Some of Winnipeg’s most ambitious home cooks put their best dishes forward Wednesday, hoping to land a spot on the second season of MasterChef Canada.
Thirty Winnipeg hopefuls tried out for the second season of the hit show.
Accountant Michael Ly reached back into his family cookbook to serve up something different at the casting call.
"It's a very unique dish,” said Ly. “It's a Cambodian dish that my mom makes. I'm Chinese Cambodian culturally. I wanted to bring something to the table that he's never had."
University of Winnipeg executive chef Ben Kramer judged the dishes on presentation, taste, and technique. The contestants didn't get to look at their scores.
Ly said he can handle the intense scrutiny because he also gets it at home.
"My wife is probably my most critical judge and I love her to death," said Ly.
Hopeful Rheanne Marcoux brought her maple sugar pie to casting. She creates content for websites by day but has other aspirations.
"You know you think about it, you dream about it. Like opening a little restaurant or something like that. It's always been in the back of my mind," said Marcoux.
The last MasterChef Canada Winnipeg audition produced one of the show's top competitors and the show's casting director Meredith Veaks would like to see a repeat performance.
"Last year we were here at this very same place and we met mike green who landed in the top five of MasterChef Canada so we're extremely hopeful that today there is another, maybe the next master chef," said Veaks.
MasterChef Canada season two will be filmed in Toronto this fall.
