For the eight edition of ‘The World comes to Geneva’ La Bottega invites Yoji Tokuyoshi, chef owner of Japanese/Italian Tokuyoshi in Milan.
Tuesday and Wednesday, October 29 and 30th.
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LA BOTTEGA DOES IT AGAIN
Geneva resides only 200,000 souls and yet many millions visits the picturesque lake-town every year. NGOs, politicians, billionaires, hoteliers and socialites – guests from all over world make a stop in the French capital of Switzerland. The world comes to Geneva, and for the past couple of years also to La Bottega.
First the Peruvian superstar chef Diego Muñoz travelled to Geneva to cook, followed by culinary enigma Atsushi Tanaka of A.T in Paris. Then kiwi-bad boy Matt Lambert of The Musket Room in New York City. Also Russian storyteller Igor Grishechkin of CoCoCo in Saint Petersburg, and then haute cuisine chef Ulrik Jepsen of À L’aise in Oslo.
Recently Italian TV-star Giuliano Baldessari, chef owner of grand restaurant Aqua Crua located in the intimate of town Barbarano Vicentino VI, west of Venice, and latest Eric Vildgaard of comet rising 1*Michelin Jordnær just north of Copenhagen, that took all by surprise – Denmark included.
Y O J I T O K U Y O S H I
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Yoji Tokuyoshi was born in Tottori, Japan. At the age of 18 he moved to Tokyo attended a cooking school which resulted in internships and jobs in numerous Italian restaurants. His passion for the Italian cuisine took him on a journey to Italy where he stood side by with Massimo Bottura as sous-chef for 9 years at Osteria Francescana.
In 2015 he opened his own restaurant in Milan: the Italian city with the largest number of international residents as the business, fashion and innovation capital of the country. His hard work, talent and creativity lead him to receive his first Michelin star after just 10 months of opening.
‘Contaminated’ Italian Cuisine is the identity of Tokuyoshi’s restaurant and is based on the encounter between Italian and the Japanese culture complimenting and inspiring each other rather than one overshadowing the other, and thereby giving life to a strong and creative identity.
Gyotaku reflects the meeting between these two cultures: ingredients and flavours of the Italian tradition expressed through Japanese techniques and aesthetics. Tokuyoshi portrays the ancient art of Japanese fishermen who, in special occasions, dyed the fish with ink and printed its shape on a piece of paper, creating works of art.
“Mention creative cuisine in Milan and Yoji Tokuyoshi immediately comes to mind. With typical Japanese humility and precision, this chef has been serving imaginative cuisine in his eponymous restaurant for the past couple of years. His original dishes full of decisive flavours take diners on a culinary voyage around his native Japan and adopted home of Italy, the country that has nurtured his professional development.” – Guide Michelin.
F R A N C E S C O I B B A
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Founder and owner of the premises, Chef Francesco Gasbarro has entrusted a talented young chef: Francesco Ibba. Chef Ibba has been working for two years the other premise of the “Bottega planet”: L’Osteria della Bottega, which is located in the heart of of Geneva’s old town.
Ibba grew up in Sardinia. This beautiful land located between sea and mountains offer a wide variety of products. The delicious fish of the Mediterranean sea, the culinary treasures of the mountains and the fresh products of the numerous farms represented the daily life of the future chef.
His cuisine celebrates traditional Italian recipes while revisiting them in his own way. There is originality in the display, exquisite in the deep flavours and happiness in discovering the dishes. To him happiness and generosity are fundamental ingredients in cooking. Returning to the roots and avoiding the unnecessary, he tells the story of a product, a season and local producers that fuel his battle against the standardisation of taste.
Francesco Gasbarro & Francesco Ibba
The first characteristic of the flagship restaurant, also in old town Geneva, is its location. 1*Michelin La Bottega overlooks the magnificent Place Deneuve which also hosts the Grand Théâtre de Genève, newly renovated, and the bucolic Parc des Bastions. La Bottega is at the end of the elegant Rue de la Corraterie where Geneva top shops and galleries can be found.
Enjoying a Gault Millau ranking of 16/20, La Bottega is also awarded by a Michelin star in the prestigious red guide. Enter the restaurant and discover the beautiful interior decoration of the Italian architects Sestini and Forti.
They emphasized simplicity and authenticity. Various noble fabrics are to be discovered, such as raw glazed wooden tables, black leather seats on the elegant chairs, light fabrics used for the curtains.
La Bottega was awarded with a Michelin star just 7 months after opening. Michelin states: “La Bottega uses top quality ingredients and makes dishes with distinct flavours, carefully prepared to a consistently high standard.”
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DETAILS IN SHORT
Who: Yoji Tokuyoshi of Tokuyoshi and Francesco Ibba of La Bottega.
When: Tuesday-Wednesday, October 29-30th
Where: Rue de la Corraterie 21, 1204 Genève, Switzerland
Menu: 8-course tasting menu plus snacks for CHF 180.
Reservations: +41 22 736 10 00 or at www.labottegatrattoria.com
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Bon Vivant Communications is a culinary embassy representing star chefs and restaurants, chateaux and high-end wineries as well as working close together with various luxury hotels, gourmets festivals and bespoke concierges services.
The diplomacy speaks to a strong network of 600 journalists, bloggers and writers, as well as 5000+ global diners around the world.
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