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Massimo Bottura has been named one of 28 “creative geniuses who defined culture in 2016” by The New York Times.
The Italian chef has had a bumper year criss-crossing the globe, from picking up the title of World’s Best Restaurant for Osteria Francescana at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in New York, to re-establishing the gourmet soup kitchen he first devised in Milan in 2015 with the help of some famous chef friends (see the documentary trailer below) , this time transported to Rio de Janeiro to coincide with the Olympic Games.
According to the Times, “The whirling dervish defies convention, whether it’s upending the traditions of Italian cooking or bringing pleasure into how we feed the hungry.” 2017 looks to be similarly action packed for Bottura: speaking to Fine Dining Lovers following his World’s 50 Best Restaurants win he revealed his plans to expand his Food for Soul soup kitchen project globally. Read the interview here.
William Bradley, Executive Chef at San Diego's Addison restaurant and much admired by the likes of Thomas Keller, also made the list, and is described by the Times as, "a chef’s chef ... resolutely uncool, focused on what goes on in the kitchen — like making some of the best food in the country." Also included are Michelle Obama, photographer William Eggleston, novelist Zadie Smith and designer turned film director Tom Ford.
So two out of 28 of the most culturally influential people on the planet according to The New York Times are chefs? Not bad at all.
Watch Bottura make lasagna his way
