John Leung

Growing up in Hong Kong, John was inspired from a young age by his grandmother, mother and aunts to be passionate about food, cooking and eating (even if he was not allowed in the kitchen!). But somehow, he persisted -- and this has led to various attempts at experimentation at home (up to and including cooking a meal for 12 when he was 21 with absolutely no training or idea what he was doing!), all while eating and picking up skills and flavour combinations, one plate at a time. All of this culmulated to an appearance on the inaugural season of MasterChef Canada, where he finished in the very first Top 26. After that, any idea of going back to the workaday work went out the window.

Since then, John has trained at restaurants throughout the Calgary, including the Eats of Asia booth at Crossroads Farmers Market and the River Cafe on Princes Island. All the while, he continued to hone his love of food and flavours from around the world, and at the same time earning his Red Seal (a Canadian trade certification) in cooking. While currently not in the industry these days, you can find him cooking and sharing his love of food live on Twitch three times a week.