SURREY — The last time the Now spoke with David Jorge, the Surrey-based contractor vying for a spot on "Masterchef Canada," he played it coy.

The husband and father of two, who spent his career so far working in the concrete business, made it into the Top 50 on the cooking show and said he was trying hard to get “the white apron.”

By now, those who have been watching the show on CTV know that Jorge did, in fact, earn his white apron after serving up a west coast-style sablefish dish, and is competing in the Top 16.

“Having all that positive feedback about being the best dish of the night, including having (my family) be part of the show was just truly overwhelming, and I think it kind of reflected on my face,” Jorge said in a follow-up interview this week.

His spot on the season premiere featured Jorge tearing up as his wife and two sons stood alongside him while the show’s judges revealed he would be moving on to the second round.

Now that Jorge will be competing against 15 other home-cooks across the country, he said he’s more excited than before to see the show get kicked up a notch.

“For me, the upcoming episode is going to be exciting because now the show really begins,” he told the Now over the phone.

“Now truly the show begins, and we get to compete against each other and see who’s going to come out on top.”

So what preparation did he do to make sure he’d make the cut?

“I knew for some time prior to being on the show that I was going to be on the show, so the practice, any type of practice I could get at home, was plating,” he said.

“Because I’m not a professional chef by any stretch of the imagination, (I know that) food can taste the best in the world but if it doesn’t look good, you’re not going to get a response. So everything I worked on at home, even my kids’ cereal and mac and cheese was plated. I plated everything.”

So what can we expect from Jorge in the coming episodes?

Naturally, just like last time, he plays it coy.

“Now the competition really gets intense,” he said.

To watch for David’s progress, watch CTV on Sundays at 7 p.m.

 

 

Surrey Now