The finest Italian food and fashion come together to at Gucci Osteria. The 30-seater restaurant in Florence is the brainchild of Mr Massimo Bottura, the pioneering chef behind Modena’s three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana, and Gucci CEO Mr Marco Bizzarri – the pair forged a long-standing friendship after growing up together in Modena. Part of Gucci Garden, an experimental retail concept, which also boasts a cinema and revolving exhibition space dedicated to Gucci’s heritage, Osteria Gucci is housed in a 14th-century Palazzo della Mercanzia, and promises Instagram-worthy, Mr Wes Anderson-style interiors, and exquisite Italian dishes which put Tuscan produce to delicious use.

Less than two years after opening, the restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star as part of the 2020 guide. It’s thanks in no small part to Ms Karime López. The Mexican-born executive chef has a seriously esteemed pedigree, having worked at acclaimed restaurants from Pujol in Mexico City to Mugaritz in Spain and Noma in Copenhagen. At Osteria Gucci, her dishes are playful creations that bring together influences from her culinary heritage along with the finest Italian produce – think purple corn tostadas, moreish taka buns filled with pork belly and coriander and a burger inspired by the surrounding Emilia-Romagna region. We caught up with Ms López to find out more about how it feels to work in one of the world’s most unique restaurants.

Winning a Michelin star feels incredible. It’s a true testimony to the hard work of the team at Gucci Osteria, as well as Gucci’s CEO Marco Bizzarri and Massimo Bottura’s passion for food and art. They’ve created the most extraordinary place that fuses food and fashion. This combined with Alessandro Michele’s vision to create such a beautiful space – what we do is a labour of love and makes the project what it is today.

My style of cooking is a reflection of my journey, which began in Mexico. Hence the purple corn tostada on the Gucci Osteria menu. I love incorporating fresh, light flavours into my food, and we apply different techniques to the best Italian products. Every dish on the menu has a story. I take inspiration from all the travelling I’ve been lucky enough to experience, as well as the international restaurants I’ve worked in, without forgetting my Mexican origins.

Tuscany has plenty of local, fresh produce. As we try to reduce food waste as much as we can and give back to the local community, we always try to use local ingredients at Gucci Osteria. We have a supplier and forager called Franco, who brings us fresh herbs and flowers from the surrounding Tuscan countryside each week. I love citrus and fresh herbs. In Italy, we have so many amazing products, it’s hard to narrow down my favourite to just a few.

My experience at restaurants around the world has heavily shaped the way I work. It’s influenced how I think about a dish before I create it. I’ve been lucky to work for some of the best chefs and restaurants in the world – Noma, Pujol, Central – but I’d say [Catalan chef] Santi Santamaria has been one of my most beloved mentors. I’ve learned a lot from him – and, of course, from Massimo Bottura.

Art and music have a huge influence on what I do. I went to Paris to study plastic arts before falling in love with cooking. When I admired those incredible patisserie windows, I realised that art and food have so much in common – a dish can be a piece of art.