C.hiara Rota, 37, founded in 2015 My Cooking Box, the company that sends home gourmand recipes already packaged and dosed in all their ingredients, ready to be cooked. Graduated with honors in Management Engineering from the University of Bergamo, Chiara has worked for various multinationals. The turning point, in the USA: «They invited me to“ Italian dinners ”and I punctually found broken spaghetti with improbable seasonings on the table. Now we have started exporting to the United States ». For his
idea of making Italian recipes known around the world, in 2021 Forbes included her among the 100 female leaders of Italy.
Chiara Rota founder of My Cooking Box
6.30 am
“I stay in bed for a while to collect my ideas and then I get up to choose the outfit of the day depending on whether I have to go to the office in Bergamo, where I live, in Milan – we opened our first single-brand store just before the lockdown – or to visit our suppliers, among cultivated fields, granaries or mills. Even when sneakers are a must, I take a pair of high-heeled shoes with me in the car, you never know… ».
8 hours
“I accompany my daughter Ludovica, 5 years old, to the summer campus, a daily interlude dedicated to her even if we often end up chatting about my work: she is very curious about cooking things, maybe she often hears me talking about food and ingredients”.
8.30 am
Before inventing new recipes for others, relax at the bar (Getty Images)
«Coffee and croissant at the bar and I go up to the office to review the agenda of the day before my team arrives. 30 people work in my company, when I started in 2014 I was alone! I’ve always liked cooking and I soon learned how to do it because my mom is a real disaster in the kitchen, but given my predisposition for science subjects, I never thought I’d make it a real occupation. The idea of founding My Cooking Box took shape in my spare time, after a business trip in the USA. Only after winning the Bocconi University call for business innovation was I convinced to devote myself to it: you can’t be a part-time entrepreneur ».
13 hours
Tasting tests in the company, in a very convivial atmosphere.
“Lunch with my team testing the new recipes. From Tuscan pici with truffle and anchovy, to risotto with Amarone, all our boxes must pass the test of our lunch break! ».
2 pm
«As a good Bergamo native I like to“ get my hands in the dough ”and I struggle to delegate the management of the food supply chain that I was in charge of at the beginning of my career. I joke with my collaborators saying that I want to do a “running company” between the various departments, not having time for other sports activities! Another aspect of my job that I love is the collaboration with suppliers, especially when I get crazy ideas; I searched for months who could help us develop a high quality Taleggio cream to accompany our polenta ».
21 hours
In the evening, and more often on weekends, there is space for playing with the daughter.
“During the week, most of the time I am late for work. Therefore, I dedicate the weekend entirely to the family; with my daughter I play with Barbies and go shopping. I love to try new restaurants with my husband; it’s the best way to find out “what’s cooking” in the chefs’ kitchens and take notes ».
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