Formula 1 is an action-packed moneymaker for its host cities. A thumping first-ever F1 Miami Grand Prix pumped a whopping $350 million in the city. Akin to the fast cars on the race track, the splurging racing fans are not slowing down either. Front Office Sports reported that racing fans spent an average of $1,940 per person at the race, almost double what the typical tourist spends. Even that amount is dwarfed when one learns about three-Michelin-star chef Massimo Bottura’s $6,000 pop-up collaborative dinners during Miami F1 Week. It would be accurate to call the experience a gastronome’s haven, a way to soothe the soul after witnessing adrenaline rushes so intense it can only leave you hungry and wanting for more.
What will one find inside Massimo Bottura’s $6000 menu?
Bottura’s Osteria Francescana in Modena ranks among the 50 Best Restaurants worldwide, which sanctions the pop-up dinner at The Deck at Island Gardens on Friday, May 5, a truly one-of-a-kind event. Dubbed Once Upon a Kitchen, created by GR8 Experience, the event will be graced by flavor scientist Alex Ott and his elixirs and an after-party with foot-thumping beats from DJ Benny Benassi. Bottura will work with Michelin-starred chefs Juan Manuel Barrientos and Bernardo Paladini to offer an unforgettable six-course dinner.
“What I’m going to do is bring some of the most classic dishes, the iconic dishes, like the pasta pesto in abstract,” the jovial Bottura said of a playful dish with no actual pasta but only its flavors. “That’s going to be the opening of the dinner.” From signature gnocchi, the crunchy part of the lasagne, and a mesmerizing spinning wheel beef dish inspired by Damien Hirst’s spin paintings, your senses will be in for a real treat! The pre-dessert strawberry risotto will be followed by a final one made by Paladini, the chef at Bottura’s Torno Subito in Dubai.
Called ‘tiramisubito’ it brings an evolved version of the tiramisu in true Torno Subito style. GR8 Experience CEO Barnabas Carrega shared, “Once Upon a Kitchen is getting a lot of international interest. We’ve been asked to bring it to Singapore during Formula 1 and also outside of Formula 1. We’ve been asked to bring it to Las Vegas. We’ve been asked to bring it to Macau. I think you’re going to start seeing it all over the world.”
Massimo Bottura, the modern master of Italian gastronomy-
Born and raised in Modena, Italy, the 60-year-old is the chef patron of Osteria Francescana. His journey started as a wholesaler of petroleum products. In 1993 he moved to New York and worked in an Italian café. To better understand his love for Italian cuisine, he returned to Modena.
After an extended internship with Alain Ducasse at his restaurant “Le Louis XV” in Monte Carlo in 1994, Bottura never looked back; life can change after you taste soulful food. In 1995, he returned to Modena and opened Osteria Francescana to give people a taste of his joy. The restaurant ranked No.1 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list twice and is currently part of the Best of the Best list.
