{"id":4615,"date":"2013-07-15T11:40:06","date_gmt":"2013-07-15T17:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/?p=4615"},"modified":"2013-07-16T07:36:28","modified_gmt":"2013-07-16T13:36:28","slug":"colourful-people-master-chef-contestant-luca-manfe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/?p=4615","title":{"rendered":"Colourful People: Master Chef Contestant Luca Manfe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I’m super stoked to share with you an interview I did with Luca Manfe. Luca is a top 12 competitor on Fox’s hit show MasterChef. I imagine since you guys are probably foodies, you’ve heard of the show, but for those who haven’t…MasterChef is an culinary competition series that searches for the best home cooks in America, and through a series of elimination rounds. The show is hosted by celebrity Chefs Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot, and Joe Bastianich, another famous Italian chef.<\/p>\n

Luca was so great to talk to and had such a fabulous personality. I loved how driven and passionate he was about his culinary career! After talking with him, I just wanted to run into the kitchen and make something Italian!<\/p>\n

\"Luca\"<\/p>\n

So here’s the interview! Enjoy!<\/p>\n

Luca, you were cut from Master Chef Auditions last year and yet, you\u2019re back this year! Tell me about that journey and determination to make it back on the show.<\/b><\/p>\n

I was very sad that I didn\u2019t make the cut the first year\u2026because I always thought that I had what it takes to be in the competition. I was lucky enough that they gave me the opportunity to come back\u2026but during that time I never stopped cooking. I started to improve in all the things I was lacking, especially baking. I made so many cakes in one year it was incredible. I\u2019d find cookbooks and search on the internet and tried different things that I\u2019d never tried in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\"Luca<\/p>\n

What was the hardest thing you made when you were practicing at home?<\/b><\/p>\n

Well, I have to say I don\u2019t like baking. So everything from cakes, pies, cupcakes and stuff like that at the beginning was very hard. It\u2019s like chemistry, you have to follow the science and understand why something went wrong. I think feeling comfortable with making a pie without a recipe was a very big accomplishment for me.<\/p>\n

Making a pie without a recipe would be hard for me! <\/b><\/p>\n

It just takes practice. Practice, practice always leads to perfection eventually.<\/p>\n

\"Luca<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard you\u2019re into eating local and in season, which is awesome \u2013 is that how you were raised?<\/b><\/p>\n

I live in New York now and it\u2019s very easy to eat local because we have beautiful farmer\u2019s markets everywhere in the city. However, in Italy it\u2019s different because we don\u2019t have these big grocery stores where you can find produce from South America or Asia. In Italy we need to go through the seasons because we don\u2019t import. So yes, I was raised to eat local and in season just because it\u2019s a big part of the Italian culture.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s your biggest cooking inspiration?<\/b><\/p>\n

Absolutely my Mother! Being part of the restaurant business, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to work with very well-known chefs, but my Mom is always the one I call for advice about food. There\u2019s this kind of magic in home cooking, to create from simple ingredients to make something very tasty.<\/p>\n

Tell me about an accomplishment that you are most proud of in your career.<\/b><\/p>\n

I have to say, that year after year, I do something different. I found myself working in New York city managing different restaurants in different cuisines, not just Italian\u2026but Japanese, French, and North American restaurants. From that point, I made my way out becoming a general manger in Manhattan, one of the biggest restaurant scenes in the world. That was a big accomplishment for me. Right now, staying in the MasterChef competition would be the biggest accomplishment ever.<\/p>\n

\"Luca<\/p>\n

Well, we\u2019re rooting for you here!<\/b><\/p>\n

(laughs) Thank you!<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m curious, what\u2019s is your favorite food to eat?<\/b><\/p>\n

Sometimes I have this craving for Foie Gras [fattened liver]. It\u2019s something that if I find it on the menu, I always order it, no matter what. It\u2019s my favourite thing to eat\u2026I love pasta, of course, but that\u2019s very genetic.<\/p>\n

What motivates you or keeps you excited to be in the kitchen? <\/b><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t really need any motivation; it\u2019s just a passion for me more than anything else. I guess it\u2019s something that relaxes and makes me happy. So, for me, when I\u2019m in the kitchen I\u2019m in my comfort zone. It starts from going to the farmer\u2019s market and just looking around and deciding what I\u2019ll make for dinner and then go home, put my music on, and start cooking. You know, it\u2019s a like passion; I don\u2019t need to find a motivation to do it. It\u2019s the thing I like to do most in life\u2026besides spending time with my wife.<\/p>\n

So, I have to ask you, does your wife even have to cook? Or do you do it together?<\/b><\/p>\n

Well, I got to say, most of the time I cook. Sometimes, she has more time than me and she comes up with something. Especially, because right now, it\u2019s my role\u2026I make food. She makes something else. We both work in the restaurant business so we actually eat in our home, just the days we\u2019re off. Most of the days we eat out.<\/p>\n

As a chef, you\u2019re constantly in the kitchen and tasting your dishes\u2026how do you stay fit in your off-time? <\/b><\/p>\n

Well, first of all, I\u2019m not a chef\u2026<\/p>\n

Haha, well, I think you\u2019re a chef. <\/b><\/p>\n

(laughs) The most important thing is to avoid carbs when you\u2019re cooking or especially late at night. I just try to keep balance; the most important thing is not what you eat, but how much you eat. People say you can\u2019t eat pasta every day, that\u2019s not true\u2026but you can eat pasta every day, you just can\u2019t eat half a pound of pasta a day. 100 grams of pasta is a good boost of energy to keep you going and fills you up. Most importantly, I love my vegetables, drink lots of water\u2026I also workout about 3-4 times a week, or as much as I can\u2026but I\u2019m not a maniac. I think fried foods and carbs is something you should stay away from as much as you can.<\/p>\n

\"Luca<\/p>\n

What\u2019s one of the more different foods you\u2019ve prepared?<\/b><\/p>\n

I remember when I was a kid, I\u2019d make braised snails with my Grandmother. I used to clean the snails from the shell and we\u2019d braise them in tomato sauce.<\/p>\n

Thank so much for talking to me! Best of luck Luca! I\u2019m cheering for you and I totally think you deserve the title of MasterChef! <\/b><\/p>\n

Thank you so much \u2013 I hope so too!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There you have it! I’m so excited for Luca’s culinary journey and wish him lots of luck on Master Chef! Stay tuned as he shares with us a special recipe next post! <\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today I’m super stoked to share with you an interview I did with Luca Manfe. Luca is a top 12 competitor on Fox’s hit show MasterChef. I imagine since you guys are probably foodies, you’ve heard of the show, but for those who haven’t…MasterChef is an culinary competition series that searches for the best home cooks in America, and through a series of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1781],"tags":[2409,2413,2410,2406,2408,2407,2412,2411],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4615"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4615"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4669,"href":"https:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4615\/revisions\/4669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colourfulpalate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}