or to these bed and breakfasts experience Modena or Parma like the citizens of Modena or Parma. So it’s a way of experiencing the real Italy, not the Italy for tourists. Venice, Florence, Rome—chaos—millions of tourists who leave their plastic bottles around. Here there’s a lot of respect. This is a very beautiful thing.

Yes, I’ve seen that these cities are very clean. Then in Parma, I visited the Pilotta Museum and I found myself alone in front of a Da Vinci.

A mystical experience! There’s a church in the center of Modena with a Guercino four meters tall and you go to see it and you say, “But there’s no one here! I’m here.”

Do you feel like an ambassador for Emilia Romagna?

Emilia Romagna asked me to be their ambassador.

So you’re officially the ambassador of Emilia Romagna!

Yes, the ambassador of the United Nations and Emilia Romagna. I feel that I’ve done a lot for Emilia Romagna. I fought for it, but now I also feel very proud.

Tortellini hiding under a decorative flourish at Cavallino

So aside from the other places we’ve been talking about, do you have any other suggestions for readers who want to visit Emilia Romagna?

I really like Rimini. With the last mayor they had, Andrea Gnassi, Rimini has had an incredible explosion. In Rimini, there’s Technogym, so there’s all this green space on the beach. Also Milano Marittima, another very nice city on the Riviera.

Then coming towards Bologna, there’s this town called Imola, which seems like you’re getting lost in time. There are all these absurd things—castles—everything very well maintained and organized. Ferrara—there's this Medieval castle where the Este family lived. Later they moved the capital to Modena, but until 1400 the capital was there. And there’s this castle that still has a moat around it. There are still the old walls. That's why time stopped—because they left the walls. In Modena, they tore them down, so we’re more open to the world, while in Ferrara they left them.

I’ve been to Rimini and visited the Fellini Museum.

Extraordinary. It’s incredible. Then you arrive at the hills of Piacenza, you almost arrive in Lombardy, and what do you find? You find these incredible wines. Everything has exploded. Whether it’s a cheese, a wine, a car, a dress, there’s this obsession with quality that exists in few places.

Also Ravenna...

Yes, if we want to talk about the mosaics in Ravenna and the history... Even the Abbey of Nonantola. There are marvelous places.

For visitors coming to Emilia Romagna, what are the dishes that they absolutely have to taste?

They can’t miss tortellini. In Reggio Emilia they call them agnolotti. In the area of Parma, they call them anolini. There are dishes like tagliatelle, lasagne, bollito misto—the classic dishes of our region.

The cultural biodiversity of every family, every village, every city is so different from one to another that you move 20 kilometers and everything changes. Why? Because history brought forth these different cultural developments.

Modena and Bologna are completely different from each other because Bologna was the last stronghold of the papal state—so the church. Modena was very secular because it was independent and we didn’t want to be dependent on the Catholic church.

Then you go to Parma and you find the French—all the French grandeur. They even speak like the French, with the soft r. So you see, you travel 20 or 30 kilometers and everything changes. In my opinion, this is the beauty of Italy: this biodiversity along one road, Via Emilia, which unites Rimini with Piacenza.

Which was the ancient Roman road, no?

The ancient Roman road. Via Emilia. From Rimini to Piacenza.

You would have to spend a month here to see everything!

Yes! When you start to explore the Po Valley, the countryside of Modena, the Apennines that look like Tuscany... All the artists and actors that came here in the hills... Like Stanley Tucci. Stanley Tucci and I drove a Maserati up into the hills to buy Parmigiano Reggiano in this marvelous place in one of the highest hills in Modena and he went crazy, saying these hills are like Tuscany.

But we don’t promote ourselves. We’re a bit closed. We protect our territory. And that’s why it’s real. This is the real Italy.

Meet Massimo Bottura, the Superstar Chef Who Put Modena on the Map

Issue #78

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