When asked if former US president Barack Obama and wife Michelle had to wait long to get a reservation at Osteria Francescana―Chef Massimo Bottura’s three Michelin star restaurant in Italy―the chef proudly replies, “Not just them”. It is reputed to be one of the most difficult restaurants in the world to get a reservation at. This is quite the achievement for an obscure, 12-table restaurant that got its first Michelin almost by accident. When it opened in 1995, customers were few and reviews lukewarm. Six years later, one of Italy’s most prominent critics happened to get stuck in the quaint, colourful town of Modena, where the restaurant is located. He decided to go in, and the rest is culinary history. Osteria Francescana got its first Michelin a year later. Slowly but steadily, it climbed up to the first rank on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants twice, in 2016 and 2018, and now features in its ‘best of the best’ list.
Bottura, who was on TIME’s list of 100 most influential people, was invited to India recently by Culinary Culture (a movement that brings together India’s food community) for an event at The Leela Palace, Delhi. Asked if India is a good market to start a restaurant, Bottura answers, “It could be. Italian and Indian food are very similar. In India, there are different food experiences in the north, south, east and west, with different meats and spices, just like in Italy.” However, he has no immediate plans to open a restaurant here. “My reputation is my wealth,” he says. “I will open a restaurant here only if I am sure it will succeed.”
This drive to succeed, and a passion for living life full-throttle, have been Bottura’s trademark. After Osteria Francescana, Bottura opened several restaurants all over the world. His partnership with Gucci led to three restaurants―Gucci Osteria in Tokyo, Florence and Los Angeles. In Dubai, he created his own unique experience with Torno Subito. As founder of the NGO ‘Food for Soul’, Bottura advocates for the reduction of food waste and protecting the environment through sustainable cooking practices. He is also a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme, and a brand ambassador for Maserati.
Bottura first travelled to Mumbai to visit girls in an orphanage, before flying to Delhi. Asked if he has tried Indian versions of Italian food, he says, “When I come to India, I don’t want to try Italian food. I want to try Indian.” While curating the menu at The Leela Palace, Bottura says he did not customise according to the Indian palate, as he wanted to give an authentic experience of the food at Osteria Francescana. “My guests wanted Italian food―Massimo’s food,” he says. “One does not have to make everyone like one’s food. You don’t ask Picasso to change ‘Guernica’ (his 1937 oil painting). ‘Guernica’ is ‘Guernica’!”
Celebrities like Sonam Kapoor enjoyed Bottura’s creations at the hotel, which included signature dishes like ‘Oops I dropped the lemon tart’, ‘The crunchy part of the lasagna’ and ‘Psychedelic cod not flame grilled’. Many of these creations have interesting back stories. ‘Oops I dropped the lemon tart’, for example, was born when someone accidentally smashed a sweet on the pastry counter. The result was a dessert that had just the right balance. When you have the lemon tart, you are getting a taste of the master chef’s creative process―a perfect blend of the methodical and the spontaneous.