Who is Marina Luca, the winner of Chefi la cuciata season 17. She also prepared desserts for Lionel Messi. “I never came out in the red: I took money from my mother, invested in ingredients and managed to get that invested money out”

Marina Luca obtained the highest score and won the competition trophy, as well as the grand prize, worth 30,000 euros, in the Chefi la cucita season 17 final broadcast on Tuesday night by Antena 1.

Marina Luca was chef Alexandru Sautner's golden knife this season.

According to Antena 1, Marina Luca is 29 years old, she is a pastry chef, she graduated from the prestigious Academie Ducasse, she worked in restaurants with Michelin stars, and currently she has developed her own project, called La Dame de Luca, where she prepares desserts. During her 10-year career, Marina Luca has prepared desserts for famous names, such as Natalie Portman or Messi.

“My name is Marina Luca, I am a pastry chef, I have more than a decade of experience and a background with Michelin stars. La dame de Luca is the continuation of my name. I was the first Moldovan and woman to graduate from the Ducasse Academy. I never wanted to be a big fish in an aquarium with small fish. I preferred oceans. What I want is to build a strong brand at the international level and end up having my patisserie in several countries around the world and La dame de Luca to resound as Cedric Grolet resounds”, said Marina Luca in the show Chefi la cucite.

Marina was born in the Republic of Moldova and lived until the age of 14 in the village of Horodiste and after 14 years she moved to Chisinau. Her parents divorced when Marina was very young. Her mother was a teacher of Romanian Language and Literature:

“It was the divorce and she couldn't manage with 2 children on a teacher's salary and she took her life in her hands and took care of us. From the age of 14 I lived alone. My brother was older than me, but I took care of him, I cooked for him and he liked sweets, namely apple pie. And from then on I got the idea to start with desserts and I even started selling. I never went out of the red: we took with mother money, I was investing in ingredients and I managed to get that invested money out and reach the level, and at that moment I set myself the goal of learning in the biggest academy in the world”, Marina Luca testified.

In the final on Tuesday evening, Marina Luca faced Alexandru Dodoaia, chef Richard Abou Zaki's golden knife, Vladimir Popa and Ștefan Turian.