• About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • 2020 Alumnae Achievement Awards Held Virtually; 3 Awardees Honored
      2020 Alumnae Achievement Awards Held Virtually; 3 Awardees Honored
    • Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
      Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
    • First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In
      First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • No image
      You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage
    • No image
      Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other bathrooms
    • Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
      Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • “Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story
      “Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story
    • Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!
      Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!
    • Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
      Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
  • Health and Wellness
    • COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
      COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
    • No image
      Athletic impacts of Covid-19
    • No image
      A new kind of PE
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • Miscellanea
    • No image
      Remote students experience existential crises; change class years in email signatures
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
      Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
    • The Artichoke
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Jee Lee Arts, Arts In The NewsNovember 2, 2016

Massimo Bottura redefines the artistry of gourmet cuisine

Bottura drew international media attention this summer for turning Olympics leftovers into gourmet meals for the homeless in Rio Photo courtesy of Dylan Robinson

Massimo Bottura, head chef of Osteria Francescana—widely considered to be the best restaurant in the world—was recently selected as one of most influential figures in reshaping culture in T magazine’s list of “The Greats.” Along with Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Junya Watanabe, Kerry James Washington, Zadie Smith and William Eggleston, Bottura was featured in a short film that highlights the sounds of his process of preparing a perfect dish of lasagna for a robot in a soundproof room filled with microphones. The film itself is a demonstration of how he blends contemporary art into his traditional Italian dishes.

You can hear the intricate sounds of his cooking when he boils pasta, mixes the dough, fries ragu and crunches Italian flag chips. He carefully breaks the chips into pieces and closes his eyes as he eats it in front of the robot so that it can hear the crunching sound. The film ends with him saying, “And how does that make you feel?” Bottura shows how his act of making food can become a performance or an act of art.

Bottura is influenced by contemporary art and the energy of jazz. He collects art from galleries and travels to exhibitions, Venice Biennale and art fairs. His famous lemon tart dish was inspired by Ai Wei Wei’s “Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn.” Ai Wei Wei destructs a traditional vase as an act of breaking with tradition in order to reinvent the old.  His lemon tart was also broken into small pieces, which allows his dish to pose questions on the value of our culture and traditions. His dessert “Camouflage” uses the colors of military garb to invoke a conversation between Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein.

Furthermore, the improvisational quality of jazz adds to his beautiful platings. Jazz musicians such as Charlie Parker, Benny Goodman and Billie Holiday guide Bottura to let the present moment go. He explains to T magazine, “We cannot live without music, without art.” One of Bottura’s goals is to keep guiding his employees to think comprehensively by absorbing music, art and even interior design.

When he cooks food that celebrates the history of Italy and Italian ingredients in a contemporary dish, his food recognizes that contemporary life encompasses a level of symbolism and cultural preoccupation. Art becomes a recorder.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleJane the Virgin makes way for important dialogue in prime time television
Next article“Christmas creep” pushes artists to release Christmas albums in October—at least they’re good

You may also like

“Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story

Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!

Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

  • Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other b...
  • COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
  • Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
  • Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations fo...
  • You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top