"I followed my passions for over thirty years to find my voice. The time has come to use it to make the invisible visible." The Modenese chef Massimo Bottura, who turned 58 on 30 September, has certainly fought to establish himself in the world of haute cuisine — from a childhood spent "under the table" where his grandmother Ancella rolled out pasta dough, to his decision to take over the Osteria francescana in '95, which ranked as the best restaurant in the world in 2016 and 2018 and has been awarded three Michelin stars.

UN Environment Programme ✓ @UNEP

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We're thrilled to welcome @massimobottura as UNEP Goodwill Ambassador!

Massimo has been recognized as a social entrepreneur for his commitment to the fight against food waste & social isolation.

We look forward to catalyzing action together.
#FLWDay unenvironment.org/news-and-stori…

♥ 292💬 7 29 set 2020 · Apri su X →

Some figures on food waste in the world

Rather like the uncle of comic-book hero Peter Parker, Bottura too is convinced that "with great power comes great responsibility." So much so that the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) has appointed him a goodwill ambassador against food waste, choosing him as the face of efforts to intensify the fight against this problem and to seek solutions at an international level. According to figures released to date, 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted every year worldwide: a third of everything that is produced. This is in spite of the fact that around 690 million people go hungry. Furthermore, the loss of food resources has environmental consequences, generating approximately 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

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What is Food for soul

"I thank the United Nations for this incredible opportunity and I will do everything I can to honour this commitment because, as the artist Joseph Beuys said, the revolution is us," Bottura declared. The chef has long been known for his commitment to combating waste through social inclusion projects. In 2016, together with his wife Lara Gilmore, he founded the non-profit organisation Food for soul with the aim of promoting a fair food system by focusing on the value of the individual. Through the organisation, Bottura opened Refettorio Felix in London, a canteen that offers meals to those most in need by cooking dishes from food scraps.

What being a chef means to Bottura

Other projects bearing the Modenese chef's name include Tortellante, a therapeutic and rehabilitative workshop where young people and adults on the autism spectrum learn to make handmade fresh pasta, and the web series Kitchen quarantine, actually conceived by his daughter Alexa to share their family life unfiltered during lockdown. For Bottura, a cook must represent something "more than the sum of his recipes." It is impossible to deny that he has succeeded.