Here's How MasterChef Winner Courtney Lapresi Met Her Husband

Courtney Lapresi stood out as a participant on "MasterChef" thanks to her unusual background. She'd previously been a dancer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lapresi was also an extremely talented chef who excelled in the kitchen, despite no formal culinary training, and was able to take on several tasks without flinching, even when faced with tough challenges on the show. In fact, she was so good that she ended up preparing a delicious three-course meal and beating her rival, Elizabeth Cauvel, to win the show's finale.

Lapresi revealed a lot about herself and details from her personal life in an interview with Philly In Love. For her, it was tough to stay mum after she won Season 5 of "MasterChef" (per MasterChef Fandom), as she wasn't permitted to reveal the show's details (especially details of the winner) until it aired. As she waited for the big reveal, she started working in her first professional kitchen, and there she came across her husband, Dave Notartomaso.

Lapresi said that she and her husband met when she began working in a kitchen in the days before the "MasterChef" results were announced. She couldn't tell him too much about her "MasterChef" experience and he had to wait to find out that she'd won the show. Lapresi said, "We met right after I finished filming 'MasterChef' so the first part of our relationship was me hiding out in his apartment [in Philadelphia] and writing my cookbook, 'Everyday Fancy.'" She added that she couldn't even tell him what she was up to, so she instructed him to not bombard her with questions.

Notartomaso wasn't too happy about the fact that Lapresi had been on a reality show and he teased her a bit, assigning her advanced tasks in the kitchen where they were both working. Lapresi, much to his surprise, could tackle every single one without breaking a sweat. She shared a funny incident and said that Notartomaso was very protective of his kitchen gear and once told her, "Never touch another chef's knife." 

Everything changed when the duo ended up dating each other, of course. They share all their kitchen tools now. As Lapresi said, "I guess when you're married there is no more 'mine and yours.'"