As a journalist, Richmond’s Debra Pangestu is not used to being the one in the spotlight.
But as one of the top 16 home cooks selected from across the country to compete in the current MasterChef Canadacompetition that airs weekly on CTV, the tables have well and truly been turned.
Pangestu, 33, said that, while she is a confirmed foodie, she had never contemplated being part of a show that has contestants battle the clock and each other to produce dishes for a trio of discerning judges.
“It was my sister who encouraged me to apply,” said Pangestu, a Cambie secondary grad who came to Canada from the Philippines with her family when she was 12 and worked for NBC after earning a masters in Journalism in New York City. “I had watched MasterChef America, but didn’t know there was a Canadian show.”
But her older sister, Francisca, got wind of the local casting call and told her to submit an application.
“You know, it’s funny, she loves to eat, but can’t cook to save her life,” Pangestu said. “I think that’s why she encouraged me to do this.”
That was last summer, as Pangestu was picked to be among a larger group that entered a cook-off in the first episode last fall in Toronto to win a spot among the 16 in the show vying for the top prize of $100,000.
In that competition, she wowed the judges with a crispy, wild mushroom risotto cake, with a tomato, basil coulis and seared scallops.
“I got three yesses from the judges, so they must have thought it was pretty spectacular,” she said, adding, “It looked pretty and tasted just as good.”
The show is set for 15 episodes, and taping ended last fall, so, Pangestu knows how the competition panned out. But while that limits what she can divulge, Pangestu said she enjoyed her time as a once-in-a-lifetime event.
“As a foodie, you’re thrown into this environment with people who live for nothing but food,” she said. “And it was nice to be immersed in this world where you can talk about your passion.”
For where the experience has left her, Pangestu said she plans to have food remain as an important part of her life.
“I would love to write a cookbook. I find that every meal we create has a story behind it somehow,” she said. “And the idea would be to write a book about food and stories — something that would incorporate my love of photography, writing and food.”
