Risotto Camouflaged as Pizza by Mattia Agazzi

Born in 1989 in Bergamo in northern Italy, Mattia Agazzi now lives and works in LA, where he leads the team at Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills under the guidance of chef Massimo Bottura, the culinary genius behind the three-Michelin-star Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, and the Gucci Osteria brand.

Agazzi went straight from school to three-star restaurant Da Vittorio in Brusaporto in his native Italy, where he worked alongside chef Chicco Cerea. From there he embarked on a seven-year exploration of world cuisines. His travels included varied and valuable experiences, such as in Paris at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée and in Sydney at Yellow, a vegan restaurant where he discovered the creative potential of vegetables and fermentation.

Back in Italy in 2017, Agazzi met Bottura at an interview at Osteria Francescana, which led first to a job there and then as Sous Chef under Karime López at Gucci Osteria in Florence. From there, Bottura chose him as the chef he wanted in Los Angeles for the opening of Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills, where Agazzi earned the restaurant a Michelin star in 2021.

When he’s not in the kitchen, he loves to spend time in the great outdoors, fishing, foraging, or free climbing.

Restaurant

Like each of the restaurants that bears the Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura name—besides the original in Florence, there are others in Tokyo and Seoul—the Beverly Hills outpost serves modern Italian cuisine inspired by local tastes and seasonality, and infused with sensuality. Each one reflects a unique identity and sense of place, shaped by the personal vision of the chef in charge.

Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills, opened in 2020, is a place where Italian tradition and the contemporary culinary philosophy of Bottura meet Agazzi’s playful style and the finest local Californian ingredients. He is ably assisted in his mission by experienced pastry chef Tamara Rigo, with whom he worked in Florence, and dynamic Canadian Sous Chef Vanessa Chiu.

For signs that this fusion of traditions and talents is a winner, one need look no further than the Michelin star awarded in 2021 or the 28th place in the ranking of top Italian restaurants around the world published by 50 Top Italy in 2023.

Recipes and dishes

The Michelin Guide has described Agazzi’s cooking as “at once whimsical and grounded,” a combination undoubtedly influenced by Bottura. Under his mentorship, Agazzi was inspired to evolve beyond tradition, becoming more inventive and open to new ideas. These Ideas come not only from the melting pot of tastes and cultures in which he is immersed in LA, but above all from the internationally diverse brigade at Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills, which includes colleagues from North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Agazzi describes them as one of his greatest inspirations.

His respectful but free-wheeling approach is reflected in dishes such as Risotto Camouflaged as Pizza, which uses the ingredients and flavors of pizza, Uni Carbonara, with its sea urchins and calamari chopped like guanciale, and I Love Rock Climbing, where wild morels and Santa Barbara hazelnuts complement chunks of fleshy trout and a sauce made with a mix of Asian ingredients like kabosu (a Japanese citrus fruit) and Chinese rice vinegar.

The restaurant also serves Agazzi’s interpretation of Osteria Francescana’s most famous dish, Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano, while desserts include A Bunch of Flowers, made with chamomile ice cream, acacia, and green apple sauce.