illycaffè to partner with Phaidon on the global book tour for Slow Food, Fast Cars: Casa Maria Luigia – Stories and Recipes by Chef Ambassador Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore

Trieste, 19th October 2023 – illycaffè, leading company in sustainable high-quality coffee, is pleased to announce a partnership with Phaidon on the global tour introducing Slow Food, Fast Cars: Casa Maria Luigia – Stories and Recipes, the new book by illy Chef Ambassador Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore.

Following the bestselling Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef (2014) and Bread is Gold (2017), Phaidon is pleased to publish a new book from globally celebrated chef Massimo Bottura, written in collaboration with his wife and partner Lara Gilmore: Slow Food, Fast Cars: Casa Maria Luigia – Stories and Recipes.

Casa Maria Luigia is an idyllic 18th century guest house nestled in the picturesque countryside of the Emilia-Romagna region, birthplace of Parmigiano Reggiano, Ferrari, and Maserati, and just a short drive from Bottura’s famed restaurant, Osteria Francescana, in Modena. Opened by Bottura and Gilmore in 2019, the historic property was transformed into a contemporary, immersive experience boasting not only exquisite food, but also cutting-edge art and design objects, superb interiors, and an impressive collection of cars and motorcycles. In Slow Food, Fast Cars, Bottura and Gilmore invite readers to experience the honest food, unique design, and exceptional hospitality of “Casa ML.”

Featuring contributions from Head Chef Jessica Rosval, the book presents a collection of 85 recipes from the guest house’s Emilian kitchen. For the first time, readers will discover the accessible, home-cooking recipes of the Emilia-Romagna region from its most famous resident chefs. Frittatas and focaccia, cakes and pastries, jams and preserves, drinks and liqueurs, as well as a selection of fish, meat, and vegetable dishes are presented alongside information about their origins and regional ingredients.

“Casa Maria Luigia is a home and a hotel,” Gilmore explains. “A place to inhabit, stay a while, and not just pass through. It is a place for reflection, for books, for music and art, for gardens and good food. A place to rest without feeling like a stranger; a place to come and go as you please. It is our own version of Hotel California... It is imaginary and real, a place to be filled with our stories and recipes, and those still to be written.”

The book celebrates and shares key recipes from the food moments that take place at Casa ML, such as the Tòla Dòlza Tola Dolza (“Take it Easy”) Sunday lunch menu, which is cooked over the outdoor wood-fired ovens and includes dishes of smoked beef short rib and roasted ricotta. The legendary Casa ML breakfast is modelled after Bottura’s Christmas day morning, with a menu featuring hearty Emilian flavours and abundant freshly baked pastries and breads such as focaccia, gnocco fritto, and erbazzone. There are also roasted fruits and vegetables, as well as savoury and sweet combinations such as the dish “From Modena to Mirandola,” which pairs cotechino with sbrisolona and a decadent dollop of zabaglione.

Bottura, Gilmore, and Rosval share stories of life at Casa ML, from the lush Mediterranean gardens to the music room with its 7,000 vinyl records or the barn that houses Bottura’s collection of fast cars. Illuminating texts consider a myriad of subjects, from why Enzo Ferrari preferred his personal cars to be gray rather than red to the importance of appreciating the slow passing of time for aged ingredients such as Balsamic vinegar.

Slow Food, Fast Cars welcomes the reader into Bottura and Gilmore’s enchanting new paradise, sharing the joyous dishes served there, that can now be recreated at home. Through enlightening texts, simple recipes, and evocative images, this book captures the extraordinary experience of Casa Maria Luigia.

Bottura and Gilmore will travel to 5 cities and headline 15 public and private events introducing the book between October 2023 and March 2024. Reservations for the tour’s U.S. dinner events are available exclusively to Resy’s Global Dining Access members.

LONDON
10/28 - Victoria and Albert Museum, talk & book signing
10/29 & 10/30 - Lunch & Dinner at NoMad London, exclusive to Resy Global Dining Access members
10/30 - Live podcast taping at Food for Soul’s Refettorio Felix

MIAMI, FL
12/7 - Books & Books, talk & book signing
12/8 - Dinner at Mayfair Grill, exclusive to Resy Global Dining Access members

NEW YORK, NY
12/10 - McNally Jackson, book signing
12/10 - Dinner at The GRILL, exclusive to Resy Global Dining Access members
12/11 - Live podcast taping at Food for Soul’s Refettorio Harlem
12/11 - 92Y, talk & book signing

CHICAGO, IL
12/12 - University Club Chicago, talk & book signing
12/13 - Dinner at Moody Tongue, exclusive to Resy Global Dining Access members

LOS ANGELES, CA – 2024
3/5 - Now Serving, talk & book signing
3/6 & 3/7 - Dinner at Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills, exclusive to Resy Global Dining Access members


ABOUT THE AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTOR
Massimo Bottura is the chef patron of Osteria Francescana, a globally celebrated three Michelin star restaurant based in Modena, Italy, where he grew up. The restaurant is now in the ‘Best of the Best’ group on the World’s 50 Best List. Lara Gilmore is a fine arts major, restaurateur, author, and hotelier. She met Massimo, her husband, while working in New York. Together they opened Osteria Francescana in 1995 and Casa Maria Luigia in 2019. Jessica Rosval is a Canadian chef working in the restaurant industry since 2001. She is currently the Head Chef at Casa Maria Luigia.