Thea Maintains her Queen of Flavour Status

Originally posted here

Thea VanHerwaarden’s fierce optimism and flavourful talent got her into the top 2 of “MasterChef Canada,” her ricotta tortellini on the menu of Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Jamie’s Italian and lots of publicity. Though the Queen of Flavour walked away without the “MasterChef Canada” title, she knows that when one door closes a few more will open.

“The future is wide open but I definitely want to pursue food as a full time career. I’m working on a website now which will be launched in the next day or two and doing a few food segments here and there.”

If the finale’s three hour cook-off taught Thea anything, it’s to keep on moving and put your best food forward and she did just that. She gained a whole new self-confidence that upped her game and made her a threat to her rival Trevor Connie. While Thea says her plates might not have looked the best they definitely tasted that way.

“The judges kept telling me ‘Be confident in yourself’ and I felt confident but I wasn’t showing that. The show has changed me a lot because it’s given me a new found confidence to not impress the judges and just do what [I] know.” On that note Thea declares, “I’m the flavour queen for sure. My food maybe didn’t look good but it tasted really good so that’s what saved me.”

Now that “MasterChef Canada” has wrapped up, what is Thea VanHerwaarden up to? What started as an interest in food criticism turned into a global pursuit to taste, travel and showcase the best national and international restaurants. She plans to launch her website theasty.com (pronounced TASTY) where she’ll share critiques, recipes restaurant features and culinary adventures with fellow foodies.