Pinoy in MasterChef Canada retraces culinary roots

MANILA, Philippines - Pinoy televiewers can now follow the journey of two Filipino-Canadian chefs who made it far in the Season 3 of MasterChef Canada.

Just how far? Find out as the culinary competition premieres on Lifetime, starting on March 6 and airing Monday to Friday nights at 8.

Ahead of the showing, The STAR had a phone interview with Matthew Astorga, one of the home cooks chosen from across Canada who battled it out in the kitchen for the $100,000 cash prize and the title of MasterChef. The other Pinoy in the Season 3 batch was Jeremy Senaris.

Matthew said he joined MasterChef because he has always wanted to do “something big in my life.”

“Being on the MasterChef has definitely opened a lot of doors. Ever since I was a kid, I had a big aspiration to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps. My grandfather was actually the vice mayor of Manila (Herminio Astorga). He came from nothing, he came from poverty and he became vice mayor,” said the 26-year-old digital design consultant.

“By following his footsteps, I’ve always wanted to do something big in my life. I started my own company when I was 18. I am 26 now. I’ve been working on that company for a while. Since the show aired, I shut down my company to pursue something in food. I’m not sure how specific I can get with what I’m doing now, but I’m definitely doing a lot of opportunities that came in. I have the opportunity to open a restaurant with some people here in Vancouver. I’m also looking at doing some more things in front of the camera. There’s a lot of opportunities just because of MasterChef Canada.”

Matthew harbors no regrets for giving up his design and marketing business for a foray into the culinary field.  

“I thought that creating a brand and doing that for other people would be something that would make me happy every single day. But as good as the money was, I wasn’t as happy as I was when I was in the competition,” Matthew revealed. 

“Doing the competition, I really found my passion, my love and my drive. Food has always been that for me. Being able to do that on an international scale has been very fulfilling for me, and that’s why after the competition, that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I just know that I had to go in head first. I knew Masterchef Canada could bring me to the place I wanted to go.”

The phone chat wouldn’t be complete without Matthew talking about his Filipino roots. “I was actually born in the Philippines. I was born in Manila Doctors Hospital. My mom is from Iloilo, my dad is from Manila. My dad went to school at La Salle. I grew up in Makati. I was very, very little when I left the Philippines. I was only five years old. I just remembered, every morning there was a man that yelled on the street ‘Taho, taho!’ (Laughs) So I had to have taho every morning and also balut every night.”

Asked about his earliest memory of food, he said it’s “something I love to do every day — Filipino breakfast. I don’t know if anything can beat Tapsilog. Tapsilog is my favorite, also tocino, all kinds of tocino, spicy, beef, chicken and pork. I’m actually working on a tocino marinade right now.”

Going into the competition, Matthew’s strength was his ability to “cook pretty much anything.”

He credited it to hours spent on reading cookbooks. “When I was growing up, I really didn’t like to read, but I really love reading cookbooks. I read them as much as anyone would read a novel. So I learned how to cook French food, Italian food, Vietnamese food, Thai food, all that from cookbooks, a passion that I have growing up.”

Nevertheless, Matthew advised aspiring cooks and chefs not to follow recipes in cookbooks to a T. “Don’t start cooking, read the recipe fully and after you read the recipe, don’t even look at it. Just continue to cook it, that’s how your instincts are built. So, you have your foundation, which is the book and if you’re not looking at the book, you’re really just using your instincts in cooking that recipe. Don’t be afraid not to follow it. Don’t be afraid to try.”

His Filipino heritage served him well as his culinary foundation, figuring importantly during the MasterChef challenges that required them to whip up different dishes. 

 “I learned how to cook Filipino food first and that’s something I can cook very well… I think where my Filipino heritage really comes to play is I do love the multi-cultural and fusion aspect of Filipino food because the food is inspired by so many different cultures. With that in mind, I was able to incorporate an understanding of flavors, just based on my Filipino heritage alone.”

From his being Filipino, Matthew also learned that cooking is a surefire way to everyone’s heart. “Cooking, for me, is an expression of love for sure. That’s true for me. Ever since I was a child, I was watching my mom, my lolas, my titas, my dad cook. They cook because they love you.

“I think one part of my childhood definitely was spending time with my family during dinner time, just being able to enjoy a good meal that my mom cooked. That’s where my love for food came from, those memories growing up and learning that food is an expression of love.”

(Lifetime is available on SKYCable Ch. 65 and 199, Destiny Cable Ch. 44 and 65, Cablelink Ch. 223, Dream Ch. 10 and Cignal HD Ch. 63.)