The chef behind Osteria Francescana shares his zero-waste philosophy.
Massimo Bottura recollect his grannie always nudge him , while growing up in a heavy mob in Modena , Italy : “ Do n’t exit the table until you ’ve finished what ’s on your plate . ” On New Year ’s Eve , while pamper in the Italian tradition of pork and lentil , she would unfailingly remind the family that “ this is not just a spiritual enactment — the animal has given its living to execute the family . Make certain you use every single part of it as respect , ” Bottura recalls .
Chef Bottura , now 59 and chef / owner of acclaimedOsteria Francescana , accredit many childhood memories and family value for fueling a cause against food waste . “ From the business organisation point - of - vista , once I open a eating house in 1995 , I knew there would be an inevitable surplus of intellectual nourishment and it started off with something as dim-witted as using bit to create stave meals , ” he says . This is how , at a three - Michelin starred eating place , chef Bottura see a unassailable footing in a direction of finding solutions towards moresustainable eating .
“ About 33 % of all the world ’s intellectual nourishment goes to waste , ” he say . “ We make food for 12 billion people when we are 7 billion on earth . Contrary , about 816 million people do n’t have anything to eat . So to me , the first answer to this problem of disparity is to combat food waste . ”
Chef Massimo Bottura|Photo courtesy of The Felix Project
In 2015 , he launchedRefettorio Ambrosiano(refettorio is Latin for “ restore ” ) along with his wife Lara . It was a pop up - up construct at Milan World Expo in an sphere called Don Giuliano , one of the most neglected neighborhoods in the city , at the behest of Pope Francis . “ This was done by choice to add visible radiation in the outer boundary , ” he say .
For the next six calendar month , 65 of the most influential chefs in the earth came to the Refettorio to fudge meals for the most vulnerable . “ I was n’t content with just soda pop - ups , I want something permanent . ” So the following year , he pose up another refettorio for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics .
“ We now have 13 Refettorios , all over the public under the umbrella foundationFood for Soul , ” he says . “ We closed 2021 with 1,000,150 meals for mass in need , using 670 tons of food nimiety . ”
Refettorio Geneva|Photo courtesy of the Mater Foundation
Bottura prefer to call it “ food nimiety ” and not “ intellectual nourishment waste , ” because he believe that we are in surfeit of production and that canny dispersion of resources can lick this trouble for respectable .
To chef Bottura , “ sustainability ” means having codependent family relationship with Farmer , fisherman , cheesemakers , and the other staff that works at a restaurant — irrespective of the hierarchy . The good example of his philosophical system is his iconicOops , I Dropped the Lemon Tartdish . It was a part of his seven - course fare at Osteria Francescana and come in about when a sous chef , Taka Kondo , incidentally dropped a working girl before serve it . The dish remain firm for making the good out of something that you first deem as useless .
“ It ’s about keep imperfection , about making a mistake , and transforming a mistake into an chance , ” Bottura say .
Chef Massimo Bottura|Photo by Simon Owen, Courtesy of Red Photographic
Such exercise are shroud all over the card at Osteria Francescana . For example , typically discarded item like potato peels and excessive mussel succus play starring role .
“ The earthy flavor of the peels is incredible , ” he pronounce . “ I use them to make drink Robert Peel stock . “ When I open up mussels , to me , the most astonishing flavor is in the juice from the mussel . The yield of the mussel ? It ’s okay . I use this juice to make gelatin for a seafood salad . And together the white potato vine and mussel go on to make alimentary paste . It ’s traditional in Italy for nutrient to be zero waste . ”
Today , a mindful diner is the one that understands these nuances , celebrates small computer storage , respects the farmers , and dedicate personal meter to shopping for food , Bottura advise .
“ They should think about what they are buying , what measure is necessary , is it seasonal ? ” he says . “ They will thereby be saving the world because they do n’t blow and primarily they themselves deplete better . ”
agree to him , it is then your responsibility to spread that subject matter far and wide-eyed . This is why Bottura systematically shares this ethos with his 1.5 million follower on Instagram . During the pandemic , he produced unrecorded cooking videos , include one Sunday dinner party made with everything that was provide in the refrigerator from the week before .
Last year , chef Bottura was ask in theNetflixseriesWaffles + Mochi , a show aimed at teaching kids about how to eat vegetables and how to have a playful relationship with food .
“ I remember when I was growing up , our baby’s room school further us to play with food , flowers and get messy , ” he say . “ They also taught us how to make Parmigiano Reggiano tall mallow , and cultivate us about balsamic acetum , their importance in Italian cuisine . This is how I got invested in refinement and cuisine . ”
Today , Bottura continues that cycle through his work at Food for Soul , day - to - day drill at his restaurant , and opportunities to utter with young people whenever he can .
“ When Michelle Obama asked me to be a part of it , I thought that this was an apt opportunity to pass on an important subject matter to two to seven yr olds , ” he says . “ This is my way of giving back to the man . ”
This interview was facilitated by Masters of Marriott Bonvoy and Culinary Culture in Mumbai , India .
