Force for good

This chef is a rockstar.” This was the thought that entered my mind when I first crossed paths with Jessica Rosval at Francescana at Casa Maria Luigia — the dining room at the three-Michelin-key boutique hotel of chef Massimo Bottura and restaurateur Lara Gilmore, set in the Modenese countryside. Here, an array of signature dishes from the original Osteria Francescana, which has become part of foodie lore, are served up to those who make the pilgrimage. There are “The crispy part of the lasagna”, “The five ages of Parmigiano Reggiano” and, of course, the “Oops, I dropped the lemon tart”.

That day, there was also Rosval, commanding the room, telling stories, presenting dishes, and running the kitchen with impressive ease. And that was just the surface — as you get to know Rosval, you begin to realise what a truly formidable woman she is.  The powerhouse of a chef spent the better part of 10 years with Bottura as her mentor in the Osteria Francescana kitchen.

She then took on the role of culinary director at Casa Maria Luigia, overseeing the hotel’s complete culinary offering (which includes what may just be the best breakfast ever), opened her own restaurant, Al Gatto Verde, on the property, and co-founded a non-profit organisation to help migrant women develop skills and find work — the Association for the Integration of Women (AIW) — and its restaurant, Roots.

The latter has seen Rosval, together with her best friend and AIW co-founder Caroline Caporossi, awarded the title of Champions of Change 2024 at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards in Las Vegas last month. The project first began taking shape when Caporossi met Ella, a Nigerian refugee, who told her her story. She spoke not only of her migration but also of her dream of becoming the first woman in her family to work, and so the friends used their network to find Ella a job.

It became clear to them that migrant women are one of the most disadvantaged groups in the European Union in terms of social and economic inclusion. At the same time, they knew there was a gap in the hospitality market in terms of skilled staff, and so a seed was planted. The two friends seized the opportunity to create the AIW, whose mission is to provide resources for women to establish roots and flourish. It gives migrant women access to a professional training programme that provides them with experience, self-confidence, and a recognised qualification to launch their careers, while allowing them to earn a living doing so. Two years later and Roots was opened.

It’s a social enterprise restaurant that offers migrant women a paid culinary training programme, setting them up for future success in the hospitality industry. The self-sustaining initiative currently upskills 12 women each year, in quarterly cycles, teaching them all there is to know about running a restaurant and kitchen, from cooking to costing and everything in between. And it’s a mighty fine restaurant at that.

Roots is a co-working space during the day and a restaurant by night. The gorgeous dining room — with double-volume beamed ceilings, art-lined walls, and warm, stylish interiors — is housed in the San Paolo convent building in Modena and opens onto an airy courtyard, shaded by a magnificent holm-oak tree.

The menu is a dynamic and inspiring showcase of all the women involved in the project, both mentors and mentees, with each of the protégées encouraged to bring a taste of their homeland to the table. The spring/ summer offering, a celebration of the current intake of aspiring chefs from Ghana, Morocco, and Turkey, draws on rich and flavourful traditional recipes.

Begin with the sharing plate of seven appetisers, which includes the likes of Fatima’s Moroccan maakouda — a Maghreb-style potato fritter served with a vibrant zaalouk sauce of eggplant and tomato — along with Turkish lentil balls with creamy haydari and, drawing inspiration from Ghana, deep-fried okra with a chunky yam pottage. It’s a selection of small dishes that all deliver big yet nuanced flavours.

The main plates include Ilham’s couscous-semolina arancini, a culinary expression of her journey from Casablanca to Sicily. Here she combines the classic Italian snack with the Moroccan staple to create a crispy-on-the-outside, delicately-fluffy-on-the-inside bite, served with a vibrant chermoula. Along with the arancini comes the “Green Goddess Egusi”, a dish by trainee Samira, which sees a twist on a Ghanaian soup made with melon seeds topped with fresh herbs and a perfectly fried egg. Also drawing inspiration from her roots in Ghana is Rita, who presents her interpretation of her aunt’s jollof rice with beans, called waakye. The dish is a beautiful blend of rice, black beans, and sorghum, creating layers of earthy, nutty flavours.

For dessert, Ilknur’s kunefe is not to be missed. The sweet Turkish treat made with crunchy, syrup-drizzled kataifi pastry is filled with fresh, creamy cheese and finished with a sprinkle of pistachio. It’s a brilliant mix of sweet and savoury, and the perfect end to a dinner that is so much more than just a meal — it is as much a deeply personal story of brave, often overlooked migrant women, expressed gastronomically, as it is a celebration of their futures.

The menu, weaving classic culinary training and techniques with Italian and Emilian signatures, along with tastes of the diverse cultures of the trainees’ homelands, demonstrates that there are so many ways in which we are alike, ways in which we can and should come together, and how beautiful it is when we do.

Rosval is indeed a rockstar, although her greatness extends far beyond her exceptional culinary skills and tableside showmanship to her mettle, her character, and the important work done at the AIW and at Roots. We so often hear of the need for this kind of change in the industry, both at home and abroad, and it’s incredible to see it in action. Since its inception, the programme has seen most of its trainees go on to work in the restaurant industry and over 80% continue to do so today.

To learn more about Roots, visit rootsmodena.com For more on AIW, visit weareaiw.org