Thea VanHerwaarden of the Comox Valley is among 12 returning cooks vying for the title of MasterChef Canada, which kicks off another season on Valentine鈥檚 Day.
The seventh season of the reality television series offers a second chance to win $100,000.
鈥淚t鈥檚 super exciting,鈥� said VanHerwaarden, now a Vancouver resident, who finished in the runner-up position in MasterChef 2017. 鈥淚鈥檓 really eager to win this time.鈥�
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Since 2017, the 鈥楺ueen of Flavour鈥� has appeared on Canadian and American television shows, and launched a personal brand called Th茅asty, under which she develops recipes for companies, creates video content and conducts private dinners.
She also spoke at an Emerging Leaders conference in Miami in 2019.
鈥淚鈥檓 very fortunate as I鈥檓 able to speak at a number of conferences, about pursuing your passions, especially if you鈥檙e in the corporate world. Just how you can hone in on that, and pursue your dreams and make something of it.鈥�
VanHerwaarden gained an appreciation of food at an early age, sampling cuisine from various cultures as she and her family travelled the world.
鈥淚 was nine when I had my first cow tongue in Costa Rica,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e used to spend our summers in Italy, so Italian food has a special place in my heart.鈥�
As does Mexican 鈥� likely inherited from her father who grew up in Arizona, close to the Mexican border.
鈥淲hen he came to Comox, he brought his 鈥橳ex-Mex鈥� style of food to Comox. We ate that way every week.鈥�
But pasta is her go-to, specialty dish.
鈥淚 think I make fresh pastas two or three times a week. It鈥檚 like my de-stressor at the end of the day.鈥�
VanHerwaarden developed her cooking skills after sustaining a broken back in 2006. Homebound, she spent a great deal of time in the kitchen. Then she met Season 2 winner David Jorge, who encouraged her to apply for MasterChef.
Her N鈥檇uja ricotta tortellini proved to be a hit in Season 4.
Tune in Sunday to find out what VanHerwaarden and the other cooks are tasked to create in the kitchen.
鈥淵ou never know what you鈥檙e going to get,鈥� she said.
MasterChef Canada: Back to Win airs Sunday, Feb. 14 on CTV. There are 12 episodes.
