Lara Gilmore

Born in Washington in 1968, Lara Gilmore married Massimo Bottura on the 15th of July 1995, 4 months after the first service at Osteria Francescana in Modena. «It was a subtle way», she later explained, «to ask me if I was ready to marry a restaurant. Which doesn't mean that the Osteria took away my husband. In fact, today the restaurant is a family to both of us. A large one, of course».

“Family” is indeed the keyword in the Gilmore/Bottura universe, which now has endless small and big projects: the great restaurant in Emilia (3 Michelin stars, twice at the top of the World’s 50Best), the bright daughter of a minor god Franceschetta58, the countryside estate (with a unique collection of contemporary art and installations) Casa Maria Luigia and the Osterie Gucci (two, for now: in Florence and Beverly Hills, Los Angeles).

And then, the philanthropic projects: charity Food for Soul, which encourages a healthy and fair system through the Refettori all around the world, starting from the Refettorio Ambrosiano in Milan, followed by Bologna, London, Modena, Naples, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Merida in Mexico (and soon also in Harlem, New York) and Tortellante, a therapeutic-qualifying laboratory where young people on the autistic spectrum learn to make fresh hand-made pasta.

In all these projects Lara has much more than a say. She's the inspirer, the pillar, the ghost writer just like her husband-cook. «When I met Massimo», she explains, «I was working in the art and publishing industry and I was trying to be an actress. Strange as it may seem, today in a way I do all three jobs, including that of acting, to keep my group united. Of course my life would not be as fun. Twenty-five years of marriage and of Osteria Francescana are the perfect training to say many things that still need to be said».