ROOTS

Roots is a social cooperative and social enterprise founded in 2021 in Modena, building on the experience of AIW, the Association for the Integration of Women.
The cooperative offers professional training programmes for migrant women living in Modena who aspire to careers in the restaurant sector. Trainings are highly personalised and designed to meet the specific needs of each participant. Through the multicultural menus served in the restaurant, Roots aims to celebrate the value of diversity and contribute to building a more inclusive culture for future generations.
Roots is first and foremost a multicultural restaurant that showcases the culinary heritage of the women involved in the programme. Each year, it offers three multicultural menus, developed collaboratively by the participants together with chef Jessica Rosval, culinary director and collaborator of Massimo Bottura. The space is also available for private events such as conferences, lunches, dinners and parties.
The support from Restart Italia is directed at developing Roots, with particular focus on introducing new services for the restaurant and organising events. New services include evening aperitivos, designed to reach a market segment beyond the one already served. On the events side, the cooperative aims to offer weddings, private dinners and aperitivos, as well as packages tailored to the corporate market. Roots is also working on a cookbook that will tell the story of the cooperative’s multiethnic culinary identity and spread its message of inclusion and gastronomic culture.