Karime López has made history. With Gucci Osteria receiving one Michelin star – awarded to restaurants that have “high quality cooking” and are “worth a stop” – the executive chef has become the first Mexican woman to receive the honor and the only woman to earn a place on the 2020 Michelin Guide Italy.
On Instagram, she shared images of her team and Gucci Osteria owner Massimo Bottura and described what the accomplishment meant to her. “There are so many emotions these days,” she wrote. “This award is a tribute to the @gucciosteria team and to all the people who are involved and supported us. We all share the same passion and commitment to what we want to achieve. Huge thanks to @massimobottura @laratgilmore and #MarcoBizarri for believing and trusting us. Now we will continue to work even harder than before.”
Before Gucci Osteria, López worked at other lauded restaurants, including Noma in Copenhagen, Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo, Can Fabes in Spain and Central in Peru. After writing and testing recipes for Bread Is Gold, Bottura’s book, the Italian chef was so impressed by her that he offered her a job at the restaurant she now helms, according to Michelin Guide.
And while she’s cooking Italian food at an Italian restaurant, she represents her culture as well.
“One of the biggest ways is through having tostadas on the menu at Gucci Osteria,” she told Michelin Guide. “Italians also use a lot of corn in their cuisine. It is interesting how different cultures develop different products from the same ingredients. Take corn as an example. Corn tostada is big in Mexico, polenta is common in Italy, while talo is popular in the Basque Country.”