Ep 18 - Winner MasterChef Season 4 - Luca Manfe - This Is Yu

Episode #18 - Winner - MasterChef Season 4 -  Luca Manfe

Welcome to Episode 18 of This Is Yu Podcast.

This Is Carole Yu and Scott Stewart

Today, we catch up with Luca Manfe, winner of MasterChef season 4. After a devastating rejection from season 3, Luca fought his way back to victory and into the hearts of all MasterChef fans.  

He was always one of the fan favorites because he rejected the conniving and pettiness of other contestants.  He was always a gentleman, making us laugh, his blue eyes sparkling with passion for his food.

We learn about Luca’s family, not only his American family, but we go back to his roots in Aviano, Italy where he grew up. He tells us about his private catering business “Dinner with Luca”, and the tiny house where he, his wife Cate, and children Luca and Valentino now live. 

Luca answers fan questions, and tells us about his journey from MasterChef to The Lucky Fig food truck, to his current daily life.  If you are a Luca fan, you may get chills as I did when talking to him. It was an intimate conversation, and we were so lucky to connect with him.

After our conversation with Luca, you won’t want to miss our segment, “New Tech Cooking”  where we talk about our annual Sous Vide feast.

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Have you entered our giveaway already?  Through May 19th, 2020 enter our giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card!  It’s simple! All you have to do is go to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to and leave a review of This Is Yu Podcast. We will choose our favorite review, and announce the winner on May 19th on the podcast. 

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New Segment - New Tech Cooking

Have you seen those “Sous Vide Egg Bites” at Starbucks and wondered, “What is Sous Vide?”

Our family was first introduced to Sous Vide when Dara was asked to the White House where she was an honored guest at Obama’s first “Maker’s Faire.” Where she ran into a person who made a sous vide machine..  Afterwards, she sent Dara one of their circulators.  

What does Sous Vide mean? Listen to the podcast to find out how to make your food so moist!

Thank you so much to Luca for joining us in today’s conversation.  We loved learning what your family means to you and how they are a shining beacon in your life. 

His positive spirit inspires us.  We appreciate you Luca for taking the time to share your journey from MasterChef to your life now full of love of family and food.

Thanks for listening to the show.

If you like the idea of more people hearing this series and this show in general please think about taking just a couple minutes to  give us a rating and review on iTunes or your podcast app of choice. If we get enough of those, the apps show This Is Yu to more people to find out we exist.

As always, we really appreciate your thoughts and feedback about the show. You can reach out to us on Instagram or Facebook at [This Is Yu Official] or you can leave us an anonymous voicemail at [562-291-6037]. We listen to all the voicemails.

www.DinnerWithLuca.com

www.ThisIsYu.com
@ThisIsYuOfficial

Ciao!

Ciao Bella!

Transcript

Scott:   0:00
Gordon Ramsay says "Luca." Fans cheer.  Luca says " I came here from another country because America the best place in the world, This is where dreams come true,  and now I am America's MasterChef."

Carole:   0:16
Welcome to Episode 18 of This Is Yu Podcast. This is Carole Yu...

Scott:   0:22
and Scott Stewart Way Catch up with Luca. Man Fi, winner of Master Chef Season four. After a devastating rejection from Season three, Luca fought his way back to victory and into the hearts off all Master Chef fans.

Carole:   0:47
Yeah, he was always one of the fan favorites because he rejected the conniving and the Pettiness of the other contestants. He was always a gentleman making us laugh, his blue eyes sparkling with passion for his food.

Scott:   1:00
We learn about Lucas family not only his American family, but we go back to his roots and Ottaviano it Dolly, where he grew up. He tells us about his private catering business dinner with Luca and the tiny house where he and his wife, Kate, and Children Luca and Valentino, now live.

Carole:   1:20
Luca answers fan questions and tells us about his journey from master chef to the lucky fig food truck to his current daily life. If you are a Luca fan, you may get chills, as I did when talking to him, it was an intimate conversation. We were so lucky to connect with him.

Scott:   1:38
After our conversation with Luca. You won't want to miss our new segment. NuTec cooking where we talk about our annual Soo Veed fest.

Carole:   1:49
Have you entered our give away already through May 19th 2020 Enter our give away for a $25 Amazon gift card. It's simple. All you have to do is Goto Apple podcast Subscribe to and leave a review off. This is you podcasts. We will choose our favorite review and announce the winner on May 19th on the podcast. Welcome to the This is you podcast. Luca, we are so excited to have you here.

spk_2:   2:18
I'm very excited as well. Thank you very much for having me.

Carole:   2:21
You're welcome. Well, we just heard the clip where Gordon Ramsay announced your win on Master Chef. A comment by ably on that video said it's just honestly amazing that a person can still romanticize America still, as a land where dreams come true And to see it actually happening is something so special. It gives me hope for humanity. What does this mean to you?

spk_2:   2:47
That's awesome. It's ah, it's a very nice thought and honestly, I receive still now, even if seven years later I still receive a lot off messages about this, about the American dream, about how my journey was very inspiration, especially for the fact that I was eliminated the first year. But then I came back. But also, you know, also as an immigrant, I think that says a lot about the possibility that America can give you so it is very nice, and I'm I'm very glad that I can, you know, I can change just a little bit. People's life and people perspective in life.

Carole:   3:26
Yes, well, you definitely had a huge influence on a lot of people because you had such a amazing personality. Such a really love and joy and passion. It was amazing. Toe watch. Thank one of

Scott:   3:40
your fans. Quote law asks. What part of Italy are you from?

spk_2:   3:45
I am from free living. It's a Julia with cheese, this small region in the northeastern part. So we are right on the border there. The closest city that everybody knows is vanities, but I like toe always explain a little bit about the region because it's kind of the hidden parts of Italy, but it's beautiful. Just imagine that we have the Alps on North. Yeah. Then we have Audrey Arctic sea that south and is only, you know, you drive from north to Saudi there in a couple of hours.

Scott:   4:17
Yeah,

spk_2:   4:18
you're done. But in the media, you know, you have a lot of flat land. That's what you see, all the fields for the graves and everything. But then you start with the valet's and the heels, and then you finish up with the Alps and it's, Ah, it's amazing because you get so many different varieties of food, variety of landscape. It's for all the seasons. There's always something amazing to do and also historically because it's such a strategic point in the middle of Europe, we have ruins back to their own months. The Roman ruins have actually one of the most important Roman pours. There is still a lot of ruins over there and then, you know, in the Middle Ages there are castles everywhere. It's really hidden jam of Italy.

Carole:   5:08
That sounds like an amazing place to grow up. So I did look up photos of Aviano, and I saw that it was near the Dolomite Mountains. The Alps says You said so were you able to play with goats and sheep when you were young?

Scott:   5:22
Okay, they said, I

spk_2:   5:25
tell my kids when we watch Heidi, tell them when we go back home, I'll take you to the mountains. So as a family, we didn't really. We were in farmers. I just remember my grandfather for a while, he had chickens and rabbits. But obviously there were animals everywhere. Yes, but I do not remember as a kid being part of my childhood. But I'm not the guy that can say I grew up around any moles,

Scott:   5:58
e I

spk_2:   5:58
just remember seeing them

Carole:   6:00
right. Well, I saw recently on your instagram You and your Children were following Ah, family of pigs. Yes. So it was very cute.

spk_2:   6:09
Right now I'm actually living the dream off what I wanted to do, probably as a kid. And I try to, you know, give this dream to my kids to because we really live in the middle of nowhere here in Texas. Hence the tiny home. Because we're really in the middle of the woods and we get dear all the time we have put out cat food for their Coombs. Every single night in the raccoons, we have a big glass doors and the raccoons are eating and the kids are sitting on the other side of the glass. They're just walking. And today this is just because we are lucky. Somehow this family of birds decided to build the nest right on our porch on today, the eggs hatch. So we were able to say, I've been 15 minute, obviously no stop. But like the kids were on the window watching this small little birds coming out. And as you said the other day, we were just driving on their old in a Mama Mama board. You know, it was a wild pig, like a board with four Remember four or five little little pigs. I never seen something like that in my life. You can hear from my video how much I was excited,

Scott:   7:28
right? You see

spk_2:   7:29
them? It's been your incredible one day. I we wish we can buy, you know, a piece of land that maybe have a couple of cows and goats. Yeah, let's the next project,

Scott:   7:38
right? What did known a nori known a catina and known a and Nita teach you other than cooking.

spk_2:   7:46
Well, you're gonna make me cry.

Scott:   7:47
Ah, that's what my goal is.

spk_2:   7:50
No, no, no, not Latina. She was my father's grandma Assoc, which was my great grandma beside cooking. I need I have to say that all of three of them they really showed me law, eyes One thing that obviously I miss the most about my grandpa because, um is the rial family. You know, in your parents, obviously they love you unconditionally, but because their parents you they also when you grow up, they try to structure in a certain way which thank God that they did that right. But with the grandmothers, the grandmothers always love and only love, you know, so right, we spent a lot of time together and I don't know, I think that the really the real answer is they talked to me Love. I was really felt love and appreciate. But it's been a long, long memories. They passed away a long time. Yeah, but the cooking absolutely under percent My granola Nori is still now used to make the best brace. The rabbit was unbelievable. And I mean known Anita the least the list goes on, you know, for four days off what she could cook. Ah, little story about Nonaka. Tina. She was the classic grandmother that you see. You know, she was born at the beginning off the 1900. So she was really, really all school. She would make the polenta for us for the holidays. There was no holidays without air polenta. Old school parents are the one that takes 45 to 50 minutes to cook.

Carole:   9:33
Yeah, I was just going to say not like the one that comes in a tube.

spk_2:   9:38
She would cook it in the culpable right on top of the stove with wood. So would a wood burning stove. And then she will keep him, you know, with a long wooden spoon. And then is not that that is not the loose pulling that this is polenta. Then you flip the part and the part goes right on top of a cutting board. And then back in the day, they used to carry with a string the same the same string that you tossed the chicken. It is a very old school, and this is actually what I'm focusing. You know, the mostly right now is to bring back all those tradition all those foods that for me meant a lot. And I cook them right now for my family.

Scott:   10:20
Right?

Carole:   10:20
So that ties into our next question. What dish do you want to ensure that Luca and Valentino know how to cook?

spk_2:   10:28
Ah, great question. There are a lot. I think that making past already became a family tradition. I'm very excited for them also, because I'm cooking all the time. So they really showing interest. But now one is for the other one is 5.5. So I'm not really 100% confident on putting them on top of the stove. Yeah, but I will say, Pastor, Pastor, because it's such a moment. It's such a big family moment because from the time you make the door and then you need the pastor together. Now they're getting very good and making the short pastor, you know, they can make butter

Scott:   11:07
from our

spk_2:   11:08
almost by by themselves. I mean, mostly, Luca Valentino plays a lot with the dull.

Scott:   11:13
It sounds like they're gonna be working pretty soon for you. Put them to work out.

spk_2:   11:18
There's the go

Carole:   11:20
eso here. My nephew Josh wants to ask you if you could only eat one type of cuisine for the rest of your life. What would it be?

spk_2:   11:29
Oh,

Carole:   11:30
yeah. I figured that

Scott:   11:33
when you were 21 years old, you left Italy to travel the world. What inspired you to leave?

spk_2:   11:39
It was mostly the waste off. Saying the war wish to say something different in Italy because actually, when I left, I loved where I was in my life. I have a bunch of friends. I had a good job. But then there was this opportunity to go. My first experience was in Florida with Disney, and I do a one year contract. So my idea was like, OK, I want to go and see what's out there and that. What that inspired the was the basic. I never stopped to travel since the day because I realized how exciting it was. Obviously, I was 21 years old, almost 22. Yeah, my first time away from my family, basically the first time that I didn't have to tell my parents at what time I was. So I liked it for that. But also I like the fact that I saw something different. You know, we were living in Florida, but we get the opportunity to travel a lot. In the first year, I was able to go to the Caribbeans and go to Jamaica and Costa Rica in California, New York, Las Vegas. So when I went back home in my small leader, Laviana, which I loved, but is 8000 people there was something that keep on pushing me away because I wanted to keep traveling. I wanted obviously to have fun as well. Yeah. So that was the initially There wasn't really a plan. I just wanted to go and see the war.

Carole:   13:06
So what did you do at Disney? Were you in one of the Mickey Mouse costumes?

spk_2:   13:10
Now it was goofy.

Scott:   13:12
Were you? No, no, no. It's just

spk_2:   13:14
It was It was a part of a food and beverage program. Was I was It was I was working in the restaurant.

Carole:   13:21
Were you at Epcot? In the Italy? Yes. Yes, I

spk_2:   13:24
was at Epcot Center and it was actually a great school, because in Italy, the restaurant business is structured in a completely different way. And here I am, you know, 2122 years old. My only experience was this more restaurant in my hometown. And here in Afcon this restaurant was making 2000 covers a wow in a slow day. So we got to work as a you know, bus boys and food runners. And we work as a host before we actually become service that we had to take a test, learn everything about the menu. But it was an amazing school and there was the big difference, because in Italy, no only is structured in a different way. But the pay is much lower and you work a lot of more hours in Italy. So here I am again. First time in America. Then I went back to Italy s Okay. Here. I'm working four times more, making off of the money. I want to go back to America because not only are making more money, but I'm having also more

Carole:   14:27
fun. Let's start talking about Master Chef. So in 2012 you audition for Master Chef Season three and your mother flew in and surprised you. So I actually re watched it last night and I got tears when Courtney said that dish there is what I need to judge you on this year. So I'm a no. But I want to see you back next year. Your face showed so many emotions. Oh, my gosh. Even now I'm getting skills in my neck. Your face showed so many emotions. What emotions were you feeling at that time?

spk_2:   15:00
I couldn't believe Yeah, because you try so hard. You practice so much just for the audition. The moment that they tell you you're going to cook in front of the judge is like, I think, talking about personally like my life, completely stuff. The only thing I was thinking about was the Master Chef audition. I was literally cooking every single day. And obviously, when you are in the process, your mind really starts flying everywhere, and you think about what happened. If I get into the show, what happened? If I win the show, you know, obviously and I'm a very superstitious guy. So in my head, I never thought I really I'm going to win the show. But I would like to plan what the different scenarios could have been. So I didn't like my job at that time, so I was so excited to get out of it. And I said, I'm gonna go toe Master Chef, and I'm never gonna come back on. And then here I am. You know, not even a week later, I had to fly back to New York because I didn't got the white apron. Oh, yeah, it was crazy, you know, that I did not cook for, I think over two months

Carole:   16:07
after that, because you were

spk_2:   16:08
the audition. Yeah, there was nothing to do. And then I remember that a friend of mine at a house party invited me over, and he asked me if I could prep with him. And then the day I had so much fun and I said, OK, let's try this thing.

Scott:   16:23
Our own Dara here has a question for you. How much connection did you have with Master Chef? Between your additions for Season three and Season four,

Carole:   16:32
for example, we we were wondering. She and I were talking and wondering, Did Master Chef have you on their radar and encourage you to come back for season four? Or was that something that was purely your own motivation

spk_2:   16:46
was it was both. So there wasn't really a connection until the time that They asked me if I wanted to apply again, which I already I already had it in the plans to apply. But basically, when they opened the audition, they called me and they say, Luca, has Gordon Ramsay told you last year we would like you toe try again. And for me, it was such a big surprise because I really thought that that was just something that he was going to say to everybody because he you heard them say stuff like this again. If you're going to keep him cooking, you're going to really change your game and blah blah, blah. Right? So when the day of the audition, I didn't, you know, believe that was the real thing. I didn't think it believed that. Just maybe told me something to make me feel better.

Carole:   17:39
Oh, my gosh.

spk_2:   17:40
But I was going to apply, no matter what.

Carole:   17:42
Well, I know because when you came back, you walked in. You were so joyous. You said it's me. It's me. You remember my name, You broke. I love that You said to Gordon You broke my heart. You broke my wife. You broke my mother's heart. You broke all America's heart and and Ah, it was great. Joe says. Yes, you broke all of Italy's heart. So

spk_2:   18:04
But even if they contacted me, I had to go through the whole process like everybody, right? I remember the second time there was even more people in the I think it was like 570 people in New York, the day for addition.

Carole:   18:16
Wow, when you got on to Season four who was the most fun celebrity to cook for on that season? Eva Longoria, Paula Deen Jane Lynch.

spk_2:   18:26
Who's the last

Carole:   18:27
Jane Lynch? That was with the band

spk_2:   18:29
with a bang? Yeah, I think my favorite was Polident. I like the character. I think obviously I'm not the one who should talk about accents, but I think they're accident.

Scott:   18:40
Yeah,

spk_2:   18:41
is extremely funny. To be honest with you, I no idea. Whoever Longoria was really okay. Yes, which is weird, because now I follow it on Instagram. She's like a giant superstar, right? Right. But everybody was so excited. I was like, Who is

Scott:   19:00
she? Joe Bastianich said there is a fine line between being a competitor er and being a conniver. We know that competing on Master Chef is cutthroat. Give us the scoop. Like what? Manipulation. And what conniving did you see on the set during season four

spk_2:   19:17
o from the contest that you having from the production?

Scott:   19:21
No, no, no. But if you have stories from the production will take those. Whatever you got, we're sitting here listening.

Carole:   19:28
Honestly, I don't

spk_2:   19:30
think I have so many stories also, because I always tried to stay away from the drama. So the gossiping, it didn't really happen with me because I believe that they knew that I was not gonna listen to them. Somebody came up to me and started talking bad about somebody else. It wasn't really working. And even when you do the interviews and the story managers, they try to ask you things. Yeah. After a while, it was just obvious that I was telling my guys, you know, I'm not gonna talk about about anybody. And I think, you know, was one off the reasons why I was able to keep focus, right? Don't let what was happening around me bother me. I had a couple of off arguments. I think the biggest one I've was with Natasha, obviously, but

Scott:   20:25
yeah, you could see for

spk_2:   20:26
in the show that

Scott:   20:27
we are

spk_2:   20:27
not really best friends. Right? But it wasn't something like back stabbing or talking in somebody's back. No, we had an argument me in her face to face, and I think a few times later I even apologized for what happened. But other than that, no, I'm sorry, I don't have any big.

Scott:   20:47
One of the things I really liked about you on the show is you had such a positive energy, and it was almost like you were wearing this armor of positivity that kept everyone away from you from doing the backstabbing. So I really appreciated that as someone that was watching the show.

spk_2:   21:02
Thank you.

Carole:   21:02
I think in in American Food TV often they try to promote like you were saying with the production or the storytellers they were trying to promote backstabbing. You know, when you see the shows on great British bake off, everyone is so kind to each other. And that was nice that you could see that with you, that you were just being very kind because that's just who you are as a person. So that's very lovely.

spk_2:   21:29
Thank you. I also like to add that a lot of people say this in different shows, and they said the production make people look in different than what they actually are, and I don't really agree with that. I think the production are very, very good toe catch the moment in a certain way. So it's not like that, you know, somebody is a nice guy, but then in TV is going to look like the mean guy that it doesn't really happen. I think there are some dynamics when people get a little bit drag too much into the competition, and then they lose it in obviously production. Love to show that because that is what next some of the audience like to watch.

Carole:   22:15
You know, actually, as we were just talking on Instagram, a woman named Shallah underscore 19 just says, Love you, Luca.

spk_2:   22:25
I love you, too. I gotta say that I am so excited because also I'm excited to be able to say this, but now I receive every day messages, very nice messages from a lot of people. And then when I get they hate messages, I said, Oh, this makes me feel good because somehow I don't know how I can be liked by everyone, you know. So when you get the hate masons say Okay, this is make me feel like a normal person.

Scott:   22:55
Yeah, right. Brings you down

Carole:   22:56
Looking at your instagram your life now in Texas it looks like you live surrounded by forest. It looks calm. It looks really beautiful. So what do you do now That brings calmness and peace to yourself?

spk_2:   23:10
I drink

Scott:   23:14
nice. What's your What's your drink of choice? Everything.

spk_2:   23:18
You know, I have to say that, um same side, the kids. A lot of things have changed in my life. They have become my number one priority. So if after the show I was really working hard and chasing the dream, we obviously wanted to end up on TV. I obviously wanted to have a successful restaurant. There was so many things have changed things there, but I now, especially after this quarantine and the Corona virus stain I've been home with. Then for six months. I'm in six weeks full time and I don't think I was never happy. I have one on one time with them. We're able to to play together. I'm able to teach them a little bit, But mostly this time put in perspective. So many things lacking in my wife is a great job. I work for a good company. So even if during this pandemic there's the company still paying us is being very, very nice to just completely pause. What everything goes on is around us. Luckily, we are in the middle of nowhere, so I really feel for somebody who has two kids my age and their stock in an apartment. Obviously, I'm very lacking this circumstance. But this would have been doing waking up early because the kids there's no way they sleep over six Terry eso. But But that's good for the body, you know. You get going, you get you're able to do more things, you know, we play outside. I cook a lot on trying. I'm doing a lot of video recipes now that I will be putting on my website in a few months. Okay? Just you know, this is the good time that I'm not busy with work. So really is giving me the time to focus on a lot of different projects. Mostly family.

Scott:   25:14
Sorry, Luca, let me interrupt there. Your website. Can you just give that a quick shout out to your fans.

spk_2:   25:18
The website is dinner. We look at the

Scott:   25:20
great and they confined everything about you on their

spk_2:   25:22
Very nice Thank you.

Scott:   25:24
Okay, here's I've got a question from another one of your fans. Stella, Thank you for the question. And her question is, who do you keep in touch with from the master Chef family?

spk_2:   25:33
Honestly, nobody. Maybe they didn't like me. So Right, Maybe they look, they look at all the people who like me and social media, and they say You don't know the area, Luca. It was well, so let's say I have a good relationship with James. We use I used to live in Houston and we would hang out once in a while and also in the union. James were the last two men standing where we were down to 54 So we hang out a lot during the shoulder. I like I like James alone. I mean, Embree were in touch for a long time. We actually she actually used to be our roommate for a while in New York.

Carole:   26:09
Oh, wow.

spk_2:   26:09
But then, you know, life just change different, take different routes. But

Carole:   26:14
I don't have

spk_2:   26:14
really any problem with anybody. I talked with crazy and social media once in a wide. I like to comment on their posts on the pictures. Actually take good ideas for food to make my kids, uh, suggests Ian Evan issue Natasha. We spoke for a while. It just I think that, you know, life takes different path. And also, this is something that you didn't know each other before. And with some of them you spend among some of them. You spent two months, some of them you saw just just a few weeks. So I think, you know, if we do at a union, we probably have a lot of fun together, but I'm not really in touch in daily basis with them. No.

Scott:   26:57
Yeah.

Carole:   26:57
So let's move on to. In May 2014 your cookbook, my Italian Kitchen Favorite Family Recipes was published. So who were the lucky testers who helped to test cook your recipes?

spk_2:   27:11
So home was made My wife actually, And then there was an editor they work for. The publisher would receive all my recipes and testing to make sure that the quantities were either the timing where I

Carole:   27:26
How long did it actually take you to write the cookbook?

spk_2:   27:29
The Coca Bull? I think either deadline, maybe 66 weeks? Six weeks? It was a night. It was a night, to be honest with. Yeah,

Scott:   27:38
that's wow. That's really quickly

spk_2:   27:39
needed to be needed to be out by a certain time after the show. Like the show was not even over and the cookbook was already

Scott:   27:46
done. Well,

spk_2:   27:47
I'm happy, obviously, and very feel very lucky and fortunate that they do ever cookbook. I wish I could have done so many things different. And obviously, I would say some off that I blame it on myself. If I look back, the recipes in the book are way too complicated. There is like, something that changes. So you go master Chef. U b e I win. I want the show. And then everything is in your head. Is I okay? Now you need to be calm. A chef, You're gonna have your own restaurant. And I think the cookbook on Lee also showed what was in my head. Even if there are a lot of recipes that are traditionally Italian, there's something that my grand parents cook for me. that my mother Cuckoo. In general, though, I think there are too much. They're too complicated. And I I wish I let I left more space for the tradition in the classic recipes because at the end of the day, I feel that what most of the people want is that there's something they can make a home. And at the end of the day, we have not missed in. Star chefs were just people. They were on a reality show and cooked in the show for three months, so that will never make your chef. So I made a mistake thinking about my cookbook as a chef. I should have thought about my cookbook as a home cook because that's what I am. And you know, obviously I can't go back, but hopefully one day I'll become famous again. But that's also the process that I'm working on with my website because I see how people like that. When I put the fang see this, I get a lot of like some social media and I get a lot of comments like Older looks wonderful, But when I put the lasagna, I get comments like that looks amazing. I wanna, either. Now, can I have the recipe? Right? So I feel that the two different categories, they're drawing a different type of all

Scott:   29:50
well, that ties into our next question, which is also from a fan. And this is Kimberly. She wants to know. Do you have any plans for another cookbook?

spk_2:   29:58
The answer is no. And what I say is always creating a cookbook is not the issue. The issue is selling. So right now I'm no on top of the wave anymore. The people who follow me are still a lot of people. If you look at the numbers on social media, but the market is so competitive. If you notice, Master Ship stopped giving the book a surprise. The winners right now don't get a cookbook deal anymore just because it's such a tough market. And also how dynamic change with their online businesses in the E books. Now it's so easy to buy four or $5 for a cookbook. You watch it in your iPad.

Scott:   30:38
Yeah, and there's no cost to ah publisher to actually produce a physical book. Exactly. So it sounds like your kind of moving all your ideas onto your website. Yes. So anything that you're testing anything that you're presenting is gonna be on dinner with Luca.

spk_2:   30:53
Yes. Dinner. We look a will be the place where they can find the recipe. Is they confined my videos? Obviously, social media is big on videos as well, right? I like I never had the time. That's why I'm excited a little bit about this time in quarantine because I really never had the time to put myself and fill properly how to make recipes. Now it started. And I'm happy out there coming out. And I think that could the lead toe a lot of different things. You know, the dream is always to become the new Emery legacy. I don't know if you knew that.

Carole:   31:27
Yes, Really? Okay. Damn. I

spk_2:   31:32
say that because Emily Live was the first show I watch on the Food Network When I came to America

Carole:   31:39
the first time

spk_2:   31:40
in 2000 and three.

Scott:   31:41
Now we've got another question here from Brian and he asks, You started the lucky fig with a 19 fifties vintage ups truck. What happened to the lucky fig?

spk_2:   31:52
There was a disaster. Just think about it. 1950 food truck. You know, I don't know what I was thinking, because now, with a clear mind, I can understand that there wasn't a good idea. So we bought this food truck and then we used to be a foot a track use from the Postal Service back in the, you know, in the fifties. So

Scott:   32:13
so lots of miles on it.

spk_2:   32:14
Well, not really, because we put a new engine. The problem was that the chassis was not made to have a professional commercial kitchen in the back, but beside that cost us a lot of money to fix it. And then there was my first time owning a business and to make the story short. The biggest problem is that my food was too sophisticated for a food truck made homemade past us. We use only local and organic ingredients. It waas just not the right concept because the food right this was back in Houston, and then I was the wrong city or was just the wrong concept. But my friends won't food truck the one who made the most money where people who sold fries filled with everything on talking more tacos for hamburger or this guy's very famous He made fried chicken and waffles on, and they were very, very successful in the made money. Me with my home made ravioli or with proper Delhi with braised lamb. Well, sandwiches with pork belly or senators with braised short ribs. It was good. We have only five star reviews. Utkan webs. The Facebook page is still there. Picture was awesome. The food was awesome. The people love it generally, though it was not the type of food that people wanted from a food truck and that the consequence is that I was working like a dog. I wasn't making any money and I had a six months old a home that I never saw

Scott:   33:44
s

spk_2:   33:44
So we kept it going for 10 12 months. And then when I realized it was not working and I realized I was never I was never seen my family. And my wife was a home with two kids cause Valentina was six months. Luca was 20 months apart. So there was like the prying off my kids growing up. Yeah, and and I don't regret that. And there was the time when I said I am done with the restaurant industry because before master Shall was arrested on manager many years. And I know exactly what it took to run a business into Ran a red

Carole:   34:18
light. And

spk_2:   34:18
I already I was following the dream because it feels like the first question that people ask you after mash f is like when you open, you know, rest on and is just, you know, I wish I could tell all the other people that are going to go Master Chef, And they're going to win this show. Take the money, save it, go back to your own life Because not just because you are in three months in a reality show. Then you become us a chef. So there is pressure that I feel is put on these people. And I understand everybody can never dream. But if you never worked in the industry, you have no idea what it means.

Scott:   34:56
A lot of hard work.

spk_2:   34:58
It's a hard job, hard work, long hours you are working with the other people are havin son.

Carole:   35:04
And if

spk_2:   35:05
you have a family is very tough. So yeah, there was Ah, good idea. Now, you know, ever I don't have regrets about it. Obviously, I'm sorry that we lost time and we lost money. Money comes and goes, and by the time of my family, no, they never comes back. So I I am glad now my job is insane. So when this is going to be over, I'm going to be back to my 9 to 5 job Monday to Friday. But I'm lucky that I can do. My catering is on the weekend, so I'm still cooking. I actually have one tomorrow night, so I still do what I like the most as a hub because it's my passion and I'm having a lot of fun doing it once, twice, three times a month. But when you started, when you have to run a business and do it seven days

Scott:   35:49
a week so long,

spk_2:   35:50
there's no times you know it doesn't you don't know when you start. I mean, you know, when you started in usually is early in the morning. You never know when you're going back home,

Scott:   35:57
and it's amazing when you're doing that on such a crazy schedule. How quick your kids grow up

spk_2:   36:03
and nobody gives it a time. Back

Scott:   36:04
on HD TV, there's a whole show dedicated to tiny houses Since 2000 and 17 you have lived in one. So what can you tell us about your experiences of living in a tiny house? And what have you learned?

spk_2:   36:18
I never thought I was gonna love it so much. My life wanted to buy a Tani home right after Master Chef, she said, Let's take the money by a tiny home and move when life is cheaper and when it's not so called like New York and I and I was like, No, I just want the show. I want to open a restaurant in new your city. We're gonna make it here And then five years later, after we decided to close the rest, I mean, after I decide to cross the food truck, I look at her. It was like when we buy a tiny home and she said, What? It's better late than never. It has been has been a change, but it's a mindset when people say, Oh, I could never do it and I understand it can be very hard for a lot of people, you know, is lesson toe under square. But it's really a mindset, and you start going into the mind and thought process where you start getting rid of things, you open your closet and you realize you have like, five suits. You don't even remember the last time you wore them and for me, like I couldn't even fit on them. I need I have to say that the of all our friends that we know that they are doing tiny home. We are the only one with two kids. But because we have so much space on the outside, the kids don't really spend time inside. It's been a great journey also, you know, it's it's a very cheap life. Our expenses are very low, so we are able to do a lot of other things on the side. And, yeah, I think it's fantastic.

Scott:   37:56
Were just coming down to the end of the podcast. And we have what we call our lightning round.

spk_2:   38:01
Yeah, I love

Scott:   38:02
first band. You were really into

spk_2:   38:04
counting crows.

Carole:   38:05
Okay, best book you ever read,

spk_2:   38:08
but it's dead quoted that

Scott:   38:09
What's something for which you are deeply grateful for right now, my friend

Carole:   38:14
Favorite meal when you were a child

spk_2:   38:16
made boats,

Scott:   38:17
What time will you wake up next Sunday morning? 6 30 I

spk_2:   38:23
don't have any time. You were in a tiny home,

Scott:   38:25
so the kids that up

spk_2:   38:26
everybody's out.

Carole:   38:28
Favorite place on earth.

Scott:   38:30
Okay, great. We just want to ask where are listers can connect with you online or social media? If you could just give out your web address. Instagram that kind of thing.

spk_2:   38:38
Yes. So in social media is very easy, Luke among fair in all the pages Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. My website is dinner. We look a dot com.

Carole:   38:49
Okay. Thank you so much. Luca really appreciate your time and it was really lovely. It's speaking with you.

spk_2:   38:55
Thank you very much. It was fun.

Scott:   38:57
It was great speaking with you again, Luca, Thank you so much.

spk_2:   38:59
Thank you.

Carole:   39:01
Have you seen those soo Veed egg bites at Starbucks and wondered what is Soo Veed? What are those things? Our family was first introduced to Soo Veed when Dara was asked to the White House where she was an honored guest at Obama's first Makers fair. There she ran into a person who made a su vihd machine.

Scott:   39:20
What the heck does Soo Veed mean, Carol?

Carole:   39:23
Well, Sue Feed is a direct French translation for under vacuum. Basically, you vacuum, seal the food in a bag and then you cook it to an exact temperature in a water bath.

Scott:   39:34
Here's another question from me playing the dumb guy. So, like, why would I want to cook my food that way? Carol.

Carole:   39:41
Well, they're really four reasons to cook Soviet First is consistency. The results turn out perfect every time because the food is cooked to a precise temperature.

Scott:   39:51
Second, you've got taste. The food cooks in its own juices, so it's moist, juicy and tender.

Carole:   40:00
Third, waste reduction. The food doesn't dry out. It stays the same. Volume

Scott:   40:04
and forth is flexibility. You can't overcook the food, So how do we set up cooking something by Soo Veed?

Carole:   40:11
Well, it's actually really simple. First, you need a cooking container. We use an 18 by 12 by 12 inch Cambra, which is a large plastic container that restaurants use to store food items. But if you have a large stockpot or you have a soup pot, you can use that to

Scott:   40:28
the second item is a vacuum bag to put the food in if you want to invest, there are special food bags with vacuum sealing machines but we just use resealable Ziploc bags.

Carole:   40:40
The key piece of equipment is the immersion circulator that heats and circulates the water around the pot. There's a great soo Veed circulator that we recommend that you'll find on the podcast Blawg post. So every year we have a special feast that we soo Veed. It's Thanksgiving in a bag.

Scott:   40:59
It started out when we decided to spend Thanksgiving with Elena in Joshua Tree. She didn't have a full size oven to cook a turkey with, so we decided to Soo Veed our turkey dinner.

Carole:   41:10
Yep. Well, I've never really been a huge fan of turkey because it can turn out pretty dry very easily, Since there were only four of us, we decided. Just cook a turkey breasts and a turkey leg. Since they cook at different temperatures, we had to cook them separately. Dara Brian, the turkey pieces right in the Ziploc bags overnight. Then she cooked the turkey leg on Wednesday by filling up the camera with water, attaching the Soo Veed machine to the side of the container. Press the air out of the bag. Of course, it's got to be vacuum right, clipped it to the side of the camera and left it to cook overnight.

Scott:   41:43
The following morning, we put the turkey breast in the water bath for four hours

Carole:   41:48
after it was all cooked, we took the pieces out of the bags with Su V. The meat doesn't brown as you're used to sew for visual appeal, you have to sear the meat in a fry pan to give them color. So how to taste Scott like the wings of a nay angel? Carol? Yep, that was the juiciest turkey we've ever had. And it's definitely how Thanksgiving dinner is going to be made from here on out in our household.

Scott:   42:13
Thank you so much to Luca for joining us in today's conversation. We love learning what your family means to you and how they are a shining beacon in your life.

Carole:   42:23
His positive spirit inspires us. We really appreciate you, Luca, for taking the time to share your journey from Master Chef to your life now full of the love of your family and food.

Scott:   42:36
Thanks for listening to the show. If you like the idea of more people hearing this Siri's and the show in general, please think about taking a couple of minutes to give us a rating and review on iTunes or your podcast app of choice. If we get enough of your positive reviews than the algorithms of the universe, will propel us into the ears of more people. And we would greatly appreciate that.

Carole:   43:00
As always, we really appreciate your thoughts and your feedback about the show. You can reach out to us on Instagram or Facebook at this is you, official or you can leave us an anonymous voicemail at 5622916037 we listen toe all the voicemails Chow chow Belec.