European chef of the year values ideas over ingredients

Chef Massimo Bottura, from three Michelin star restaurant Osteria Francescana in the Italian city of Modena, has been named 2016 European Chef of the Year at Madrid Fusión, the annual gastronomy summit that attracts more than 500 chefs from all over the world.

Bottura received the award in recognition of his pioneering work with the charity Caritas to establish an experimental soup kitchen, Refettorio Ambrosiano, in Milan. The kitchen uses food that would have otherwise been thrown away to feed poor people and the homeless.

“As the population grows and the food supply is in danger, chefs must disseminate new ideas to evolve our kitchens and communities for the future. Let’s start from our home, make scraps into delicious food,” said Bottura, who lead a team of chefs to use their creative skills to create dishes and meals specifically designed to use otherwise waste food. “Foraging for new ingredients is not important. Foraging for new ideas, this is important.”

“For the immense value of this initiative, Massimo Bottura deserves to be named European Chef of the Year,” stressed the president of Madrid Fusion, José Carlos Capel. “He proved that you can make delicious cuisine and avoid wasting food. The success of Refettorio Ambrosiano is proven by the fact that his initiative continues to work in Milan with dozens of volunteers and is set to spread around the world.”