Chef Massimo Bottura on the secret to the success of Osteria Francescana, which turns 30 this year

Embracing doubt is the secret to chef Massimo Bottura’s relentless evolution over the past 30 years since he started contemporary Italian restaurant Osteria Francescana in Modena in 1995. 

Arguably one of the most influential chefs in the world, Bottura has been hailed for advancing Italian cuisine, long associated with nonna-style cooking, into the 21st century through his iconic creations, such as The Crunchy Part of the Lasagna and Compression of Pasta and Beans, which have left gourmands in awe. 

Speaking to The Peak Singapore, the 62-year-old, whose name is synonymous with intertwining Italian cuisine with art, literature and philosophy, muses: “When I walk into the kitchen, I walk in with doubts. My dishes are the answers to the questions. It is always about thinking how I can be better and more contemporary.” 

It is only apt that “never stop questioning” is the theme of Osteria Francescana’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Each month this year, a story or recipe, presented as a question, chronicles the restaurant’s evolution and milestone dishes. The stories are published on the website of his hospitality group, Francescana Family. The idea was mooted by his wife, Lara, and daughter, Alexa, who joined the family business earlier this year. 

The series opens with the introspective question, ‘How old are you?’, which shares how the Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano uses time as a vital ingredient. The cerebral dish comprises various forms of Italian hard cheese aged from 24 to 50 months to yield varying textures, from demi-souffle, foam to broth.

For the second question, “Where are you from?”, Bottura roped in his mother, Luisa, to narrate An Eel Swimming Up the Po River. The fable is the inspiration behind the dish of saba-lacquered eel with burned onion powder, cream of polenta, and apple jelly.

Have doubts

Bottura believes that raising doubts fires up new possibilities among his chefs who head his restaurants around the world, including Torno Subito, a casual Italian restaurant in Singapore that celebrates the specialities of the Emilia-Romagna region. The restaurant, which turned one in March, is run by homegrown hospitality company Como Group and helmed by executive chef Alessio Pirozzi, who has worked at Osteria Francescana and the now-shuttered Torno Subito in Dubai. 

Bottura shares: “Through having a dialogue on technique and creativity with my culinary team, I am transferring my ‘mental palate’ to them, and in a way, doubts. They will then transfer them to the kitchen, where the team can start thinking, and together, they can come up with an answer. The team is everything.”

With an expanding restaurant and hospitality group that includes six restaurant brands and a countryside inn, how does Bottura’s culinary vision get realised miles away? 

He entrusts his chefs with creative freedom to create new dishes using local influences and ingredients. At Torno Subito Singapore, Pirozzi has added pepper crab pasta to the menu and uses white cod from fishermen in Lombok and greens from Sustenir, a homegrown urban farm. 

“I don’t believe in following recipes blindly,” he says. “I believe in the creative process of each chef, who has to express himself and give the best of what he has to offer while respecting my credo, such as reducing food waste, having local influences, bringing out the lightness of the Italian cuisine, and having an obsession about the quality of the ingredients.”

“It is about using the technique to bring out the best of the ingredients, not your ego,” he declares. 

He connects with his chefs worldwide, such as those from Torno Subito, which opened a Miami branch last August, and Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, which has outposts in Beverly Hills, Tokyo, and Seoul. They discuss dishes and plating through WhatsApp messages and calls and share ideas. “It is important to give the chefs freedom to express themselves to keep them in the group, which is founded on a base of amazing people.”

Looking back critically 

At Torno Subito Singapore, Pirozzi has launched the Riviera Tour menu, which serves seasonal dishes inspired by Italian classics, such as the saltimbocca (Roman-style veal cutlets wrapped in prosciutto). Instead of veal, succulent slabs of cod fish reside on a pool of intense parma ham sauce and is dusted with sage crumble.

Another highlight is the porchetta, which has been given a modern twist. It is presented as a medallion made with roast milked suckling pig served with Swiss chard and apple compote. 

Instead of serving a hulking slab of porchetta in the traditional way, Bottura shares how Pirozzi’s contemporary rendition retains the crunchiness of the crackling and beautiful flavour while switching up ingredients. “The taste is more Italian here than in what’s served in Italy,” he quips.

He says: “To connect with diners’ emotions, you need to know the history. However, look at the past in a critical way and not with nostalgia. Nostalgia can make people feel warm and cosy, but being critical means having the courage to break with nostalgia and bring a small part to the future. That’s how to renew traditions and keep evolving without losing the flavours deep in our DNA.” 

However, he laments that the younger chefs “have lost focus on traditional ingredients”. “They think they should follow international trends to be successful,” he adds. Instead, he believes tradition is best used as a springboard to create new possibilities and drive innovation. 

For instance, his new menu at Osteria Francescana is called Miseria e Nobiltà (Poverty and Nobility in Italian), named after a comedy by Italian playwright Eduardo Scarpetta. The menu is inspired by cucina povera, food cooked by Italy’s rural peasant population. It showcases the duality and tension between the rich and poor and “gives pride to humble ingredients”. 

One of the new marquee dishes is The Roast Guinea Fowl that Wants to Become a Panettone. This dish features the sweet bread that mimics the taste of the roast bird when a sauce made with guinea fowl is slathered over it. 

He quips: “If you want to jump high, you must remember the past, but use it as a trampoline to jump higher. That’s the only way of keeping the tradition alive.”

The future is courage

Besides banking on traditions, Bottura believes that Italian cuisine needs to remain open to influences in today’s globalised world, where cultures transcend boundaries. He recalls how his son, Charlie, recently requested chicken curry at home, whereas he would have stuck to Italian dishes growing up.

Last year, his “Globale” menu captured the rich biodiversity from Modena’s melting pot of culture. “Italian cuisine has always been open to the world. This biodiversity is our strength, and this is something special that centuries of migration have given to our country,” he states.  

One dish, From Gragnano to Bangkok, encapsulates this open spirit. Some parallels are drawn between spaghetti with tomato, an iconic Italian dish, and Pad Thai, a Thai stir-fried noodle dish. Spaghetti is drenched in a sauce made with buffalo mozzarella, coconut, ginger, and lemongrass and drizzled in tomato sauce and Thai basil oil.

“You are eating spaghetti like a Pad Thai in the markets of Bangkok — it is still tomato, mozzarella, and basil but served differently,” he enthuses. 

After over 30 years in the business, during which time he has championed social causes like preventing food waste and promoting social inclusivity through the Food For Soul and Tortellante initiatives, what continues to excite him? 

He muses: “It is incredible working with these young, beautiful people, from chefs to the service staff, who have dedicated themselves to working with us. That’s why we keep growing to create opportunities for them to grow and let them go.”

• Kenneth Goh is Dining Editor of The Peak Singapore. He relishes uncovering stories in eateries and kitchens as much as hunting for new chomping grounds.