MasterChef, the catfish in the risotto brings Teo Canzi to victory

From his first culinary venture, a recipe inspired by a nursery rhyme and made at the age of 8 with his grandmother's help, to the risotto with catfish that led him to become the 15th Italian Masterchef, Teo Canzi has had plenty of time to dispel any doubts about his future. With a degree in economics, his parents' accounting firm ready to welcome him, and various work experiences, the passion for cooking has always remained in the background for him.
"Now I have definitively understood that this is my path - he said today at the press conference after last night's final - but above all I realized that if I had pursued the profession I studied for, living that life for 40 years, I would never have been happy." His ultimate goal is to have his own restaurant, but at 24 years old, the student from Olgiate Molgora in the Lecco area knows very well that the journey is still very long and he is in no hurry. "I will have to do my time," he acknowledged.

With over 1.1 million viewers and a 5.6% share, "the best result in the last 5 years," Masterchef, the Sky Original cooking show, has come to a close. A total average audience of 840,000 viewers on Thursday nights and 2.2 million viewers over seven days (excluding the last night). "A super season finale," Sky describes it, also on the social front: the cooking show dominated web conversation on airing days, and even in this last week - thanks to 523,000 interactions in the Social TV Audience measurement Linear (+63% compared to the last night of the previous edition) and 602,000 interactions in the Same Day 24/7 measurement (+67%) - "MasterChef Italia was the most commented television title throughout the entire television day yesterday."

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Even Teo's opponents, who reached the final, Carlotta Bertin, Dounia Zirari, and Matteo Rinaldi, were satisfied. For everyone, it was an all-encompassing and exciting experience; it taught something and opened up the hope that their dreams could come true.

The winner was determined by the judges Bruno Barbieri, Antonino Cannavacciuolo, and Giorgio Locatelli. Teo let himself go to tears and thanks, but now he will have to manage the prize money. First of all, the 100,000 euros in gold tokens, which, he said, he still doesn't know how he will spend.

Next, he has a high-level training course at Alma - The International School of Italian Cuisine. "I need to sort out a few things, but I plan to enroll soon, maybe in September," he explained. More immediate, however, is the publication of his first recipe book: "The Taste of Why - Nothing is created. Nothing is destroyed. Everything is cooked", coming out on March 12 (Baldini+Castoldi). And regarding everything that is cooked, he already has a clear goal: to enhance the products and dishes of his territory, "the Brianza of the lakes", as he defined it. Just like the "my secret ingredient", the catfish in the risotto that won over the chefs.