chef Massimo Bottura Archives -

The Culinary Titans: Top 17 World-Renowned Chefs Who Rule the Planet’s Kitchens

July 28, 2023 by Editorial Team

Rhetorical Question: Who is the best chef in the world? In the world of gastronomy, some chefs have risen above the rest, captivating taste buds and earning accolades worldwide. These culinary maestros have mastered the art of transforming ingredients into breathtaking culinary creations, leaving an indelible mark on the food industry. Let’s take a delicious … Read more

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is back and it is taking over the city of Antwerp

September 30, 2021 by Editorial Team

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is back and, between 3rd and 5th October, it is taking over the city of Antwerp in Flanders with a series of culinary escapades. Throughout the three days of events, make sure you follow the #Worlds50Best hashtag and keep an eye on 50 Best’s Instagram Stories for LIVE behind-the-scenes access, exclusive interviews and more.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021 Awards

On Tuesday 5th October, join The World’s 50 Best Restaurants as it will reveal The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. Chef Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana – No.1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 and 2018 – will greet guests and give you behind-the-scenes access to the red carpet in Antwerp. Next, the gala awards will include a countdown from No.50 to No.1, the announcement of several special awards and appearances from some of the best-known chefs and restaurateurs on the planet. The show will culminate in the reveal of The World’s Best Restaurant 2021. Immediately after it has been announced, head to Instagram and YouTube for an exclusive interview with the restaurant revealed as No.1.

More Asian Restaurants Than Ever Before: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Announces The 51-100 List For 2021

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants revealed its list of restaurants ranked from 51st to 100th ahead of the annual awards ceremony, taking place on Tuesday 5th October 2021 in Antwerp, Flanders. The annual list is created by a voting panel comprising over 1,000 independent authorities in the world of gastronomy, from renowned international chefs and food journalists to travelling gastronomes. This announcement has been much anticipated since the last list was revealed in 2019.

The 51-100 List in Numbers

The 51-100 list includes 13 new entries from 9 countries, offering a global spectrum from Belgium to Thailand;
The 51-100 list includes restaurants in 22 countries across six continents;
With two new entries in Tokyo – Sazenka and L’Effervescence – Japan has five restaurants in the 51-100, the highest number from any country;
UK, France and Spain follow with four restaurants apiece 21 entries are from Europe, 13 from Asia and nine from South America;
Two new entries for 2021, Kjolle and Mil in Peru, are restaurants co-owned by The World’s Best Female Chef Award winner Pía Léon;
The highest new entry in the 51-100 list is Alchemist in Copenhagen, Denmark at No.58;
St. Hubertus in San Cassiano, Italy has risen the greatest number of places, improving by 62 positions since 2019, when the list was extended to 120 restaurants.

The list includes two entries from South Africa: Cape Town’s Fyn and La Colombe.

As well as comprising many restaurants in well-known gastronomic locations, this year’s list also celebrates those across many parts of the globe. Belgian seaside town Koksijde is represented by Willem Hiele at No.77 and La Grenouillère in La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil in northern France re-enters at No.91. Cape Town’s gastronomic star is also on the rise, with La Colombe rising 33 places to No.81, while Fyn is a new entry at No.92.

This year’s extended list includes more Asian establishments than ever before, with five countries represented in the list. Restaurants include Nihonryori RyuGin (Tokyo, No.51), Il Ristorante Luca Fantin (Tokyo, No.73) and Sazenka (Tokyo, No.75), La Cime (Osaka, No.76) and L’Effervescence (Tokyo, No.99) in Japan; Mingles (No. 62) in Seoul, South Korea; Sorn (No. 63), Le Du (No. 72) and Gaa (No.93) in Bangkok, Thailand; Vea (No.71), Belon (No.88) and Amber (No. 100) in Hong Kong and Indian Accent (No. 82) in New Delhi, India. Two restaurants from Japan – Luca Fantin and L’Effervescence – and two new restaurants from Thailand – Sorn and Le Du – are new entries for 2021.

New Entries

As well as those from Asia, an additional six countries can boast new entries to this list this year: Denmark (Alchemist, Copenhagen, No.58); Belgium (Willem Hiele, Koksijde, No.77); two for the UK (Brat, No.78, and American Express One To Watch Award winner Ikoyi, No.87, both in London); Colombia (El Chato, Bogotá, No.80); France (Le Clarence, Paris, No.84); two also for Peru (Mil, Cusco, No.90 and Kjolle, Lima, No.95, both from Best Female Chef winner Pía Léon) and one for South Africa (Fyn, Cape Town, No.92). You can view the full list from 51-100 here.

William Drew, Director of Content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, comments: “With restaurants in 22 countries across six continents, the 51-100 list this year recognises a broader range of destinations than ever. We’re thrilled to see 13 new entries join the list for the first time, as the gastronomic world continues to overcome the huge challenges wrought by the pandemic. We look forward to sharing the celebration at the awards ceremony in Antwerp, Flanders on 5th October.”

The World’s Best Female Chef

Presented the accolade of The World’s Best Female Chef Award, sponsored by Nude Glass, Pía Léon has two restaurants feature on the 51-100 list for the first time. Kjolle enters at No.95, after receiving the Highest New Entry Award in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019. Mil, the Cusco restaurant and research centre Léon runs with husband Virgilio Martínez, debuts at No.90.

The Voting Process

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021 list is voted for by more than 1,000 international restaurant industry experts and well-travelled gourmets who make up The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy. The gender-balanced Academy comprises 26 separate regions around the world, each of which has 40 members including a chairperson. No sponsor from the event has any influence over the voting process.

Professional services consultancy Deloitte independently adjudicates the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, including the ranking from 51-100. This adjudication ensures that the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting lists are protected.

Pia León’s dish Pumpkin and Crustaceans; photo @theworlds50best.com/awards/best-female-chef

Results

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021 will be announced live at a ceremony being held in Antwerp, Flanders on Tuesday 5th October, which will also be streamed live on the 50 Best Facebook and YouTube channels. Ahead of the ceremony, renowned chef Massimo Bottura of former No.1 restaurant Osteria Francescana and part of the exclusive ‘Best of The Best’ group, will host a live stream from the red carpet, where stars of the culinary world will gather in person once again.

The iconic aluminum suitcase turns 80. Why the well-known owners never leave without it

October 12, 2017 by Editorial Team

29 famous individuals share their stories through their aluminium suitcases.

RIMOWA celebrates 80th anniversary of aluminum suitcase

Chance and circumstance combined to give birth to the Rimowa aluminum suitcase in the 1930s. After a fire at the Rimowa factory, the only surviving material was a piece of metal, sparking the idea of designing a piece of luggage made of lightweight, robust aluminum inspired by aviation design of that era. Since then, the brand has ceaslessly innovated to optimize a now iconic range that fetes its 80th anniversary in 2017. Rimowa, stylized as RIMOWA, is a German manufacturer of luggage made of aluminium as well as polycarbonate. The name is derived from Richard Morszeck Warenzeichen.

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of its aluminum suitcase Rimowa has invited friends of the Maison to present their own personal aluminum luggage and share stories of their travels. Among them are designer Karl Lagerfeld, director David Fincher, journalist Carine Roitfeld, three-star chef Massimo Bottura and Virgil Abloh, creator of the Off-White brand.

The anniversary announcement also includes a film shot by Dan Tobin Smith that follows the production of a suitcase in the workshop at the company’s headquarters in Cologne, Germany.

“At RIMOWA, we spend a lot of time thinking about aluminium. How it’s made. How it’s used. Even how it feels,” says Rimowa, the first German Maison of the LVMH luxury Group.

“In Cologne, we say it has persönlichkeit, or personality. Because it changes. It evolves. It lives. For the past 80 years, our aluminium suitcases have defined everything we have done, and everything we continue to do. They are a work in progress – one that is made by our hands, but defined by yours.” adds the LVMH-owned brand.

29 individuals shared their stories through their suitcases. Here are some of the stories.

Chef Massimo Bottura

As founder of three-Michelin-star restaurant Osteria Francescana, Massimo Bottura is considered one of the world’s greatest chefs. Over the years he has criss-crossed the globe with his Classic Flight, which has transported not only his beloved hometown ingredients Parmigiano Reggiano and balsamic vinegar but has enabled him to bring home ingredients and stickers to remind him of the locations he has visited.

David Fincher – “Travel connects me with a world beyond a screen. You have to work not to become short-sighted.”

David Fincher has been making movies since the age of eight. Almost five decades later, he has made music videos for Madonna, created commercials for Fortune 500 companies and directed several Hollywood blockbusters. His filmmaking, he says, has always placed importance on what happens outside the camera’s frame, which is exactly how he feels about travel – you need to see the bigger picture.

Michael Moore – “If it could talk, it sure would have stories to tell.”

Former Red Cross pilot Michael Moore and his aluminium Topas have delivered food and supplies to Angola, Mozambique, and Myanmar, spent nine days in complete darkness travelling across Siberia, and even survived a plane crash. His suitcase may be empty now, having served Michael well since 1987, but it still holds many of his memories.

Fan Bingbing – “Each place I visit a part of my Education.”

As an award-winning actress, Fan Bingbing has travelled to small, secluded towns and large, international cities throughout her native China and abroad. Meeting people from each of these locations has been a learning experience, she says, both in her life and in her acting, as she has come to appreciate our differences and, more importantly, our similarities.

Frédéric Malle – “The many styles and looks of the places I’ve visited never leave. They inform every artistic decision I make.”

New York-based perfumer Frédéric Malle, founder of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, admits he’s incredibly inquisitive. When he visits somewhere new, it’s not enough to see the sights; he needs to understand how they came to be and how the various elements of the place work together. It’s what informs his eclectic taste, he says, as well as his appreciation for his hometown of Paris.

Peter F. Pfister – “Travel lets me to see beyond the mountains and lead another way of life for a few days.”

Pictures don’t do a place justice for Tyrol-based hairstylist Peter F. Pfister. His work for designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent, as well as in international hair shows, may be based on creative imagination but the cutting and styling of hair is ultimately physical. Experiencing the world with all five senses, he says, is an absolute must.

Virgil Abloh – “Travelling is synonymous with my life, lifestyle and work.”

Fashion designer Virgil Abloh studied architecture and civil engineering at university before working as a creative director for Kanye West, customising shoes for Nike and founding of his own clothing label, Off- White. Virgil travels relentlessly, taking more than 350 flights a year to visit suppliers, lecture at universities and – on rare occasions – take a vacation.

A tasty collaboration: Massimo Bottura x Maserati

May 18, 2015 by Editorial Team

The premier Modenese chef and the Trident: the marriage of “slow food” and “fast car”. Italian luxury car manufacturer Maserati and the world-renown chef Massimo Bottura, the premier Modenese chef, teamed up for a long term collaboration. Maserati and Massimo Bottura, acting as an Ambassador at Large, will be sharing the spotlight in a number of … Read more

Massimo Bottura: The mercurial chef who reinvented Italian food

December 25, 2019September 17, 2014 by Editorial Team

A poet in the kitchen and an artist on the plate, the number three chef in the world discusses his Modena restaurant, the perfect tortellini and his love of fast cars