Massimo Bottura recently received three prestigious awards crowning him a symbol of Italian-ness, recognizing a merit that goes far beyond cuisine: it is all-round culture, the core of the research carried out by the chef inside and outside Osteria Francescana.
Needless to point it out: Massimo Bottura is now unquestionably considered one of the interpreters of excellence of Italian cuisine in the world, in its authentic yet futuristic declination. Merit, first and foremost, is due to the research conducted in Osteria Francescana, 3 Michelin stars: a creative laboratory where deliberately iconoclastic dishes take shape, recovering the recipes of the past and transporting them into the future by applying new preparation techniques, but above all where a hospitality made up of small gestures and details is expressed, determining the coordinates of a journey capable of transcending the gastronomic experience tout court.
Not only that: precisely because of this way of understanding cuisine as a "manifesto" of something that goes beyond taste, Bottura has taken his thinking beyond the walls of the restaurant, committing himself and his wife Lara Gilmore to the project of the Il Tortellante foundation, a therapeutic workshop that teaches people with autism how to make handmade pasta, and founding the organization Food for Soul, which, with its Refectories, is committed globally to fighting food waste and social isolation.
It comes as no surprise, then, that the Modenese chef has so far been honored with numerous awards; just think of his entrance into the Hall of Fame of the World's 50 Best Restaurants and the unstoppable rise of Gucci Osteria spin-offs around the world.
Today this role of ambassador has obtained a further (and threefold) official recognition, from one side of the Atlantic Ocean to the other: in fact, Massimo Bottura was the exceptional protagonist of the 16th McKim Medal Gala (organized last June 7th by the American Academy in Rome) and of the second edition (June 23th, 2023) of the Farnese d'or Gala (the event promoted annually by the CCI France Italie - Chamber of Commerce and held at Palazzo Farnese, headquarters of the French Embassy in Italy). The first has, since 2005, been one of the most anticipated events of the spring season, aimed at celebrating personalities whose work in Italy and the United States has contributed significantly to the development of the arts, humanities and culture. Presenting the award in the capital city, American celebrity chef Alice Waters.
On the other hand, the second represents an opportunity to enhance Italian-French relations, pointing out the best representatives of the institutional, political, economic and cultural world of Italy. Furthermore, Lara Gilmore and Massimo Bottura were honored by Consul General Ragini Gupta at the prestigious Hall of Cardinals of the San Carlo College in Modena for their outstanding efforts in strengthening cultural ties between the United States and Emilia-Romagna.
Precisely in the year that sees Italian cuisine nominated as an intangible Unesco heritage, Bottura is the perfect emblem of a tradition that espouses the theme of sustainability and biocultural diversity, that knows how to open up to foreign countries, and that is committed to supporting Italian artistic excellence in an international context (the proceeds from the McKim Medal Gala support the Italian Fellowship program, with scholarships that offer artists and students of Italian nationality the unique opportunity to live and work within the American Academy in Rome).
These new awards enhance the Italian-French relationship in cuisine and reaffirm the deep connection between Italy and the United States, coherently with the belief expressed by Bottura himself, "Cuisine brings people together," regardless of origin or geographic location.
Photo credits (mobile): Settimo Bendusi
Photo credits (dekstop): Anders Jorgensen
