Gabriele for MasterChef 2025 / BBC
Age: 32
Occupation: Tax Advisor
From: London via Italy
How would you describe your style of cooking?
“I love cooking traditional Italian recipes. Keeping it simple and not overloading a dish is my credo. I enjoy creating new dishes from scratch, starting with basic elements and building them step by step, without compromising the integrity of the main ingredient. I always try to exalt the main ingredient as the true protagonist. I pay special attention to fresh herbs, not just as a garnish, but as a way to enhance and elevate the flavours of the dish.”
What is your favourite ingredient to cook with and why?
“My favourite ingredient is aubergine. I love it cooked in every way – Parmigiana, aubergine meatballs, fried aubergine, stuffed aubergine. It’s incredibly versatile and always reminds me of the Mediterranean. Most of the major cuisines around it use aubergine in different ways, so it becomes a point of connection between cultures and cooking styles. It’s more than just an ingredient, it’s a symbol of shared tradition and culinary creativity.”
Why did you enter MasterChef this year?
“Cooking is my greatest passion, and I see myself capable of progressing in the world of food. As I’m now finally settled down in London, I can concentrate on this. I applied because I wanted to test my cooking skills in a competitive challenge alongside other passionate contestants. My wife, Silvia, supported me throughout the process as we’re both devoted MasterChef fans. Although I’m quite a rational person by nature, cooking awakens the creative and instinctive side of my soul. I believed that being part of a contest would challenge me to grow, fuelled by the energy of fellow contestants and enriched by invaluable feedback.”
MasterChef continues Wednesday at 8pm on BBC One.
