Forget Fashion Awards — Gucci Is Now Earning Michelin Stars

The Michelin Guide California just debuted and with it, Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills da Massimo Bottura and its talented young head chef, Mattia Agazzi, earned the restaurant's first Michelin star for its blend of contemporary Italian and Californian cuisine. 

Of course, Michelin stars were to be expected when the global Gucci Osteria concept was developed by one of today's most important chefs: Massimo Bottura, of the three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. Bottura and Gucci's CEO, Marco Bizzarri, are childhood friends. Together, they combined the best of fashion and food in the first Gucci Osteria, in Florence.

It was at the Florence restaurant that Agazzi earned the respect of Bottura, who then appointed him as head chef in Beverly Hills. That trust was just rewarded with a Michelin star. The LA restaurant is in its second year, and the Michelin star is made all the more impressive by the fact that the restaurant opened in February 2020, right before the pandemic devastated the restaurant industry.

But, the combination of fantastic food and fabulous decor made the right impression on the Michelin Guide inspectors. In their review, they said, "This is cooking that is at once whimsical and grounded." The menu combines the theatrical elements of Bottura's cuisine, as well as the cheekily named dishes, with farm-fresh California produce. Agazzi takes a hyper-local approach to sourcing, exclusively using produce from local farmer's markets. The dishes also celebrate the bounty of California's coastline, with an Italian twist, of course. The Uni Carbonara features fresh uni from Santa Barbara, and the SoCal Spaghetto Splash Works has local crab and is topped with Imperial Ossetra Caviar. There are plenty of inventive pizzas and pasta dishes, as well as fresh salads and a burger made from beef ribeye and topped with salsa verde and balsamic mayonnaise. 

"We're lucky to have some of the best ingredients in the world on our doorstep, and we love exploring Los Angeles and the great state of California," said Agazzi in a statement released to Travel + Leisure. "The fact that we can use Californian ingredients to present a contemporary Italian cuisine inspires us."

Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills is located on the rooftop of the fashion house's boutique on Rodeo Drive. It has a stunning design featuring Gucci decor and homeware as well as antiques, opulent Italian stone, and custom-made furnishings. It is open for lunch and dinner.