Mattia Agazzi’s guide to LA’s best Italian food

Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Dakota Johnson, Miley Cyrus… Mattia Agazzi, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Beverly Hills' Executive Chef, lists some of Hollywood's biggest stars he cooks for regularly.

Coming from anyone else the name-dropping could be seen as bragging, but Agazzi, who at 35 is the youngest Executive Chef of the four Gucci Osteria da Massimo Botturas around the world (Florence, Tokyo, Seoul, and Los Angeles), is a down to earth bubbly northern Italian who is as happy cooking for celebrities as rock climbing in Joshua Tree on his days off.

Agazzi, who has lived in LA for over four years now, enjoys the city. “Many people leave LA disappointed, but I think it’s most likely one of the coolest cities ever. The amount of art and talent that comes to LA from all over the world is amazing and creates so many new trends and directions,” he says.

“There is so much interest in sustainability and healthy lifestyle here which challenges me as a chef to keep exploring and learning how to fight food waste and finding new ways of buying and supporting local farms and production,” he continues.

He loves LA’s melting pot food scene and the fusion of styles—he gets equally excited for Korean BBQ and good dipping-style ramen, as for a bagel or an In-N-Out burger, especially after flying back into LA.

What about Italian? Does he get homesick in the city of Angels? “When guests ask me what I miss the most about Italy, my first thoughts go always to my family, all of them with a huge passion for eating. Especially when it has to do with my grandma’s cooking, she definitely knows how to run the show, putting together classic dishes from Bergamo and mixing with whatever she picked from her garden or foraged during her morning walks in the forests. Surely not a regular nonna, that's why I decided to do Sunday brunches here at Gucci, an homage to my family tradition and a great way to have everyone around the table sharing some of our food creations and good laughs!”

With that in mind, here are Agazzi’s favorite spots for Italian food in LA, for when he wants a taste of home.

Kaja Sajovic