Tortillant or how pasta can help people with autism

Massimo Botturathe chef is at the helm of Osteria Francescana, the best restaurant in the world on two occasions (2016 and 2018 in the Top 50 Restaurants) and many other projects, He asserts that chefs have the power to change the world. He knows that his responsibility extends beyond the walls of his kitchens, to be a champion of change for the planet and future generations.

“Be different, be original“, carrying the cry of this positive change. And he doesn’t just say it with words, but with his actions, he shows it every day. He’s done this for five years, and in that time, with his wife, Lara Gilmore, he’s opened your doors. Tourtillant Foundation, a space that provides a better life for young people with autism. This is his story.

“Libra tutti pastaPasta liberates everyone

Italy is to pasta, what France is to croissants. Although it may seem that pasta, the symbol of boot country cuisine, is the same everywhere, it is also governed by its different recipes and areas of preparation.

the com. maloreddus It is typical of Calabria, and Penny To Amatriciana, from Rome, Risotto With Piedmont truffles the Tortellinifrom Emilia-Romagna. Bottura is an icon. This thin and fresh pasta is filled with cheese mixture Parmigiano Reggiano -Also typical of the region-, pork, Prosciutto Parma, mortadella and a little nutmeg. It is usually eaten “in brodo” With poultry broth, it is typical for celebrations. It is accompanied by a smooth Parmigiano Reggiano cream that is aged for 24 months.

It is precisely around this that one of the most beautiful projects in Italian gastronomy, Tortellante, arose. A therapeutic and training laboratory, where young people with different degrees of autism learn how to create the legendary Tortellini Found in many of this chef’s spaces.

This project is unified Erica Copelli, Lara Gilmore and Massimo Bottura As an ambassador. To Erica and my husband Bottura, Three parents of children with autismThey were concerned about the social void that existed in the lives of these young people after their school years. How will they learn and achieve their independence? How will they enter society and overcome the challenges of adult life?

Within the Aut Aut Foundation in Modena, responsible for promoting educational and social projects for families with children with autism, they launched this idea. Was cooking perhaps the perfect way for them to gain this independence? It was successfulalso.

There was something missing to conclude the project, help from NonasThe grandmothers who, generation after generation, were preparing for these Tortellini And who work daily with children as teachers. The “quiet revolution,” as its creators refer to the tourtillant, has begun.

A job that goes beyond the kitchen itself

Today there are 27 children working there every daySome of them have medium and low abilities, and half of them are non-verbal. Some came from unmotivated positions, and here they can develop and gain responsibility. With a team of psychologists and com. rezdoreThis is how these grandmothers are known in Modena, who closed the circle of inclusion with their inclusion, thanking this project for I feel useful again.

Although every home and every family has its own recipe, here it is prepared daily among a few 15 and 20 kilos Tortellini Following the Bottura recipe that guarantees the highest quality and exceptional raw materials. They are made here and sent to the restaurants Osteria Francescana, Franceschetta, Casa Maria Luigia and Cavallino in Modena. But they have become a presence at the Masterchef restaurant in Madrid and even in Hong Kong.

Tourtillant is The quality of production, but also the methodIt is a form of manual labor, which is widely supported by the scientific community from various fields, accompanies them in their development, motivates them and gives them more skill.

If Tortellante’s ground floor is the production laboratory, the upstairs is where the project goes further. There is the apartment, where the children take turns every weekend and stay to learn to live on their own and thus help them leave the family unit later. There they work on their independence and personal hygiene, learning to cook, iron, and even handle shopping and money.

Starting September 26, you can also try it there

One can enjoy this symbolic dish with this important social element in Bottura restaurants in Modena, however Starting September 26, a Bottega del Tortellante store will open next to the laboratory.

This convenience store will also serve as an important stop to support this very worthy cause In addition to purchasing, you can taste it right there at your table. Sectarianism, this is delicious Tortellinias well as breads and pastries from Osteria Francescana, salads and products from Emilia-Romagna and other delicacies prepared by these men who, just a few years ago, had a brighter future.