Cooking show · Sky Uno · Endemol Shine

Masterchef Italia.

For the most iconic cooking show on Italian TV we built the giant silver cloches, the Mystery Box cubes and the wooden-pallet wings of the kitchen-arena.

Story

Act one

The kitchen-arena
of Sky Uno.

Masterchef Italia debuted on Sky Uno in autumn 2011 as the Italian adaptation of the Endemol Shine format Masterchef (UK 1990, USA 2010). Within a few years it became the most-watched cooking show on Italian pay-TV, launching a school of cooks that revolves around the historic trio of judges: Bruno Barbieri, Joe Bastianich, Antonino Cannavacciuolo.

For the scenography Sky bet on a kitchen-space that feels like an arena: wide, lit like a theatre, above the contestants' heads three large silver cloches suspended — the chef's metal domes scaled up to monumental size, the visual symbol of the show. The production designer is Francesco Mari.

For the scenographic pieces we contributed from our workshops: the three giant cloches in fibreglass with brushed metallic finish, the cube-bases under each cloche with a thematic red luminous band (FRITTO, ARROSTO, etc., one per challenge), the stylised wooden pallet wings serving as industrial backdrop, the red neon luminous Greek-key sign on the side. It is a visual grammar immediately recognisable.

Masterchef Italia set with three large giant suspended silver cloches, lit by warm stage light, beneath the cloches cube-bases with a red luminous band; on the left the judge Bruno Barbieri in a dark jacket, on the right Joe Bastianich in a blue suit; in the background stacked wooden pallets and a red neon luminous Greek-key sign — **The cloches arena.** Barbieri and Bastianich in front of our suspended silver cloches

Front view of the set with the central cube reading 'FRITTO' on a red luminous band, beneath the large suspended silver cloche; on either side two more cloches; in the background stacked wooden pallets and the Greek-key red neon luminous sign, TV studio atmosphere — **The «FRITTO» cube.** The luminous band changes text challenge by challenge

Wide view. The vintage kitchen counter with the «M» logo, the central cloche, the pallet backdrop

Behind the scenes

The chef's cloche,
at arena scale.

A cloche is the metal dome with which in haute cuisine the dish is presented to the customer — the symbolic object of fine service. For Masterchef Italia the direction wanted three cloches at arena scale, monumental, suspended above the challenge stations. The piece is iconic, the show has made it its own visual signature.

The suspended form

Each cloche is a fibreglass half-dome with a steel core for the suspended anchorage. Perfectly smooth profile, ring-shaped upper connection for the tie-rods, flat base that opens like a shelf above the challenge counter. The piece must open on camera a metre from the contestant's face, and then snap shut: mechanics certified for TV direction.

The brushed silver finish

The surface is brushed metallic silver sprayed automotive-style: soft glow, no mirror (which would catch the studio lights), very fine hammered-metal texture. Under the Sky studio lamps the light slides across the cloche without flaring — a lighting compromise worked out with the cinematographer.

The pallet wings

The backdrop of the set is a series of stacked wooden pallets: sculpted in polystyrene + fibreglass with a finish of raw wood with aniline glazes. They are the industrial texture that balances the silver metal of the cloches — the wholesale-market aesthetic applied to haute cuisine, a stylistic short circuit wanted by PD Francesco Mari.

3 cloches

monumental suspended pieces · one for each Mystery Box station

Sky Uno

on air since 2011 · one of the longest runs on the schedule

Mari

production designer Francesco Mari signs the visual grammar

Set pieces

The kitchen-arena,
from cubes to cloches.

Photos of the set in the Sky studio with details of the scenographic pieces we built — Mystery Box cubes, thematic luminous bands, pallet backdrop.

Close-up view of the set with the silver cloche open to reveal the dish below: judge Joe Bastianich's hand lifts the metal cover, detail of the cube-base with red luminous band, behind it the red neon luminous Greek-key sign — The cloche lifted, detail of the cube-base

Masterchef set in full action with three contestants half-hidden by the cloches; the central cube shows 'FRITTO' on the red luminous band; on the right Joe Bastianich watches, tense atmosphere with dramatic red background lighting — Three cloches on stage, challenge theme: «FRITTO»

Second life

More than fourteen seasons
on the schedule.

Masterchef Italia is one of the shows with the longest run in the history of Sky Uno: from the first season in 2011 to the most recent editions, more than fourteen seasons of regular programming in the Italian autumn-winter slot. The cloches set has been readapted edition after edition — colours changed, counters reshaped, mystery boxes customised — but the silver metal domes have remained the iconic piece that the audience recognises at a glance.

For us it is the scenographic commission that opened our workshops to the ongoing collaboration with Sky Uno and with the cooking shows of Italian culinary entertainment on TV. The techniques for sculpting the luminous cubes (fibreglass on a steel core, integrated DMX lighting insert) have entered our standard repertoire for Italian game show and cooking show sets.

The three monumental cloches are still today the museum piece that tells the story of Masterchef: the visual standard against which subsequent editions measure themselves. It is what happens when a stage prop becomes the signature of a show.

Tech sheet

All production data

Type: Scenographic set for TV cooking show · Sky Uno prime time
Show: Masterchef Italia · Sky Uno · on air since 2011 · Endemol Shine format
Production designer: Francesco Mari
Production company: Endemol Shine Italy for Sky Italia
Historic judges: Bruno Barbieri (since 2011, every edition) · Joe Bastianich (2011-2018 + later returns) · Antonino Cannavacciuolo (since 2015) · Carlo Cracco (2011-2017)
Pieces built: Three giant silver cloches suspended with opening mechanics · cube-bases with thematic red luminous band (FRITTO, ARROSTO, etc.) · wooden pallet wings sculpted as industrial backdrop · red neon luminous Greek-key sign
Techniques: Fibreglass on a steel core for the cloches and the cubes · brushed metallic silver finish sprayed automotive-style · integrated DMX lighting insert in the bands · polystyrene + fibreglass sculpting for the pallets · raw-wood finish with aniline glazes
Our role: Construction of the main scenographic pieces of the set — suspended cloches, luminous cube-bases, pallet backdrop, neon sign
Second life: Set repainted and readapted edition after edition · the silver cloches are the iconic recognisable piece across fourteen seasons of programming