MasterChef 2017 has been won by Dino Angelo Luciano after a tense final which saw him battle it out for the Season 8 crown against Eboni Henry and Jason Wang.
Jason looked the favorite going into the final after winning the most previous individual challenges during the season.
But Dino triumphed after wowing Gordon Ramsay, Aaron Sanchez and guest-judge Joe Bastianich with his appetizer, entree and desert.
His menu began with calamari and clams with squid ink angel hair pasta and cherry tomatoes to start, and rack of lamb for the main laid on a lamb belly-sunchoke caponata, dressed with a fig and cippolini-balsamic glaze.
His dessert was roasted pistachio tiramisu cake with orange mascarpone cream, espresso caviar and pistachio tuile.
The victory sees him walk away with the $250,000 grand prize.
But cooking is just one of many talents Dino — whom Ramsay described as the show’s “dark horse” — now has under his belt.
The 28-year-old was born in California before moving to Bensonhurst, New York, but now lives back in Murrieta, California.
He is also a ballet dancer-in-training, musician and artist. He told the Brooklyn Eagle earlier this year how he learnt to cook from his family, especially his grandmother — who is Sicilian.
He began dancing ballet as a hobby to keep fit, and says it’s one of the bests way to “stay a skinny chef”. On his Instagram, where he posts regular updates of what he’s getting up to, he describes him self as a “ballerina-in-training”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BX6ljbdlfDn/
He also keeps active through his love of skating and surfing.
Musically, he can play saxophone, piano and guitar, and before MasterChef had also branched out into writing screenplays and working on independent movies.
In the future he plans to do his own cooking show — but with a twist, making it a mix between a cooking show and a movie.
In his interview with the Eagle, he also revealed he has suffered from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) since he was seven, and in the future hopes to become a spokesperson about the disability.
He yesterday posted an emotional message to fans thanking them for their support during his journey to being crowned MasterChef winner.
He said: “You have helped inspire me to inspire others, motivated me to keep thriving, and really just kept my heart beating strong.”