When a cookware brand wants to prove it belongs in the big leagues, there’s no tougher room than Italy — a country that essentially wrote the rulebook on food, craftsmanship and hospitality. That’s exactly the market HexClad just walked into, and it brought one of the most decorated chefs alive along for the ride.
On September 8, 2026, the Los Angeles–based premium cookware company announced its expansion into Italy and welcomed internationally acclaimed chef Massimo Bottura as the newest member of its Global Culinary Council. The move arrives with a third pillar: a new three-year global partnership with Food for Soul, the nonprofit Bottura co-founded to fight food waste and social isolation.
Why Italy, and Why Now
HexClad has been on a steep growth curve since it pioneered the hybrid cookware category in 2016, blending stainless steel with nonstick in a single patented surface. The brand now sells across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East, and landed on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America from 2023 to 2025.
Italy is more than another pin on the map. It’s a credibility market — the kind of place where earning a seat at the table signals arrival to serious cooks worldwide.
“Italy has shaped the way the world thinks about food, craftsmanship and hospitality, making it an incredibly important market for HexClad,” said Daniel Winer, CEO and Co-Founder of HexClad. “Welcoming Massimo to our Culinary Council is a defining moment for us. His pursuit of excellence, creativity and purpose perfectly reflects who we are, and we’re proud to extend that relationship through a partnership with Food for Soul to help create meaningful impact in communities around the world.”
Massimo Bottura Joins a Heavy-Hitting Council
Bottura is one of the most influential figures in global gastronomy. His Osteria Francescana in Modena earned three MICHELIN Stars in 2012 and took first place on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2016 and 2018. He’s spent nearly four decades building the Francescana Family of projects, from Casa Maria Luigia to Gucci Osteria outposts in Florence, Tokyo and Seoul.
He’s also famously choosy about partnerships.
“I’m very selective about the partnerships I take on, and for me, it always starts with a genuine connection to the product and the people behind it,” said Bottura. “HexClad shares my belief that the kitchen should be a place for creativity, curiosity and pushing boundaries. I’m excited to join the Culinary Council and be part of what they’re building.”
Bottura joins a council that already reads like a Michelin roll call: Dominique Crenn, Nancy Silverton, Clare Smyth and Paul Ainsworth, alongside chef and investor Gordon Ramsay, whose longstanding partnership has been central to the brand’s evolution. As a Council member, Bottura will help inform future product innovation while inspiring home cooks to rethink what’s possible in the kitchen.
The Food for Soul Partnership
The most substantive piece of the announcement may be the three-year global partnership with Food for Soul, the nonprofit Bottura founded in 2015 with his wife, Lara Gilmore. The organization operates Refettorio community kitchens that transform surplus ingredients into restaurant-quality meals served in welcoming spaces designed to restore dignity through hospitality.
Through the collaboration, HexClad will:
Provide financial support to Food for Soul;
Equip Refettorio kitchens with cookware;
Mobilize its network of chefs, culinary professionals and creators for volunteer initiatives and fundraising that expand awareness of the mission.
“Food has the power to bring people together,” said Gilmore, Founder and President of Food for Soul. “We’re proud to partner with HexClad as they expand into Italy and welcome Massimo to their Culinary Council. Together, we’ll strengthen our Refettorio communities while inspiring a more thoughtful and sustainable approach to cooking.”
Why It Matters
For operators, buyers and hospitality leaders, this is a case study in how consumer brands build durable authority — and it carries practical signals worth reading.
Chef equity is the currency. HexClad isn’t buying a celebrity endorsement; it’s assembling a council of Michelin-caliber voices to shape product. For any F&B brand courting professional credibility, the play is co-creation with operators, not just a logo and a testimonial.
Purpose has moved from add-on to strategy. Tying market expansion to a food-waste and social-inclusion partnership reflects a broader industry shift where sustainability programs are expected, not optional. Buyers and procurement teams increasingly weight partners’ social impact alongside performance and price.
Italy signals premium ambition. Entering a benchmark culinary market is a positioning move as much as a sales move. Operators watching cookware and equipment trends can expect intensifying competition — and innovation — in the premium hybrid segment.
The takeaway for anyone building an F&B brand: authenticity, expertise and impact aren’t three separate marketing checkboxes. Increasingly, they’re one strategy.
