Italian chef Massimo Bottura announced he is working on the opening of a university based on gastronomy in Modena. He was speaking at Chef Sache in Cologne, Germany where he gave an inspirational presentation on creativity and his creative process.
“Opening a gastronomic university in my home town Modena next to Osteria Francescana is my dream and we are working on it,” said the Italian chef who has become world famous for his artistic and philosophical approach to food.
Speaking in Cologne, Bottura said that future chefs will need to be well-read, cultured but also ready to get their hands dirty because knowledge comes from the basics.
Seen as an iconic figure among fellow chefs, Bottura has for many years been misunderstood in his home country. But this year, he has reached the pinnacle of his career. He reached the number 2 position in the World’s Best 50 list and has had huge success with the charitable soup kitchen at the Refettorio Ambrosiana in Milan. And he was also in the news last week when French president Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Renzi held a working dinner at his restaurant, Osteria Francescana in Modena.
He is now ready to embark on the next project which is set to build on the work he has been carrying out for the past 20 years.
The Italian chef has already been involved in a project which saved the agriculture institute of Spallanzani in Castelfranco Emilia which was on the verge of going bust. Today the institute has a waiting list of students wanting to attend its courses. The chef now wants to offer university courses in the field of gastronomy because he believes the future generation of chefs need to have degrees.
At Chef Sache, the Italian chef touched upon the subject of creativity. He said creativity was a happy coincidence. “At the moment you have mastered a technique, you are conscious of your means, you have developed critical thinking and, most of all, you know yourself. “Along the road to creativity, if you trip over a ripe banana, taste a pesto made with breadcrumbs, or are witness to a broken tart, you see the world with new eyes. That is the moment that you capture that flash in the dark.”
You will be able to read more details about Bottura’s presentation at Chef Sache shortly on Food and Wine Gazette.
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