The fire burns in the heart of Massimo Bottura, who is technically no longer the No. 1 chef in the world – since he entered the Hall of Fame of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants -, but remains at the top of the ratings of world gourmets and celebrities who want to eat his dishes, old and new. But fire is also what animates the “not barbecue” of the Gatto Verde, the latest jewel of the Francescana Family – as Bottura likes to define the group of establishments – which the 61-year-old from Modena and his American wife Lara Gilmore, fundamental in his incredible climb to the top success, they created starting from a country restaurant in Campazzo. A “family” that never forgets social issues thanks to the famous Refettori of Food for Soul, the non-profit association to fight food waste in the interest of inclusion.
Modena: the heart of the Bottura world
The heart of the Family is in Modena, starting from the Osteria Francescana in via Stella 22, undoubtedly the Michelin three-starred restaurant in Italy most frequented by foreigners. Every year a new menu comes out in the name of pure creativity, increasingly Italian beyond the names of the dishes and with a stellar pairing, where the hand of director Beppe Palmieri stands out. Just outside the center there is Franceschetta (a top-quality bistro) while in the first countryside outside Modena there is Casa Maria Luigia, a place that has recently been exalted by New York Times and around which the couple’s new book was born Slow Food, Fast Cars. You can’t blame him: a charming residence, with a few rooms and the collections that fascinate Massimo and Lara: works of modern art, vinyls (thousands of them, almost all jazz), sensational Italian sports cars, not just Ferraris and Maseratis which Bottura is brand ambassador. It is here that the Gatto Verde is located, together with the small restaurant that serves the nine-course menu with the iconic dishes of the Osteria Francescana, and the Acetaia Maria Luigia, restored in 2022, which houses 1400 barrels of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, even from the last century.
Bottura’s other projects
As a true Modenese, Massimo also revived the myth of the Cavallino, the restaurant in Maranello – right in front of the factory – which hosted Enzo Ferrari’s daily lunch for decades. And again the close collaboration with Gucci has brought the dishes and chefs chosen by Bottura to the refined Osterias in Florence, Beverly Hills, Tokyo and Seoul: the first three already boast a Michelin Star. Finally, there is the Torno Subito-Italian Restaurant format that the Emilian chef follows carefully: the first is located in Dubai (another Michelin star), those in Singapore and Miami are on the way. We are therefore at seven “macarons”, with more easily on the way. He is never still, after all one of his favorite thoughts brings together planning and concreteness, «The secret of success is getting up in the morning and going to bed at night doing what we have decided to do in the middle he explains with a convinced smile.
The Green Cat and Jessica Rosval
The Green Gatto is currently in pole position: a charming place, a French bistro atmosphere, but with a wood-fired oven and embers to provide (and create) heat. But it is the cuisine that makes the difference, entrusted to the Canadian expert Jessica Rosval who serves precise, fun and delicious dishes: baked tortellino, au gratin in a wood-fired oven with 36-month Parmigiano Reggiano cream such as fassona short ribs, marigold flowers, apricot and Yorkshire Pudding. «We thought about taking food out of the fire to bring it onto the fire, in order to create something unique. And with her North American culture, Jessica has been able to reinterpret territoriality: it is no coincidence that she has been in the Family and in Modena for a decade underlines Bottura, chef of the world and in the world. She told us her visions of her, never banal and which look far into the future. «In my future there will always be a future she repeats. And she doesn’t bluff.
