Suchismita Ghosh
Season 5 of the hit cooking reality series, ‘MasterChef Canada,’ premiered in 2018 on CTV. Judged by Alvin Leung, Claudio Aprile, and Michael Bonancini, 12 home cooks fought it out for the coveted trophy, million-dollar cash prize, and the prestigious title of Canada’s next MasterChef. Young Beccy Stables, a Sherwood Park resident and Grimsby, England native, eventually took the coveted titled home after defeating 11 versatile home cooks. As it’s been a while since the season wrapped up, ardent MasterChef fans can’t help but wonder where their favorite home cooks currently are.
Rebecca “Beccy” Stables is a Baking Enthusiast
Rebecca was only 19 years old when she won the title of Canada’s next MasterChef. Originally from Grimsby, England, she had moved with her family to Sherwood Park, Alberta, a decade before appearing on the show. After her season wrapped up, Rebecca shifted base to Okanagan, British Columbia, since her niece was quite fond of the surroundings. Thereafter, she started a baking website, Desert Club, to share her fondness for baked goods, but the website doesn’t exist anymore. Rebecca and her family then started the catering company Bec Catering.
However, it seems like the business is currently not functional. She also appeared as a guest judge in season 6 of ‘MasterChef Canada.’ Meanwhile, she broadened her horizons in the culinary sphere and gained hands-on experience. She worked as the head chef of Start Fresh Kitchen for a year and a half in November 2019 till it shut shop. Then, she served as a Baker at QB Gelato till March 2022. Rebecca, a baking enthusiast, now shares incredible creations on her social media profile that stand testament to her noteworthy cooking abilities.
Andrew “Andy” Hay Has Prospered as the Owner of a Content Studio
The runner-up of the season was Dartmouth, Nova Scotia native Andrew Hay. His love for food and the birth of his daughter propelled him to leave his corporate job as a senior account executive and take a leap of faith to start The East Coast Kitchen in December 2017. The content studio focuses on several things all at once. Right from recipe development to brand partnerships, food photography, catering for events, digital cooking classes, culinary activities, and digital content creation – it deals with all.
Andrew looked to collaborate and share his journey in the food world with anyone willing to know more about it. Thereafter, ‘MasterChef Canada’ happened, and his life ended up changing for the better. He started The Home Cooks Club in 2024 to provide members with weekly step-by-step recipes and clickable shopping lists to help reduce the stress of cooking the perfect meal. It also ensures that food and money are not wasted. The recipes are curated by Andy and a team of expert chefs. His social media profile is riddled with pictures of the most delectable dishes he whips up, while recipes of the same are made available on his website.
Michael Griffiths is Now Leading a Wholesome Family Life
Richmond Hill, Ontario, native Michael Griffiths was in the top 3 of his season. Having studied Mathematics at University and earned a D.Phil in Computational Science left him yearning to do something with cooking; his passion. And so, after his MasterChef journey commenced, Michael decided to blend the best of both worlds. He started Chef Michael G in 2018 and served as an international and travel chef. He also catered as an executive chef for private and corporate events and entertainment.
Michael then served as a host on Breakfast TV. However, he eventually chose to shut his small business in 2021. Thereafter, he entered the corporate world and is currently working as a Retail Sales Strategy Manager with Maple Leaf Foods Inc since March 2023. On the personal front, Michael married his long-time partner, Sabrina Griffiths, in 2022. The couple had their daughter, Nora, sometime in late 2023. While Michael prefers to keep a low profile and maintain privacy in life, his social media profile’s bio suggests that he’s still kept his passion and hunger for cooking alive.
Eugene Cheng is Now a Traveling Private Chef
Eugene Cheng, a Victoria, British Columbia native, reached the top 5 of his season. Considered one of the finest home cooks of his season, Eugene decided to expand his love for cooking to the world. As a traveling chef, he has visited over eighty countries so far. He has a mission of getting people to bond through shared experiences of food in creative ways. Eugene has also been keeping busy, working with and consulting on superyachts. When free, he enjoys curating exclusive pop-ups of his culinary delights or hosting private dining experiences for events and family gatherings throughout Vancouver.
Nadia Rehman Has Made Massive Strides in Her Professional Career
Nadia from Markham, Ontario, was one of the most promising cooks to reach quite far before eventually being eliminated in the top 5. The former account executive, who was already running Deep Side Yoga, decided to close her business venture and travel a little. Meanwhile, her career has also made significant progress as she has been working with Book4Time Inc. as their Sales Director, Strategic Accounts, and is a star employee there. While Nadia has continued her love for food through her travels, she now prefers to maintain a low profile.
Kaegan Donnelly is Focussing on Helping Bootstrap Startups Scale
Kaegan Donnelly had an interesting journey on the show. After getting eliminated in episode 3, he staged a remarkable comeback after winning ‘MasterChef Canada: Redemption.’ However, despite his heroic return, he eventually became the eighth home cook to return home. After Kaegan’s cooking show stint wrapped up, he decided to focus on his professional life. The software sales representative currently works with Lumen5 as their Head of Product. Kaegan prefers to keep his life intimate and despite having a social media presence, chooses to keep his account private.
Marissa Leon-John Has Started a Spice Blends Entrepreneurial Venture
Marissa Leon-John is of Caribbean heritage and was born in Montreal. A self-taught chef, Marissa has made massive strides in the culinary sector since her stint on the show ended. She founded Elle Jay’s, a multidisciplinary food journey that looks to cater and create private events. Being a proud LGBTQIA2 member of the Black community, Marissa hopes to use her platform and voice to advocate for the right causes via a shared love language for food. She has also started to curate a unique spice blend mix called Fairy Dust that’s available for sale on her website. On the personal front, Marissa is happily engaged to her long-term partner, Emmett Rose.
Jennifer “Jen” Jenkins is Now Working as a Lifestyle Coach
Jennifer Jenkins was able to reach the eighth position before getting eliminated in her season. Deciding to give her ambitions another shot, she participated in ‘MasterChef Canada’ season 7 but was sadly eliminated after reaching the top 10. Thereafter, she diversified her career a little. Jennifer has been working as a personalized lifestyle coach since May 2020. In her personal life, she and Devin Jenkins have been married since 2015, and the couple have two children, Riot and Scarlett. The family now lives in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Jonathan Rahim Now Runs a Thriving Catering Service
Jonathan Rahim was the fourth castmate to get eliminated from season 5. He is now the co-owner of Good Buds Catering with his wife, Amanda Nirmala. Jonathan and his team provide complete packages for all kinds of events, such as weddings, private gatherings, special events, corporations, and the like. He also does food pop-ups all across Winnipeg, where he resides with Amanda. The couple is currently looking to expand their business and provide the best possible service to their growing list of clients.
Michael Varga Has Blended His Passion With His Profession
Michael Varga, a firefighter from Vancouver, British Columbia, couldn’t go very far on the show when he became the third contestant to get eliminated. However, not to take the loss at heart, Michael has continued to dabble with food, even while maintaining his job as a firefighter. His social media profile is filled with collaborative ventures and cooking videos with his colleagues, daughter, and pet dog. Michael seems to enjoy whipping up a storm now and then and has also kept in touch with several of his castmates. Several of them have made quite a few noteworthy appearances together.
Reem Ahmed Now Has a Flourishing Food Blogging Career
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Reem Ahmed, a biomedical engineer from Toronto, Ontario, with Egyptian roots, had quite a bit of potential going into the show but sadly got eliminated even before she could show her abilities to the judges. Reem now runs a thriving food blog called ‘Cook With Reem.’ She also conducts successful virtual cooking classes and has been featured in several events and channels. She hopes to open an Egyptian restaurant and host a cooking show on television someday.
Reem considers herself to be an active voice for the Arab community. She intends to help spread the importance of food and showcase ways in which it helps combat depression and anxiety. Reem is also an active voice for human rights, and her social media profile is currently filled with content related to the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
Melissa Skowron is Now a Culture Advocate and Artist
Melissa Skowron, the first castmate to get eliminated in season 5, has since changed her line of work and is now a successful career artist. Not only does she create stunning portraits and paint gorgeous abstracts, but her artistic creations are also available for sale. The culture advocate has also started a business venture, Golden Maple Designs. She sells handmade jewelry and home decor items. The products are currently available for sale in Calgary, Alberta, but she is soon looking to open her first store.
Read More: MasterChef Canada Season 4: Where Are the Contestants Now?
