MasterChef Italia has run for fourteen seasons since its 2011 debut on Sky Uno, building a reputation for genuinely dramatic final duels and a judging panel that’s evolved considerably over the years while keeping Bruno Barbieri as its one true constant. Here’s the complete winners list.
Quick Reference: All Winners
| Season | Year | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011–12 | Spyros Theodoridis |
| 2 | 2012–13 | Tiziana Stefanelli |
| 3 | 2013–14 | Federico Francesco Ferrero |
| 4 | 2014–15 | Stefano Callegaro |
| 5 | 2015–16 | Erica Liverani |
| 6 | 2016–17 | Valerio Braschi |
| 7 | 2017–18 | Simone Scipioni |
| 8 | 2018–19 | Valeria Raciti |
| 9 | 2019–20 | Antonio Lorenzon |
| 10 | 2020–21 | Francesco Aquila |
| 11 | 2021–22 | Tracy Eboigbodin |
| 12 | 2022–23 | Edoardo Franco |
| 13 | 2023–24 | Eleonora Riso |
| 14 | 2024–25 | Yi Lan “Anna” Zhang |
The Judging Panel’s Evolution
Bruno Barbieri is the one judge who’s remained on the panel across all fourteen seasons. He was originally joined by chef Carlo Cracco and restaurateur Joe Bastianich (also a judge on MasterChef US) for the first four seasons. Chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo joined from Season 5. Cracco departed after Season 6, replaced for one season by chef Antonia Klugmann, before Giorgio Locatelli took over that seat permanently from Season 8. Bastianich exited after Season 8, leaving Barbieri, Cannavacciuolo, and Locatelli as the panel’s settled trio from Season 9 onward. Every winner takes home €100,000 (paid in gold coins in the show’s early tradition) along with a published cookbook deal through RCS Rizzoli.
Seasons 1–4: The Founding Years
Season 1 (2011–12) launched the franchise with Spyros Theodoridis taking the inaugural title. Season 2 (2012–13) went to Roman lawyer Tiziana Stefanelli, who later relocated to Singapore, continuing both her legal and culinary careers there. Season 3 (2013–14) crowned Federico Francesco Ferrero, a nutritionist from Turin who moved into food journalism and consulting rather than opening a restaurant, later becoming president of Torino-Piemonte World Food Capital. Season 4 (2014–15) went to Stefano Callegaro, who became a professional caterer and food ambassador despite some contemporary controversy over his professional cooking background.
Seasons 5–8: A Changing Panel, New Champions
Season 5 (2015–16) was won by physiotherapist Erica Liverani, who went on to open the Raflò restaurant in Ravenna with her sisters. Season 6 (2016–17), the last with Carlo Cracco on the panel, crowned Valerio Braschi. Season 7 (2017–18), judged alongside guest judge Antonia Klugmann, went to Simone Scipioni, who later hosted his own cooking shows on DeaKids and Rete 4. Season 8 (2018–19), the first with Giorgio Locatelli as a permanent judge, was won by Valeria Raciti, a secretary from Aci Sant’Antonio near Catania, who beat finalists Gloria Clama and Gilberto Neirotti with her menu “Fra me e me” and now runs the Alloro restaurant in Acireale.
Seasons 9–11: The Settled Three-Judge Era
Season 9 (2019–20), the first with the now-stable Barbieri–Cannavacciuolo–Locatelli panel, went to art director Antonio Lorenzon of Bassano del Grappa, who beat finalists Marisa and Maria Teresa and later became a private-dining chef alongside his husband Daniel. Season 10 (2020–21) crowned Francesco Aquila, who went on to host his own culinary programs on Food Network Italy. Season 11 (2021–22) went to Tracy Eboigbodin.
Seasons 12–14: The Most Recent Champions
Season 12 (2022–23), running from December 2022 to March 2023, was won by 26-year-old Edoardo Franco of Varese, whose winning tasting menu “Tuttomondo” — inspired by a Keith Haring mural — earned him €100,000, a cookbook deal (“Daje!,” published by Baldini+Castoldi), and a place at Alma culinary school. Franco later appeared on the Italian version of Survivor (L’Isola dei Famosi). Season 13 (2023–24) was won by waitress Eleonora Riso, who impressed judges with consistent growth throughout the competition, beating finalists Antonio and Michela, whose menus drew on Sicilian and mountain-region flavors respectively. Season 14 (2024–25) crowned Yi Lan “Anna” Zhang, a fashion consultant originally from China living in Venice, whose multicultural cooking background carried through her winning dishes. This season also brought back a mid-competition “intruders” twist, with contestants Pino and Sara joining the competition in Week 4.
Final Thoughts
Fourteen seasons in, MasterChef Italia’s real throughline isn’t any single winner but the judging panel’s steady evolution around Bruno Barbieri’s constant presence — from the Cracco-Bastianich era through today’s Cannavacciuolo-Locatelli lineup. The show’s winners have gone on to remarkably varied post-show careers, from Federico Ferrero’s food journalism to Edoardo Franco’s reality-TV crossover on Survivor, reflecting just how much a MasterChef Italia title has come to open doors well beyond the restaurant world.