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November 28, 2022

Spotlight On Luca Manfe – MasterChef Winner 2013

Cook alongside a celebrity chef with Amphy’s classes featuring acclaimed Italian chef Luca Manfe. This MasterChef winner brings his expertise to your kitchen with these approachable and fun cooking classes. Learn from the best with this interactive experience.

There’s no need to be intimidated by the rustic simplicity of authentic Italian food when you have chef Luca Manfe in your corner! Chef Luca provides a series of engaging cooking classes to help you level up your skills in the kitchen. See the talent that took Chef Luca to the top of the amateur American culinary world with these delightful Amphy courses.

Who is Luca Manfe?
Luca’s Rise to Fame
What’s He Doing After MasterChef?
Luca and Amphy’s Collaborations
Get to Know Luca

Who is Luca Manfe?

Luca Manfe grew up in the world-renowned home kitchens of Italy, eating authentic dishes made with love by his family members. His mother and grandmother’s recipes followed Manfe as he moved to the United States more than 20 years ago. He wasn’t sure what was in store for him, but he decided to make a new life from the American Dream.

Memories of these meaningful dishes followed Luca Manfe to America. His love for these meals inspired Manfe to seek employment at some of the most impressive restaurants in the world. Manfe worked in Florida, Australia, and New York City, becoming exposed to various global cuisines. Chef Luca learned about Japanese, French, Modern American, and Italian food traditions.

While you may think this future MasterChef toiled away, learning from the best in the kitchens, that is not Luca’s story. Instead, Manfe got jobs in the front of the house, starting as a busboy before advancing to a waiter and later, manager.

Manfe combined his homegrown inspiration with exposure to these elite restaurants. Chef Luca would recreate these dishes at home, making Italian gourmet meals for friends. This impressive learner says he sometimes asked for advice from the chefs in the kitchen, Luca remains a self-taught chef. In his words, “sometimes I succeeded” at making these amazing dishes for others.

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This MasterChef winner brings his expertise to your kitchen with these approachable and fun cooking classes

Luca’s Rise to Fame

All of this practice led to Luca Manfe leaping to audition for a competition cooking show. While Chef Luca Manfe maintains he never intended to become a celebrity chef, that is exactly why Luca Manfe is a famous celebrity. After an unsuccessful first attempt, Manfe tried again the following year. In 2013, this chef became a contestant on the infamous reality cooking competition MasterChef.

Manfe competed in Season 4 of the hit show on Fox. Notorious celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay hosts this competition, where talented home cooks face off against each other. Ramsay maintains a reputation for being loud, opinionated, vulgar, and for having very high standards.

On this show, home cooks from around the United States compete in a variety of challenges to determine their culinary skills. The competition is grueling and can last for eight to 10 weeks in total.

Some challenges ask competitors to cook a dish along a certain theme. Sometimes contestants must complete a technical culinary challenge to prove their expertise in the kitchen. MasterChef has become a wildly popular reality show, spawning several successful chefs. The show premiered in 2010.

Manfe beat fellow home cooks Natasha Crnjac and Jessie Lysiak to claim the title of MasterChef. This reality show is known for highlighting contestants with compelling and emotional backstories as well as impressive home cooking skills.

The prize for winning MasterChef is $250,000 and a cookbook publishing deal. Chef Luca became the first man and contestant from outside the United States to win this title. Manfe’s win inspired him to continue a career in the culinary world as he follows his unexpected path to the American Dream.

The other major reason Chef Luca Manfe remained an enduring celebrity from his stint on a reality cooking show was his charming personality. He is also remembered for his passion for cooking and determined spirit.

While MasterChef ranks as a notoriously cutthroat competition, Manfe maintained his friendly attitude and warm personality. In the beginning, this made him a target, but Chef Luca bounced back to showcase his enviable cooking talent. After several seasons and spin offs of MasterChef, Chef Luca remains one of the fan-favorite contestants of all time.

What’s He Doing After MasterChef?

After Chef Luca’s amazing success on MasterChef, he published a cookbook titled My Italian Kitchen. This cookbook captures the homestyle cooking Manfe learned from his loved ones in the northeastern region of Friuli, Italy.

Reviewers rave about Chef Luca’s recipes, including ones that encourage home cooks to make their own ricotta cheese. This cookbook features many stories from Luca’s Italian heritage, making it a joy to read as well as cook from.

In addition to the family recipes Manfe mastered, this cookbook features other memorable meals from his MasterChef competition. The famous basil panna cotta appears in the pages of My Italian Kitchen, which fans know is one of the recipes that helped Manfe win! This cookbook teaches you to make homemade pasta, as well as tramezzini, which this chef compares to English tea sandwiches.

Chef Luca Manfe follows his culinary dream into a catering service too. Dinner with Luca provides personalized small-size catering from this award-winning chef and cookbook author. Whether your event is a romantic candlelight dinner for two to a lively cocktail party of 250, Chef Luca has become a personal chef for more than 400 homes throughout the United States and Canada.

Luca Manfe and Amphy’s Collaborations

Manfe presents two spectacular cooking classes for Amphy students. These small, online group courses provide an intimate atmosphere to learn ambitious techniques from an expert in Italian cuisine. Each class is competitively priced and lasts 90 minutes for a comprehensive cooking class experience.

Chef Luca’s first Amphy class teaches you to make delicious mushroom and mascarpone ravioli with butter-sage sauce. Get ready to make your own homemade pasta! This savory recipe ushers in the fall season with a hearty and creamy recipe. Be ready to impress your friends and loved ones with your mastery of Italian flavors and cooking techniques.

If that sounds like an advanced recipe for you, we encourage you to give Chef Luca’s class a try! This Amphy educator boasts a perfect rating and rave reviews from former students. Former students praise Manfe’s detailed teaching technique that leads to tasty results.

The likable style MasterChef fans remember from the show comes across in his online cooking classes, making it a delightful and fun experience. Join other Amphy learners who come back again and again for Chef Luca’s courses!

While Manfe’s expertise is in Italian food, he is a chef talented in many global cuisines. Experience Chef Luca’s unique taco party with his other available Amphy course, Taco Night. This class teaches you to make sesame-crusted tuna tacos with corn pico de gallo, habanero-pineapple sauce, and avocado crema. Top this terrific recipe with homemade coleslaw.

Like his other course, Manfe pushes his students to lovingly make something homemade. This time, Amphy learners follow along to create their own tortillas!

Manfe’s online cooking courses with Amphy are competitively priced and an unforgettable experience. Be sure to read the class description carefully to prepare for these classes in advance. Specialized equipment like a pasta machine, pastry scraper, tortilla press, and pasta cutters may be required.

Chef Luca’s Amphy courses make a sensational experience for anyone. Consider investing in these courses as a family activity or romantic date night. Or try Manfe’s online cooking courses as a team-building activity for your employees.

Get to Know Luca

Learn more about this 2013 MasterChef winner and beloved cookbook author with these frequently asked questions about Luca Manfe.

Does Luca still have his food truck?

No. Chef Luca began a food truck in 2015 but closed it about a year later. The Lucky Fig food truck served high-end Italian food.

Does he own his own restaurant?

No, Luca has never owned his own restaurant. Manfe instead focuses on his catering company primarily.

Was Luca really on MasterChef twice?

Yes. Chef Luca did not make it past the audition round in season three before returning to win it all in season four only one year later.

How much does dinner with Luca cost?

Chef Luca’s website does not list a pricing structure for his catering service. This customized service encourages clients to contact Dinner with Luca for an estimate.

Final Thoughts

Chef Luca Manfe brings an approachable style to his passion for teaching everyone about the unique Italian cooking traditions of his homeland. Chef Luca delivers rave-worthy online cooking courses with Amphy, encouraging home cooks to try advanced techniques and ambitious flavors.