Sudbury native in the running for MasterChef title

Whether or not Sudbury native Marida Mohammed won MasterChef Canada — and the show's $100,000 top prize — still remains to be revealed, but either way, the contestant said the show has given her something priceless.

In the episodes aired so far, Mohammed has made it to the top nine. Her identical twin sister, Narida Mohammed, also appeared on the show, making it to the top 50.

Mohammed, 31, who has no formal chef training, said the show — which she calls a “great experience” — gave her confidence in her cooking abilities.

“It really is something that anybody can do if that's their passion,” she said. “I think if I can totally make it on this show and have a chance to showcase my food, then anybody can do it.”

With Narida's help, she'd like to open a fine dining Caribbean restaurant in Toronto or host a cooking show. The $100,000 prize would definitely help with that, she said.

Mohammed lived in Trinidad until she was 13 years old, when her family moved to Sudbury. Although she relocated to Toronto at the age of 23, she still has family members who live in the Nickel City.

Her background has inspired her cooking, as she fuses flavours from Trinidad with those from the other cultures she's experienced. She said she grew up cooking, trying to mimic her mom's dishes and trying out new recipes.

Mohammed said she's received “great reviews” from the judges on the show — all well-known chefs.

The show involves a number of cooking challenges. For example, the contestants are given a “mystery box” containing various ingredients, and they compete to see who can make the best dish with those ingredients.

“It is as intense as it looks,” Mohammed said.

MasterChef Canada airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CTV. For more information, visit the show's website at www.ctv.ca/MasterChefCanada.aspx.