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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, April 30, 2014 | 14 Oakville's Eric Chong wins MasterChef Canada The 22-year-old chemical engineer-turned-chef proves he can work in a professional kitchen by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff Artscene "Connected to your Community" Oakville's Eric Chong is the first-ever MasterChef Canada. The 22-year-old chemical engineer-turned-chef was the youngest home cook on the reality TV series, besting Marida Mohammed, a personal trainer from Toronto, in the finale episode, which aired Monday. Chong faced off week after week against the Top 16 competitors from across Canada vying for the MasterChef title and a $100,000 cash prize. "It's a dream come true. I'm still in shock," he told the Oakville Beaver yesterday. "I know we finished filming six months ago, but now it's all coming through and things are happening. I'm really excited." Chong admits keeping the results of the show under wraps for half a year became progressively more difficult, especially as things began reaching the finale. "All my friends kept saying, `No way -- did you win?' and I had to keep telling them to watch to find out," he said. Chong says the win has a personal significance to him because not only did he prove to himself he had what it takes to make a career out of working in a professional kitchen, but to his family as well. "I absolutely achieved that goal," he said. "My family has completely come around and accepted the fact I want to be a chef and acknowledged that I can be one, and hopefully one of the best in the country some day." Chong notes his dad, who was there for the finale, was in "absolute shock" when his son's name was called out as the show's winner. What I wanted to do in my menu is show them (the judges) how ambitious I was, how much I grew, I can take calculated risks, but most of all show them that I listened to them and I grew from my mistakes. That menu was all about redemption. MasterChef Canada winner Eric Chong "My brother said he was mumbling, `Second place is OK'... but then you see the look on his face (when Chong won), priceless," he said. "He told me he was so happy for me and just super proud." In each episode of the CTV series, participants competed in individual and team-based cooking challenges, which resulted in one or more home cooks being eliminated from the competition each week. For the finale episode, Chong and Mohammed had to prepare a three-course meal, as their families and former competitors looked on, Eric Chong, 22, of Oakville wins the first-ever MasterChef Canada title and a $100,000 cash prize. He celebrates the win during last night's finale episode, surrounded by his family and the show's judges. | photo courtesy CTV Canada getting an hour to prepare and plate each course. "All I was thinking about was execute, execute, execute," said Chong. "I thought I had a really strong and ambitious menu and if I could execute it, I could win it." The White Oaks Secondary School graduate said he definitely had in mind ahead of time what he would prepare if he ever made to the finale. His winning dishes included a crispy pork belly with Chinese barbecue marinade, deep fried, and vegetable dumplings with wasabi mayo and soy reduction for an appetizer; his entrée featured homemade egg noodles with a poached lobster and lobster sauce; while dessert consisted of an Asian-planned banana split -- banana tempura, red bean and green tea ice cream, mango coulis and snow, topped with shaved chocolate. All of which he prepared at his trademark lightning-fast pace, not repeating his mistakes from previous episodes. "What I wanted to do in my menu see Chong on p.15 AVIGAYIL CASHED IN $1,384 FROM HER CLOSET! #EXCITED www.TrendTrunk.com Cash in your closet today at TrendTrunk.com