Overview

• He says he was courted for MasterChef Italia, tried to bomb the audition, served six seasons, and left after finding TV repetitive, later returning briefly to help his successor.
• He recounts that a Michelin star was removed after his television prominence, describing skepticism from parts of fine dining about chefs on screen.
• He defends a potato‑chip advertisement by citing mentor Gualtiero Marchesi’s past endorsements of frozen foods and dismisses the backlash as social envy.
• He describes a close partnership with his wife, Rosa Fanti, who manages his phone and with whom he is building an agrarian venture in Romagna.
• He emphasizes that chefs generally do not become wealthy, and adds that he feels better at 60 than at 40.