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Check out these first-look images of Ferrari’s new Cavallino restaurant at their headquarters in Maranello, Emilia Romagna, with menu by Massimo Bottura.
The legendary Ferrari trattoria has been completely updated with design by India Mahdavi and a menu by Modena maestro Bottura. The much anticipated trattoria has a look and atmosphere that honours the fabled past of the world’s most famous car brand, yet playfully modernises it for a more contemporary feel.
The Wall Street Journal published images by Danilo Scarpati, showing cool red-accented interiors that maintain features from every decade of Ferrari’s journey, presenting them in a very Italian, modern format.
Bottura is a world-famous gastronomic ambassador for his home region of Emilia-Romagna, known for its 'fast cars and slow food'. “When you are a kid, going to the circuit in downtown Modena and checking out all the motorcycle drivers, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Maseratis… you grow up with a sense of speed in your body, in your DNA,” he says.
The Cavallino (Little Horse) trattoria holds legendary status among Ferrari aficionados, and it was in the dining room that company founder Enzo Ferrari entertained his guests and clients, with every single business meeting beginning or ending with lunch or dinner. A bottle of Lambrusco was always on ice, so the legend goes.
“We remind you we are in Modena, but using technology, we give a super touch of lightness to a very heavy cuisine,” says Bottura. “Instead of using fat we improve the taste using technique.”
On the opening menu subtle homage is paid to the Ferrari family, and to the history and lore of the site. A dish inspired by the maccheroncini in pink sauce that Lina Lardi, Enzo’s wife, used to serve at the family’s Sunday lunch, is in the works.
The food at Cavllino reinterprets classic Italian dishes with a modern touch. The filetto alla Rossini becomes a cotechino alla Rossini, topped with a mineral truffle and a Modena black cherry sauce. The gnocco fritto is light and airy, yet crispy, and served with cured meats. The classic bollito, an Italian dish of boiled meat, is cooked at a low temperature to preserve the organoleptic properties of the meat.
Bottura’s take on the classic tortellini, cooked in capon broth and served in a Parmigiano-Reggiano cream, comes thanks to his Tortellante project. The project sees the grandmothers of Modena work with young adults with autism by teaching them how to make tortellini by hand.
The kitchen at Cavallino will be helmed by Modenese chef Riccardo Forapani, who trained for 13 years at Osteria Francescana, and the dining room will be run by Luis Diaz, with Silvia Campolucci as sommelier.
The redesign is by India Mahdavi, who has kept many original features, including Enzo’s private room. “It’s an encounter between Enzo Ferrari and Massimo Bottura… two institutions meeting in the Cavallino space,” says Mahdavi.
