The victory of the 13th edition of Masterchef Italia, "I dedicated it to disadvantaged people like me, also to rub myself in the face of the few expectations I had. I'm slowly realizing that I'm good".
Eleonora Riso, 27 years old, waitress in Florence, says it with her usual self-irony, proclaimed winner in the Sky Original cooking show, on Sky and streaming on Now, produced by Endemol Shine Italy by the three judges Bruno Barbieri, Antonino Cannavacciuolo and Giorgio Locatelli.
A success that came with the presentation of a menu called 'Ichigo Ichie-How beautiful it is to read between the lines', from which all her inventiveness and genius emerged.
On the podium with her Michela Morelli, a 44-year-old personal trainer from Appiano sulla Strada del Vino (Bolzano), and Antonio Mazzola, a 28-year-old surveyor from Palermo who lives in Munich.
In fourth place was Sara Bellinzona: a 24-year-old employee from Montalto Pavese (Pavia).
"Masterchef was a roller coaster in every sense, not one second was the same, the peaks of emotion were like those of an electrocardiogram" explains the winner, who received 100 thousand euros in gold tokens, a advanced training course at Alma - The International School of Italian Cuisine and which already has its first recipe book coming out on March 8th: Laboratorio di sapori (Baldini+Castoldi).
The emotions of the program also won over the public, given that this was the most watched final of the last four editions with 1 million 145 thousand average viewers and a 5.4% share.
In the Masterchef journey with the menu "I took a risk, I wanted to entertain and amaze. In my opinion they are the coolest things you can taste when you eat something new".
Now with the money from the prize "I want to behave like a good business woman and invest it to realize my project".
The goal of the young winner is "to go and live in the countryside and use that space to welcome people, feed them, have a kitchen but also everything else, the animals, the products... for me the real turning point, including an ethical one it comes from a true awareness of what we eat, how we eat it."
On the other hand, for her cooking is "one of the most complete forms of expression, because it involves all the senses and the heart".
Also "in my book there is my taste for experimenting, the search for flavours, the trips I have made around the world more with my mind than physically, because traveling always makes me a little anxious... strange , True?"
she jokes, alluding to the anxieties and insecurities that she faced several times on the program.
"In this journey I also learned to believe in myself more."
Among competitors "we always supported each other despite the strong and important competition. In moments of difficulty and success we were always there for each other".
"On the other hand, regarding the possibility that a deeper relationship was born with another of the competitors, Niccolò (who joked on the topic on social media), glosses over: "Jokes and teasing with Niccolò, but also with me, are always possible , so stay tuned." The judges on the other hand "are fantastic people: I didn't think I would find so much humanity in them.
In particular, an incredible relationship was created with chef Cannavacciuolo". "I would really like to work with him". The other finalists were equally happy with their journey in Masterchef, all committed to carrying forward their projects related to cooking: "Maybe I'm the one who has a little more regrets - explains Sara, who has just started working in a restaurant - but I feel like I have given my all". Antonio, who recently became a father, continues his dream of returning to Italy and aims to gain even more experience with a starred chef ("there's something on the horizon"), while Michela in hindsight would change "the starter - she jokes, referring to her dish which during the final convinced the judges the least - not something of my journey, I was myself 100%, I was true in everything, in my ups and downs."
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