Premium cookware brand HexClad is moving into Italy and putting equipment behind a cause: as part of the September 2026 expansion, the Los Angeles-based company announced a three-year global partnership with Food for Soul, the nonprofit co-founded by chef Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore, under which HexClad will supply cookware to Refettorio community kitchens and provide financial support to scale their operations.
The Refettorio model is squarely a back-of-house story. Food for Soul operates community kitchen facilities that transform surplus ingredients into restaurant-quality meals, relying on properly equipped commercial-adjacent kitchens to deliver consistent output with dignity. HexClad's commitment to outfit those kitchens with its hybrid stainless-nonstick cookware line gives the partnership a tangible equipment dimension beyond typical celebrity endorsement arrangements.
The Bottura Connection
Bottura, whose Osteria Francescana in Modena holds three MICHELIN Stars and twice topped The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, joins HexClad's Global Culinary Council alongside Gordon Ramsay, Dominique Crenn, Nancy Silverton, Clare Smyth, and Paul Ainsworth. His role is framed around product innovation input and outreach — but the Food for Soul tie-in is where the operational rubber meets the road. HexClad will also engage its chef and creator network in volunteer initiatives and fundraising to extend the nonprofit's reach.
"HexClad shares my belief that the kitchen should be a place for creativity, curiosity and pushing boundaries," said Bottura. Daniel Winer, CEO and Co-Founder of HexClad, cited Italy's reputation for craftsmanship and hospitality as central to the market choice, calling the Bottura appointment "a defining moment" that reflects the brand's intent to grow with purpose in European markets.
Italy as a European Foothold
HexClad launched in 2016 and has since built distribution across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East — landing on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private U.S. companies from 2023 through 2025. Italy represents its highest-profile European market entry to date, given the country's outsized cultural weight in food and kitchen culture. The brand sells direct-to-consumer and through strategic retail partners; Italian customers can access the line at hexclad.eu/it.
For foodservice equipment dealers and consultants, the Refettorio partnership is worth watching as an example of cookware brands moving beyond residential DTC to seed product in operating kitchens — a path that builds professional credibility and surfaces specification opportunities. Operators and prep-and-storage specifiers evaluating hybrid nonstick surfaces for high-volume community or commissary settings may find the Refettorio deployments a useful real-world reference point. The broader trend of energy-and-sustainability-oriented kitchen programs dovetails with Food for Soul's food-waste reduction mission, adding regulatory and ESG context for operators benchmarking their own procurement decisions.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
