Tell us more about your professional journey and your current job:

I have never had a real professional path. What I have done so far was never meant to be part of a career path. But setting aside these silly premises, looking back, I can certainly say I have walked (sometimes briskly, sometimes dragging my feet) not necessarily forward: sometimes backward, sometimes in jumps, sometimes in circles. Excuse me, I feel inspired to write. In short, I started working around the age of 21 as a waitress/bartender for some events and catering. When I moved out from my family home to live alone in Florence, renting a room, I started working full-time, still as a waitress, this time in a nice restaurant. Initially, I did it to pay my rent and university fees on my own, then I continued, perhaps a bit out of inertia, even after I left my studies.

Over the years, I changed jobs a few times, but not many, until I participated in a TV talent show, MasterChef, and won. So, currently, my professional activity has changed a lot. Nowadays, I earn through show cooking, participating in certain events, and Instagram sponsorship videos.

Why did you decide to stay in Italy?

I like Italy; I have never lived abroad, but still, I like Italy. I firmly believe that traveling in the same place, with your mind, delving deeper and deeper, is often more beautiful than actually doing it. I know that my roots, my culture, my way of living and thinking are at home here in Italy. This doesn’t rule out any change of mind, but it’s not mandatory to move either. A couple of years ago, I wanted to live in France, but then what happened happened, and that’s okay.

How do you see the future of chefs and food creators in Italy?

I don’t like thinking about the future.

What are the biggest challenges your sector faces?

The challenges in this sector, especially in Italy, are numerous. It seems limiting to even try to answer this question–especially for me, as I am not a great expert. Anyway, as always, let’s consider the major economic problem this sector faces, which, however, has its roots in a system already rich in critical issues, increasing its complexity of management.

Then we have a cultural problem, let’s say, which is related to the idea that society has of this profession (but at the same time exploits it in a “fast” manner, thereby weakening it from another front). Just think of all the dining businesses that are having enormous difficulties just finding valid personnel (if they even find any, because sometimes they don’t).

Anyway, problems exist, we try to solve them, new ones arise, and the conclusion is always that c’est la vie.