The second edition of Culinary Carousel took place on the 12th of October at Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Florence with the highly acclaimed guest chef Virgilio Martinez. The Peruvian chef and restaurateur joined Co-Executive Chefs Karime López and Takahiko Kondo as they prepared a surprise menu that transformed the evening into a series of revelations, elevations, cultural convergence and precious reunions.

Peru in Italy, and vice versa – each dish revealed a conversation between the two faraway places, linking different elements and habitats via the creativity and profound research of the chefs. Key to the menu development was Virgilio’s philosophy of ‘exploring everything that is “outside”‘, one that he has maintained since the beginning of his career and continues through his flagship restaurant Central in Lima and research organization Mater Iniciativa, among others.

The evening was more than a meeting of cultures on the plate, but also a reunion of old friends – before joining the Gucci family, Karime spent several years working alongside Virgilio in Lima, first at Central, then leading the research team at Mater Iniciativa. The chefs, connected by their shared experiences, were able to transmit their diverse ideas, backgrounds, skills and interpretations to the table, creating a unique laboratory of tastes for the guests.

The team presented eight dishes: each dish referred to the ecosystem and altitude of Peruvian ingredients while highlighting selected local ingredients. Foods such as rare chunco cacao from Peru, Amazonian nuts, corn from the Sacred Valley and pisco, mingled with Italian culinary stars such as chestnuts, coppa, pecorino, lentils, and more, showcasing the level of creativity, skill, and knowledge of the three chefs.

The entire menu thus took diners on a journey through different environments from the deep seas 15 meters below sea level (BSL) to the highest mountain plains of Peru at 4,200 meters above sea level (AMSL). The evening concluded with Taka’s spaghetti, “a dish of love” that reassembled the memories of Taka and Karime’s long distance relationship across Modena and Lima, and their brief meetings in Lima (where Karime was based, working with Virgilio).

The evening was a continuation of the recently launched series, Culinary Carousel, that offers playful dining experiences. Surprise menus capture the beauty of diverse food cultures and highlight the creativity of some of the globe’s most celebrated chefs. The series underlines the spirit of the Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura restaurants that embrace the concept of creative experimentation and multicultural influences in food while being faithful to the culinary legacy of its location, Florence, and the food philosophy of Chef Massimo Bottura.

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