From Oral Care to Culinary Flair: Dentistry Grad Shines on MasterChef Canada
By Rachel Boutet
While working to complete her DDS, Liz Worndl 2T0 fueled her cooking dream as a founding member of the Faculty of Dentistry’s Culinary Club. Now, she’s competing on reality TV show MasterChef Canada, earning a white apron to match her dentistry white coat.
“It’s been a dream of mine to be on this show for a long time – I’m a shameless MasterChef superfan,” she says. “It’s so inspiring to see home cooks put themselves out there and pursue their dreams.”
Some of these past home cooks include U of T alumni Christopher Siu, who was the winner of Season 7, and Mary Berg, winner of Season 3 and now one of the three hosts of the show. Worndl considered applying to be a contestant during her last year of dental school, but when the COVID-19 pandemic happened, the show went on hiatus. Worndl was finally able to apply for Season 8, after “months of hitting refresh on the casting call page.”
Worndl says her passion for cooking came from being in the kitchen with her Ukrainian grandmother, who loved to feed the family. Worndl may not have realized it at the time, but she was learning essential fine motor skills that would come in handy for her future career.
“When I was applying to dental school, I was asked about tactile experience working with my hands,” she says. “My knife and cooking skills have definitely been transferable to dentistry. Yes, ingredients are usually larger than teeth, but it’s the same concept.”
Worndl continued to fuel her passion for food during her time at the Faculty through the Culinary Club, where classmates would get together to cook, share dishes, and learn from each other. Although being a dental student is incredibly busy, she says cooking has always been her release, even now as she works as a full-time dentist in Toronto.
“My knife and cooking skills have definitely been transferable to dentistry. Yes, ingredients are usually larger than teeth, but it’s the same concept."
“No matter how busy I am, at the end of the day cooking has always helped me unwind and relieve the day’s stress,” she says. “Dentistry is often so precise without a lot of wiggle room – it’s like following a recipe. I get to let my creativity go with my cooking, make a delicious meal and enjoy it afterward.”
While she can’t give away any spoilers, Worndl says her experience on MasterChef Canada was extremely challenging and the most exciting thing she’s ever done.
“Before the filming started, I was studying and practicing techniques,” Worndl says. “It felt very reminiscent of getting ready for dental school!”
Worndl doesn’t know exactly what the future holds, but adds that her ideal world will include both dentistry and cooking.
“This opportunity was my foot in the door to pursue my food dream, but it certainly doesn’t mean I’m leaving my dental career behind,” she says. “Dentistry can be so technical and stressful, and having side passions allows me to be my best self, including in my role as a dentist. My dream is to continue to share my creations with the world.”
You can cheer on Liz Worndl on Season 8 of MasterChef Canada every week and check out her recipes on Instagram and her website.
Top photo: Courtesy of MasterChef Canada
