How this Foodie Dad Made it to MasterChef Canada Season 2

My life has been a series of coincidences which defy logic. So to me it really comes as no surprise that I landed one of the coveted spots as a finalist on season 2 of MasterChef Canada. 

 

Case in point:

 

 

and so on and so on...

 

I was actually not one of the 1.8 million Canadians who obsessed over MaserChef Canada season 1. In fact, I had never seen an episode. It was my friend Darren who kept hounding me with:

 

"Gav, you HAVE to try out for this show - you'd be perfect for it."

 

"Gav, did you apply? Here's the link!"

 

"Gav, there are only 3 days left to apply!"

 

Finally - more to suffice Darren's eagerness than anything - I headed over to the MasterChef Canada audition page and read through the audition process. In addition to the lengthy questionnaire they strongly recommended an accompanying video. Well, with a day job as VP at a software company, two food blogs, a wife, 3 kids, and two hockey games I play in weekly, a video just wasn't in the cards. "Oh, well." I figured I could submit the application and happily tell Darren that I'd applied but hadn't made the cut.

 

Time ticked along and one day my phone rings. PROPER TELEVISION popped up on my caller ID. Proper Television - huh? I didn't realize at the time that they were the production company for MasterChef Canada. Sure enough I had received a VIP invite to come down and audition for the show along with 4,500 other Canadians. OK - I could put aside a Sunday and stand on line with the thousands of people in Toronto trying out. I've spent the last 6 or so years cooking for my food blogs and putting my recipes out there for people to critique. Surely I could handle a little rejection from the audition crew at MasterChef Canada and go home happy to have tried out.

 

 

The day came and went. I dragged my butt downtown early one Sunday morning and presented my dish. I also did an on-camera interview but kind of felt like I pooched it a bit. Alas, I went home with my head held high. My three kids - Emily, Josh and Isabella - were so thrilled that I had even gone down to audition. They are HUGE fans of the show!

 

Weeks passed and nothing. My mind moved on to other things in my busy life. Again, my cell phone rings: PROPER TELEVISION. I'd made it as a finalist on season 2. My heart skipped. My jaw dropped. I couldn't breathe. I had never expected anything from that questionnaire I filled out online and yet this one call delivered so much for me. Recognition that I had what it takes to cook for three of the greatest chefs on the Canadian food scene. Recognition that I could compete with amateur cooks from across this culinary spectrum of our awesome county. 

 

 

Just walking in on day one and standing in a room with all of these foodies and home cooks was such an incredible experience. To hear about how their dishes were influenced by where they came from - by the fresh local produce available to them - was an experience I will never forget. I can't wait until the premier on Feb 1 to start sharing my whole adventure with you. First: the quest for a coveted white apron! And I'll have lots more to tell you all as it all unfolds. Until then - this is one more adventure that I've stumbled upon through a series of fortunate accidents!