I grew up in Italy, surrounded by a circle of passionate food lovers and professional bakers, in a setting where food was constantly the prime topic of conversation. My childhood and early years were so deeply infused with the vast gastronomic knowledge of my extended family that I considered it a second nature and never really a true skill, in the same way you would not consider “reading” a proper talent.

So, I set out to get a suitably recognisable title and studied chemical engineering at Pisa University first, before moving to the UK in my mid-20s to do a doctorate on composite materials, which led me to an academic and industrial career, always in the research space. Funnily enough, as an engineer, I was used to ‘bake’ composite aeroplane wings and landing gears in very large ovens, before eventually deciding to side-step into more conventional (and certainly more flavoursome) baking, after being crowned first Italian champion of The Great British Bake Off in 2021.

Despite such a dramatic professional move, my engineering-self still drives my baking life, flooding it with exasperate accuracy and textbook engineering precision, to the point that I can hardly conceive baking without a set of rulers and a spirit level…

Most of my baking – informal – training comes from my father, a professional chef who spent most of his adult life spoiling family and friends with delicious bakes at every opportunity. His simple but powerful love language included caring for his loved ones through affectionately prepared food and expertly decorated cakes. A priceless heritage that I have embraced fully and that, together with my family gastronomic knowledge, I am determined to share as far and wide as possible.