max la manna

Low-waste chef, BBC Earth food show host and award-winning author Max La Manna is changing the culinary game. More Plants Less Waste, his debut cookbook, was awarded the Most Sustainable Cookbook by Gourmand in 2020 and he is now followed by more than 1 million passionate foodies across his social media accounts. The rising star’s recipe content and food shows – including the popular BBC Earth food show Regeneration: Food which helped uncover the UK’s food waste issue – have been viewed by more than 1 billion people around the globe.

La Manna began to cook from a young age, helping out at his father’s fast-food restaurants. After leaving his home in Connecticut he began modelling in New York City before pursuing an acting career in Los Angeles, appearing in NBC Soap Opera Days of Our Lives. When he wasn’t in front of the camera, La Manna worked as a cook and bartender in some of the most popular restaurants in Los Angeles and New York.

Standing out from other chefs by boldly encouraging greater awareness of where our food comes from, climate issues and what happens when we waste our food, La Manna eliminated his own food waste to nearly zero for over 1000 days, eliminating packaging and reusing and composting leftovers. Now living in London, he continues to develop inventive and original recipes that use the whole ingredient, and he inspires millions of us to cook more with what we already have.