World’s best chef feeding Rio’s homeless with Olympic leftovers

Massimo Bottura, head chef of the world’s best restaurant, has been feeding the homeless of Rio de Janeiro with food left over from the Olympic athletes’ village.

Bottura, from Modena in northern Italy, has been cooking 108 free dinners a night from leftover raw ingredients from the athlete’s village.

Feeding for the 18,000 participating athletes and their coaches requires 250 tonnes of ingredients per meal and Bottura was keen to make the most of them.

“I thought, this is an opportunity to do something that can make a difference. This is not just a charity; it’s not just about feeding people, this is about social inclusion, teaching people about food waste and giving hope to people who have lost all hope,” Bottura told The New York Times.

The acclaimed chef works with a team of volunteers – top chefs Alain Ducasse, Virgilio Martínez Véliz and Joan Roca have all worked shifts at the charitable pop-up. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has also offered his support.

Bottura’s three Michelin star Modena restaurant Osteria Francescana was voted the best in the world earlier this year at the World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards.

Among his most famous plates is his Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano, an ethereal composition of Parmesan sauce, mousse, foam, crisp and air aged between 18 and 50 months and served at varying temperatures.