Stuffed Belly in Houston. Season 4 (2013): Luca Manfè Background: An Italian-born chef who became the first male and non-American winner after failing to make the cut in Season 3. Post-Win: Operates Mangia Carne , a butcher shop in Pennsylvania, and a private catering business. Season 5 (2014): Courtney Lapresi Background: A former dancer from Philadelphia known for her refined, "everyday fancy" cooking style. Post-Win: Authored the cookbook

She became a recurring face on TV, serving as a judge for MasterChef Latino and hosting the Discovery+ series Taste of the Border [8, 11].

The inaugural winner has published two cookbooks and launched Whitney's Cookies, which now has a brick-and-mortar storefront in Franklin, Tennessee [8, 11].