Home cooking instinct cost Richmond’s Debra Pangestu a chance to remain among TV’s top amateur cooks.
As a youngster, when Pangestu watched her mom cook at home, if a bay leaf was among the ingredients on a recipe, it remained in the finished dish.
Unfortunately, that was not the way judges on TV’s MasterChef Canada reality show wanted to see things done.
So, when the show aired Sunday night, Pangestu was eliminated from the remaining 14 contestants vying for the coveted title as the nation’s top home cook.
Pangestu’s exit came during the challenge to make a tourtière — a French Canadian meat pie.
“I grew up thinking you left the bay leaf in,” said Pangestu, who saw it in her mom’s soups and spaghetti sauces. “I guess that’s not what you do.”
Adding to her challenge was the fact Pangestu had never even heard of a tourtière before being tasked to make one.
Despite being eliminated from MasterChef Canada, Pangestu said she takes away with her plenty of positive experiences — the biggest was not underestimating yourself.
“I went into this cooking competition thinking that I was a mediocre home cook, but I surprised myself,” she said. “I didn’t think I’d make it into the top 50, let alone getting an apron with my name on it (for the show’s final 16 cooks).”
While her run ended a lot sooner than she would have liked, Pangestu said she has no regrets and is already planning her next moves that will build on her experience in the heat of the TV kitchen.
“I don’t think that I handle stress very well, but in MasterChef every day is a stress-filled day. And the fact that I lasted that long is kind of a testament,” she said.
In what had become a bit of a Sunday night ritual since the current season of MasterChef has aired, Pangestu hosted a viewing party for family and friends who had no idea she was going to be eliminated.
So, when it was revealed she had been axed, a wave of emotion swept over the small gathering.
“My sister just burst into tears,” Pangestu said, adding that watching the events unfold on the TV screen was not as hard to view as one might think, Pangestu said.
“It happened several months ago and at this point I think it’s a distant memory,” she said, adding it was more interesting to see how the episode was edited.
