Meet Mattia Agazzi, the younger and impressive Head Chef of Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Beverly Hills who’s cooking up a storm within the culinary world. And a lot, very impressively, he’s gained his first Michelin star with an strategy that mixes Italian honest, creativity, and the easiest, seasonal components. Agazzi tells us extra about his heritage, his inspirations, and his strategy to Michelin star dishes.
How did you get into the business?
I’ve been all in favour of cooking since I used to be a toddler. After college, I began working on the three-Michelin-starred Da Vittorio, with chef Enrico Cerea. 4 years later, I traveled all over the world, to achieve extra expertise. Amongst the locations I’ve labored in, I significantly bear in mind Joël Robuchon’s restaurant in London and the St. Hubertus within the Dolomites. Even when for a shorter time, I’ve additionally had very formative experiences with Romain Meder in Paris at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenée, and at Yellow, a vegan restaurant in Sydney, the place I used to be launched to an entire new world of creativity with greens together with fermentation. Ultimately, I returned to Italy, however I used to be about to go away once more for one more expertise after I obtained an e mail from Osteria Francescana, the place I had despatched my resume months earlier than. I didn’t assume twice: the day after, I used to be driving proper to Modena. After a interval at Osteria Francescana, Massimo Bottura provided me the position of sous chef for Karime Lopez at Gucci Osteria Florence. As the brand new restaurant right here in Beverly Hills started to take form, they proposed this unbelievable alternative to me.
Who or what’s your largest inspiration as a chef?
I grew up in an atmosphere the place meals has at all times been a giant a part of my life, and the place household time additionally meant time spent across the desk. A humble household, however I may say that I strongly felt the instance set by my dad and mom, who’ve at all times labored laborious all day lengthy. Relating to my cooking type, I attempt to develop my concepts in a private method, permitting the on a regular basis experiences and travels to affect me.
How would you sum up the look, really feel, and style of Gucci Osteria?
The ambiance at Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills is intimate and comfortable. We wish visitors to really feel relaxed on the highest flooring terrace of the Gucci constructing overlooking Rodeo Drive. As regards to the style, it’s about experiencing our Italian delicacies set inside the unbelievable Californian environment. In relation to the style of Gucci Osteria, I might say it tastes like Italian meals, with out being utterly conventional. The truth that we, sadly, don’t have entry to all of the merchandise we’re used to having in an Italian kitchen, it’s made us strengthen and develop our cooking type. We discover methods to create dishes that function a sure nostalgia for standard Italian recipes whereas utilizing the best components in California. Our Uni Carbonara is a superb instance the place we reinterpret the standard carbonara, utilizing the best recent seafood within the space.
How do you strategy a menu and dishes?
We use the best American and Italian produce sourced by native markets, that we playfully intertwine by our personal tales and desires. It’s additionally the results of nice and galvanizing teamwork. It’s essential for us to convey our feelings with a playful twist. The enjoyable factor of the method may at occasions be fairly a problem, however, as soon as efficiently achieved, can lead to the best satisfaction. With only a pinch of creativeness, we are able to journey anyplace on the planet by meals.
That are the signature dishes there?
A should is ‘Risotto camouflaged as pizza’, one of the crucial enjoyable with a curious story behind it. With this dish, we convey collectively two very recognizable Italian flavors: pizza and risotto. I named it this fashion as a result of it tastes extra like pizza than the pizza itself and since it’s a reference to Massimo Bottura, who joked with me: “Come on Mattia, prepare – fast! – we’re going to Beverly Hills to open a pizzeria!”. Clearly, conserving me at midnight – it was something however a pizzeria! It turned out to be Gucci Osteria that we have been going to open. One other to say is certainly ‘Coming from the Hills’ “I Love Rock Climbing”, native white trout, hazelnuts, and mushrooms. In Beverly Hills, the fish is solely unbelievable: the standard, the variability…for this recipe, I’ve added an Asian contact. As well as, because the title already reveals, it inherently talks of my type and my passions.
What are your favourite dishes on the menu at the moment?
I might say the SoCal Spaghetto Splashworks is for positive one in every of my favorites! The dish jogs my memory of my first expertise in a Michelin star restaurant with my dad and mom at Gualtiero Marchesi’s, the place they actually showcased the native seafood in a spectacular method.
What’s developing for 2022?
Final yr was unbelievable: after the reopening, we earned our Michelin star, due to the unbelievable workforce we now have constructed. For 2022, we would like, after all, to maintain up the great work and proceed to arrange new dishes. My thoughts and my coronary heart are in a steady artistic state!
See extra on gucciosteria.com.
