Massimo Bottura is a world renowned chef and food connoisseur. With a global following, Chef Bottura has dazzled countless enthusiasts with mouth watering dishes and world class cuisine. As the proud owner of Osteria Francescana, the Italian sensation has also received stellar reviews from fans and industry critics alike. As a true master of the culinary arts, Chef Bottura recently captured the Nobel Prize for gastronomy. This prestigious award is courtesy of The White Guide, which honors contemporary chefs that have displayed unparalleled creativity and ingenuity each year. As the latest recipient of this unique award, Chef Bottura is truly honored to add this priceless achievement and accolade to his repertoire.

Over the years, the award has been presented to chefs that have simply outshined their competitors. More importantly, the prize pays homage and truly honors culinary specialists that have soared to new heights in this diverse and challenging industry. According to the judges, Bottura is an immensely talented and innovative chef that has gone above and beyond the call of duty. In fact, his artistry has truly enhanced common meals into fine works of art. From tantalizing dishes to scrumptious entrees, Massimo has fused traditional and contemporary delights to facilitate a broad range of tastes and preferences. For this reason, Bottura received the Nobel Prize and was honored for being a major force in this evolving and fast paced field.

The award ceremony took place in Stockholm in front of countless chefs and industry leaders. The event also spotlighted Bottura’s restaurant, as well as his past achievements in culinary excellence. As a former chef in Monaco, Massimo is known to create spectacular dishes by utilizing traditional and common ingredients. He has also appeared in several cooking magazines and books, and has a worldwide social media following. If you love innovative cooking and want to learn from the best, Chef Bottura can turn your dreams into realities. Simply read his books “Cook It Raw” and “Where Chefs Eat” for mouthwatering recipes and more information.

A true son of Emilia Romagna, the culinary capital of Italy, Massimo Bottura was born in Modena in September 1962 and is one of a growing band of innovative chefs that are pushing the boundaries of food and dining as we have come to know them. Massimo’s first experience of food and ingredients came from the many hours he claims he spent under his grandmother’s kitchen table, where he went to seek refuge from his older brothers. Here, at her knee, his great love affair with all things culinary began, and he took the first steps of his journey to the culinary excellence that would one day see his restaurant receiving no less than 3 Michelin stars.

A bit about his background.

Massimo did not initially set out to become a chef; he was studying law in 1986, when he heard that a roadside trattoria on the outskirts of Modena was for sale. He decided to take a break from his studies, bought and renovated the building and a week later he opened his first restaurant, the Trattoria del Campazzo; the rest, as they say, is history and the law faculty’s loss was the Culinary world’s gain.

It was not an overnight success story for Massimo Bottura, but rather a journey of discovery as he first apprenticed with Chef Georges Cogny, where the foundations of his culinary knowledge were laid down with a good grounding in the principles of regional Italian cooking combined with classic French cuisine. He later worked with renowned chefs Alain Ducasse (Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo) and Ferran Adria of El Bulli fame in Spain.

Massimo opens his restaurant in his home town: Modena.

In 1995 he opened Osteria Francescana in the medieval city centre of his home town, Modena, with the intention of combining contemporary art, traditional Italian cuisine and his now-renowned innovative genius. In the following years Massimo and Osteria Francescana received numerous awards, including his first Michelin Star in 2002. A second star followed in 2006 and in 2012 he received his third Michelin star, making him one of only 7 Italian chefs to have been so honoured.
In addition, Osteria Francescana was named the Best Italian Restaurant in the world, and the 4th Best Restaurant in the World in 2011, on The World’s 50 Best Restaurant List. In the latest list for 2013, he has climbed yet another rung of the ladder and is placed at no 3!

The signature dishes of Massimo Bottura.

And the food, you may ask… Massimo himself describes each of his innovative dishes as being a reconstruction of an idea, a memory or a smile, and since he has lived in Modena all his life, the region plays an important role in his food. To whet your appetite, here are a couple of the dishes which will be served for his New Year’s Eve dinner – dedicated to his friends around the world with inspiring dishes from all corners of the globe. From Italy comes Sea urchin spaghetti in the Neopolitan tradition with aglio, olio e peperoncino (olive oil, garlic and chilli), from France there is Foie gras and white truffle (a marriage of French and Italian delicacies) in an Emilian ravioli. Nordic countries are represented by the Aurora borealis dish – porcini, black truffles, chestnuts, chocolate and pumpkin beneath a blanket of leaves.