TORONTO, December 12, 2025 — Toronto home cooks Liz Worndl and Veronica Wu say they were completely surprised—maybe even a little shocked—to be named among the top three finalists on the hit show MasterChef Canada. The finalists include 33-year-old Liz Worndl, a Toronto dentist; 30-year-old Veronica Wu, a Senior Data Engineering Manager from Toronto; and Marianne Smeaton, who lives on a cattle ranch in northern B.C. The winner of Season 8 will be crowned on Tuesday December 16th at 8 p.m. on CTV and the episode can be streamed the following day on Crave.
“I can tell you my expectations going into this competition was not to be a finalist!” exclaims Liz Worndl. “I was super shocked and excited that I got into the top 15 and got on the show. Every day, every challenge, truly was so exciting and so much fun. It was an amazing experience. To make it to the top three; never, ever, did I think that I would be in the finale, but I am grateful that I am!”
Veronica Wu echoes this sentiment. Asked what the biggest reward was she experienced while competing on MasterChef Canada, Wu answers: “One is the camaraderie and getting to meet the amazing people, including the fellow contestants, the judges, and the crew. There is so much talent that goes into making sure this is a great show to watch. The other is the achievement of being on the show. I did not expect that one day I would be on MasterChef Canada. I just applied and now I am in the finale! It was an amazing experience.”
MasterChef Canada features home cooks from across the country as they chase their culinary dreams by competing in various culinary challenges under the watchful eyes of the judges. Season 8 judges include Canadian Screen Award-winning host, cookbook author, and Season 3 MasterChef Canada winner Mary Berg: internationally acclaimed chef and cookbook author Hugh Acheson and chef/restauranteur Craig Wong.
At the start of the season there were 15 home cooks competing, and then there were three.
Liz Worndl, Occupation: Dentist, Hometown: Toronto, Go-To Dish: Homemade Cappelletti Pasta
“I think my biggest challenge on the show was finding my footing in the kitchen,” admits Worndl. “For the first several challenges, I was cooking food that I thought would impress the judges. I was really intimidated by the cooks around me, so I was trying things that I normally would not make. The truth is, it was not really the food that I was used to cooking or the food that I would normally cook at home for my family and friends. It took some time, and luckily, I had the runway to experiment and got by in those first few weeks. My biggest reward was finally finding my own style in the kitchen and being able to cook the way I felt comfortable. These last few challenges, I was really proud because it was food that I liked to cook for myself, my husband and family and friends.”
Worndl describes her cooking style as “elevated, good home cooking.” She adds, “I am not trying to reinvent the wheel in anything I am doing, but just trying to elevate it a bit more. I honestly feel that anyone could create the dishes that I am making—anyone who has a sharp knife and a little bit of experience with a pan in the kitchen. It is all about seasoning it properly, bringing in a few unexpected elements, and presenting it in a beautiful way. It is approachable cooking that is a bit elevated.”
The dentist first discovered her passion for cooking from her grandmother.
“It’s funny because I was such a picky eater when I was a kid,” recalls Worndl. “I am the youngest of three girls and by the time I rolled around I think my parents had given up the fight and said we cannot do this anymore—eat what you want. My grandmother is Ukrainian, and she made the most amazing food that I did not appreciate when I was little, but as time went on, I started to really appreciate her homemade pierogies, cabbage rolls, and all these amazing dishes. From her inspiration, I really started to learn to cook and get comfortable in the kitchen. When I was a young teenager, I loved making dinner for my family.”
In high school, Worndl recalls doing a project in career class that relates to her passion for cooking. “My dream in Grade 10 was to attend culinary school at George Brown College and become a chef. My parents said, ‘well that’s nice, but no. You are getting a professional career in a different field.’ I do not blame them at all; they wanted to set me up for success and they were doing what they thought was right for me, so I appreciate my parents’ decision. I have no regrets, but I am incredibly happy to have the opportunity to flex my culinary muscle and find out that I actually am a good cook.”
While in dentistry school, Worndl started a culinary club. Today, she has a successful food blog (Plated by Liz) and spends her vacations travelling overseas, where she takes immersive cooking classes. Known for her meticulous style and love of hosting, Liz plans to expand her blog into a food hub where she can share recipes and videos and one day write a cookbook.
“I was so inspired by the experience of being on the show that I started a food blog and I make food videos with my husband,” explains Worndl. “If I write a cookbook, I think I will also call it Plated by Liz because that speaks to me. One of the comments I got from the judges is that they really appreciated my plating. Food is all about flavour and that is most important, but food is art and that is my creative outlet. And it’s so much fun.”
Along with finding her stride in the kitchen, Worndl admits she faced other challenges while competing on the acclaimed culinary show: “I was surprised how hard it was, and not necessarily the cooking part. The cooking was challenging, but what shocked me was how exhausting the process was from a physical and emotional perspective–competing day by day and challenge by challenge. Long days on set and the creative energy that is required to keep pushing. I had no idea what to expect but it was harder than I could have ever imagined.”
With challenge comes rewards, which make all the hard work worth it, says Worndl. Asked what winning the title of Season 8 MasterChef Canada would mean to her, Worndl answers: “To win the title would just be the cherry on top of this unbelievable experience. And the money: I have this other career, which I have fully invested in and had to really work to pay off, so it has been a long journey to get here. I would love to maybe take a little step back; maybe that’s one or two days a week to focus a little bit more on food; that would be incredible. What I really want to do with my time is divide it between my career and my real passion—cooking and sharing food with others.”
Veronica Wu, Occupation: Senior Data Engineering Manager, Hometown: Toronto, Go-To Dish: Sichuan Sliced Beef with Tripe in Homemade Chili Sauce
Fellow finalist Veronica Wu grew up in Tianshui, a remote and historical city in Northwest China. She immigrated to Canada 10 years ago to pursue her education. She also credits family members as her inspiration behind her culinary passion.
“My inspiration was from my childhood and cooking with my parents and grandparents,” explains Wu. “I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, who cooked every day for me until I graduated from high school. A lot of my dishes are from my grandparents. I have been in Canada for 10 years, so I also got a lot of influence and inspiration from being in Toronto, where there is so much diversity and so many types of cuisine that I did not get a chance to experience in my home city.”
Wu also struggled to decide which dishes to cook for the judges. Ironically, it was something a judge said to another contestant that inspired Wu to showcase her love of Asian cuisine.
“My biggest challenge was that I made a lot of Chinese food at home, but was worried about pleasing everyone’s palettes and impressing the judges,” explains Wu. “I heard one of the judges complimenting another contestant and said she ‘cooked with her heart.’ At that moment, I decided to cook Chinese dishes and go with my flavours and cooking style. Going into the finale, I was excited about being able to create my own menu and showcase what I am capable of as a home cook.”
Wu is highly technical in the kitchen, having mastered both baking and cooking. She giggles when asked how her skills in the kitchen might relate to her career as a Senior Data Engineering Manager.
“I think being in the engineering field in general, the skill set is being detail-oriented and being super organized,” she answers. “That is my strength in competition. I try to keep my station really organized so you do not worry about missing ingredients and your mind is clear because you have a clean station. As the competition becomes more challenging, having a detail-oriented mindset helps you focus on what is important to complete the challenge.”
Wu is also a risk-taker when it comes to cooking and her future aspirations. One of her dreams is to open a farm-to-table restaurant with cats and capybaras (a close relative of the guinea pig) in the yard.
“Opening a property is a huge financial risk as you have to invest a lot and also be responsible for other people that you hire,” admits Wu. “Farm-to-table is just one of my ideas. I envision a beautiful garden that people walk through on their way to the restaurant. I have also thought about culinary school and getting more training under professional chefs. Opening a restaurant is a long-term plan as more learning is required. My goal is to learn to become a better cook and to learn how to open a business.”
Asked what earning the title of MasterChef Canada Season 8 Winner would mean to her, Wu answers: “Winning the competition and being in the finale says a lot about how much I love food and how truly amazing everyone is in this competition. It would be a huge accomplishment. It is a dream come true and you learn so much and get to meet amazing people.”
Her advice to others thinking of competing on the show? “There is nothing to lose. You always get something out of the experience. Just take one step at a time and you never know where it will lead.”
Tune in to CTV on Tuesday, December 16th, to watch the final episode of Season 8 to see who will be crowned the next winner of MasterChef Canada, or stream the show the next day on Crave. For more information visit ctv.ca/shows/masterchef-canada, @MasterChefCDA.
interview and story by Laurie Wallace-Lynch
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