Souchef Gucci Osteria, Takahiko 'Taka' Kondo was born in Tokyo and started his career as a chef in 1997, as a cook in an Italian restaurant. It was in his hometown that his connection with Italian food and cooking was born, as he learned the trade in various Italian restaurants. That path led him to Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana in Modena, where he stayed for 17 years and took on the role of sous chef in 2014, and then sous chef of Gucci Osteria.