Massimo Bottura & Alex Atala

Teaches at La Scuola at Eataly Flatiron

Massimo Bottura worked for his family’s oil business before turning his passion for cooking into a career. In 1986, he ventured out on his own and took over an old trattoria. Bottura has apprenticed in the kitchens of some of the most acclaimed chefs around the world, beginning as George Cogny’s apprentice before meeting and eventually working for Alain Ducasse at his restaurant, Louis XV, in Monaco. While working with Alain Ducasse, Bottura learned and mastered the principles of clean flavors, concentration and organization in the kitchen. 

Bottura also worked alongside the great Ferran Adria, who inspired him to embrace his traditional Italian heritage as an influence for his dishes. Massimo Bottura’s drive and impressive culinary background has awarded him three Michelin stars and landed Osteria Francescana as Number 3 on the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2013.

Alex Atala firmly linked to his roots and looking towards the future, Alex Atala is, above all, passionate about Brazil, nature, gastronomy, and life. Driven by challenges and a great sense of indignation, Atala manages, with extreme delicacy and technique, to turn his creative energy into unforgettable experiences for those who have the opportunity to prove his experiments. His aim is to explore all the gastronomic possibilities of domestic ingredients, combining classical basis with current techniques. However, with boldness and vision, Atala surpasses the boundaries of cuisine and acts as a responsible citizen, valuing the small producer, encouraging young professionals, and supporting the third sector. Alex Atala was still a little boy when he had his first contact with the Amazon region, thanks to his family. Already at age 19, in the Hospitality School of Namur, in Belgium, Atala began his career as a professional chef. In France, he worked in restaurants such as the ones owned by Jean Pierre Bruneau and Bernard Loiseau, and was a trainee at the renowned Hotel de la Cote D’Or. He next left for new challenges in kitchens of Montpellier and Milan. 

Back to São Paulo in 1994, he soon drew attention for his performance while in charge of the restaurants Filomena and 72. In 1999, he began his career as chef-owner in the acclaimed Namesa. In the very same year he opened the D.O.M. Restaurant, as well as a new era for Brazilian cuisine, where the ingredients and food culture of his country are protagonists in an avant-garde, sophisticated and always-surprising cuisine.