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MasterChef Canada winner David Jorge cooks up his next move

David Jorge may have won the MasterChef Canada title, trophy and $100,000 windfall, but his two sons, JJ and Nuno, didn’t do too badly either for keeping Dad’s win a secret for months.

“My children did an amazing job,” the Surrey B.C. native said the day after he beat out Line Pelletier for the culinary win. “Even their kindergarten teacher complimented them on keeping the secret. The deal was that if they kept it quiet we’d take them to Disneyland. So we’re doing that.”

Many thought Season 2 of the reality competition was Jorge’s to lose. After all, despite one or two minor flubs along the way he’d been near or at the top of the pack, winning Mystery Box Challenges and keeping himself up in the gallery—and safe—from elimination. His domination was pre-planned in advance back home before Jorge flew east to compete, though he did have to tweak his season finale three-course meal a little bit and swap in the tomato appetizer because fellow competitor Cody Karey made a similar pasta plate earlier on.

Not only did Jorge win consistently, but he was a good guy about it. The result? Rather than turn on him and try to take him out, the MasterChef Canada finalists could only cheer him on from the sidelines. Jorge admits that wasn’t part of his plan, but who he is.

“Unfortunately, or fortunately, I’m one of those people who wants to be everybody’s friend,” Jorge said with a laugh. “I didn’t get to cook in the first episode, so I made a huge meal for everyone. I bought a lamb and roasted that—I tried to do it in an hour—so by the time they had settled in I had this huge meal ready for them. When you feed somebody, they become immediate friends.”

Jorge may have won a crucial $100,000 to put towards a restaurant in Surrey or Vancouver, but he’s not rushing anything yet. The concrete business is still putting bread on the table for his family, so there are no plans to quit that in the near future. Jorge’s immediate plot? Seek out investors to help get his eatery off the ground.

“I’ve been waiting for this news to come out before I started to talk to anyone about partnerships,” he said. “I’m hoping to do something within the next year, but I don’t want to jump into anything just because.”

Season 3 of MasterChef Canada is casting now. Head to the show’s website for details on how to apply.

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