The novelty ofeighth edition of Masterchef Italy – which will be broadcast starting January 17 on Sky Uno, after Masterchef All Stars – is called Giorgio Locatelli. In fact, it will be the original chef of the Lake Maggiore, but transplanted to London (where in his restaurant, Locanda Locatelli, a Michelin star, hosts gourmet fans and celerities of the caliber of Madonna, Lewis Hamilton, i Clinton), the fourth judge that will support the consolidated trio Barbieri-Bastianich-Cannavacciuolo.

The relationship with the other judges

During the recordings the four immediately found harmony: if Bruno he had known him for some time ("choosing it he made the production Bingo! "- he said), Joe revealed that he appreciated his intuitive intelligence and sympathy ("our life and professional stories have much in common"), while Cannavacciuolo he defined it with a heart "the friend I miss in Italy".

The British style …

Who is Giorgio Locatelli and what is the judge? We started to get to know him during a chat (among many "Yeah", "yes" is "Dish") after the talent presentation press conference at the Castle of Grinzane Cavour, in Piedmont. "I left Italy when I was 20 years old – he told us – and when they called me from Masterchef I could not say no the opportunity to come back to work here. If people enjoy at least half of what I've done, this edition will be a success. "

… and rock n 'roll

Locatelli it will not be a judge who will throw the dishes (like his friend Gordon Ramsay), but at the same time, as a true rocker, he will not be one to say. "I do not like humiliating people in the kitchen. At the beginning of my career there were chefs not calling me by name, but "Italian shit": I opened my restaurant to create a different climate. For me the kitchen is a team, I tend to aggregate, and so it was with Masterchef. I cried at the first eliminations, they teased me, then I got used to it. Indeed, in the end someone was also on the p … ".

"Brititalian" dishes

Working in Britain, where he is a known television face, protagonist of TV series and documentaries broadcast on the BBC, Locatelli will bring a breath of internationality in the kitchen of Masterchef, or better "brititalian ": "The idea is to blend English products with Italian culinary culture. It is the potential that our kitchen has to spread more and more abroad and be successful. For example, with the kale (which in England grows everywhere) you can make a good pesto and give us an excellent pasta ".

His kitchen and the kitchen of the future

In his restaurant they eat. "My workhorse? Roast rabbit with polenta, a meat that is becoming much appreciated because it is lighter and has a lower ecological impact than red meat. In the future of cooking for me there will be less meat, but of better quality, of an animal grown and slaughtered with attention to its well-being ".

5 things to know about Giorgio Locatelli

1. He was born and raised in Corgeno, a small fraction of Vergiate, in the province of Varese. His family ran a starred restaurant, but his grandmother did not want him to be a cook.
2. In 1986 he left Italy, worked in England, in Paris, then returned to London where he opened the restaurant in 1995 Saffron with which he conquers the first Michelin star by cooking quality products that come directly from Italy.
3. In 2002 with his wife Plaxy (with whom he had two children) he opened the Locanda Locatelli at Seymour Street, which took the Michelin star in 2003.
4. Giorgio is also a consultant at Ronda Locatelli, at Atlantis in Dubai.
5. The recipes of some of his dishes are mentioned in the Oxford English Dictionary.

The documentary on Sky

If you are intrigued by the character, follow him short movie GIORGIO LOCATELLI – MASTERCHEF CALLING that will tell the story and the career of the starred chef and new judge. Broadcast on Sky Uno on December 20th at 12.45am and then on January 4th at 7.40pm on the same channel.