Who doesn't want to escape to SoCal and dine like an A-lister? Below, we had one writer experience the elegance, refinement, and innovation of chef Massimo Bottura's Gucci Osteria (a MICHELIN Guide One Star), and chat with their buzzy chef de cuisine Mattia Agazzi, but click here for our Inspectors take.
You get this thrill when you’re in Beverly Hills—especially on Rodeo Drive. It’s part fascination, given you’re surrounded by some of the most luxurious trappings in the world; fashion-wise, real estate-wise, car-wise, cuisine-wise, and more. It’s part excitement—who or what will you see when rounding a corner? And it’s part transportive. For most of us, Beverly Hills is but a brief escape into fantasy. This is where Gucci Osteria comes into play.
Located on top of Gucci’s Rodeo Drive flagship, Gucci Osteria is accessed via the street itself. You enter through a discreet elevator, and soon find yourself in an environment that feels faraway yet intimate in tandem. It’s full of Gucci’s aesthetic splashiness (though this might be changing, with new creative directorship), yet it’s upscale-sleek, too. And it feels like nothing and nowhere you’ve been before—a hideaway perched upon a pantheon of finery, replete with indoor-outdoor charm and lots to look at. You feel all of this before even scanning the tasting menus: it’s a spell-binding experience from the get-go.
Gucci Osteria has been open since 2020. In that time, it has earned a MICHELIN star, and while the famed chef Massimo Bottura spearheaded the project, the young star Mattia Agazzi runs the kitchen. Agazzi is handsome, with a sparkle in his eyes, and seemingly quite sociable. He mingles with guests, saying hello. (I overheard him affably discussing his hometown, Bergamo, in Italy, with the table next to me.) Here, the MICHELIN Guide checks in with Agazzi on Gucci Osteria in 2023 and beyond.
We’re a few years in since opening. Tell me how Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills continues to stay fresh and relevant.
The entirety of Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills is dependent on seasonality, and even some of our more permanent menu items change ever so slightly based on what’s available at the farmer’s market. This is very much the spirit of California—creating playful cuisine that maximizes flavor and freshness—which I’ve had fun combining with the more traditional techniques acquired in my Italian upbringing. Additionally, we stand apart in that our menus are deeply inspired by our own personal experiences, both inside and outside of the kitchen. You’ll notice from the names of our dishes that this is our way of storytelling, through food. Coming from the hills in Northern Italy, I created the dish called “I Love Rock Climbing,” for example. It was developed from the memory of foraging and rock climbing in the Dolomites, where I spent time as a kid.
How much of what you do is influenced by Gucci's artistic direction?
While we like to say that Gucci Osteria is an entity in and of itself, we’re all very inspired by the collaborative, creative environment that Gucci has made. More specifically, all of the restaurant’s dishes are served atop Gucci’s Richard Ginori Porcelain, which helps to elevate the experience of the dish itself. Our Pastry Chef, Tamara Rigo, has a signature dessert called “Oops, I Broke The Meringue,” which was designed to be camouflaged into the plate on which it is served.
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How often do you change or update items on your tasting menus?
At the moment, there are a select few dishes on the menu that rotate every three months, roughly, depending on what’s available at the farmer’s market. We have strong relationships with many local vendors and farmers, and aim to sustain them throughout the year by working with whatever ingredients they have available.
What's been the most fun thing you've done while working at Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills?
Our success is dependent on how we all work together as a team. Our brigade is made up of about six to seven people, including a Russian, a Korean, a Californian, a guy from San Salvador, an Argentine, as well as Tamara, our South Tyrolean pastry chef, and Vanessa, my Canadian sous chef. So, together, we create a powerful force of inspiration from all over the world. We make regular efforts to get to know each other outside of the kitchen. One of my fondest memories since opening the Osteria has been traveling to forage for local vegetables with the entire team in Ojai, where we were able to really bond and work together as a family, more so than colleagues.
What's something brand new and exciting you're trying throughout the rest of 2023?
Now that we’ve established a routine at the restaurant, we’ve been exploring how to replicate that model in a variety of new contexts. In the upcoming year, we’ll be traveling to Dubai, Aspen, Palm Springs, Ojai, and more, to create unique off-site experiences that familiarize brand new audiences with our cuisine. We’ve also been experimenting with kitchen collaborations, recently welcoming world-renowned chefs like Kwame Onwuachi, which we hope to continue throughout the year.
Hero image: Emma Swanson/ Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura
