Born in Tokyo, Japan, Takahiko ‘Taka’ Kondo began his culinary journey in high school, cooking at home. Inspired by food shows on television, he taught himself the basics and then delved into experimentation. Taka’s interest in art and fashion led him to make the natural move to Italy in 2000, followed by a pivotal meeting with Massimo Bottura who recognized his combination of passion and precision mixed with a creative and inquisitive approach to food. He then began his 17-year tenure at Massimo Bottura’s three-Michelin-star Osteria Francescana in Modena, where he was appointed sous-chef in 2014. In 2022, he became Co-Executive Chef of the Michelin-starred Gucci Osteria Florence, alongside Karime López.

Karime López and Takahiko Kondo met in 2014 during a culinary performance in New York. In the following years, they grew closer and married in August 2016. Today, as Co-Executive Chefs of Gucci Osteria Florence, their story has manifested in a unique, culinary interpretation of modern Italian cuisine that they have named ‘Nuove Memorie’ (New Memories). It encapsulates seasonal dishes that can be likened to a “capsule collection,” a true vision of imagination, magic, color, and enchantment, nourished by their intertwining cultures, personal memories as a couple, and life-changing travels. Notable dishes from the new menu include Viaggio in Messico, which relives a special Mexican ‘mole’ tasted on one of their trips to Puebla; Schiacciata con l’Uva, offers a truly visionary, outsider interpretation of the typical Florentine cake; Cannolo che Voleva Diventare un Cannellone, recalls Taka’s early days in Italian kitchens and his confusion between ‘cannolo’ and the ‘cannellone’ as well as the Midday & Midnight Spaghetti, that creates a path between Peru and Italy, marrying ceviche from Mexico and Peru that is eaten only during the day and the classic Italian spaghetti eaten at midnight. Their unique perspective allows them to approach the sometimes-cumbersome traditions pertaining to Italian cuisine with a certain lightness; one of appreciation and respectfulness whilst non- linear and innovative.