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Vernon  

Vernon's own MasterChef

She's a mother of three, a dental hygienist, a foodie, a couponer – and she might be Canada's next MasterChef.

Season two of the popular home-cook culinary competition MasterChef Canada begins this weekend, and one of Vernon's own will be gracing our TV screens.

Jennifer Innis, 34, has called Vernon home for two years now, choosing to move her family away from the harsh winters of Leduc, Alta., to the Okanagan for the beauty, lifestyle and outdoors

She keeps busy with her three daughters, Tayva, 10, Sophie, 3, and Erika, 18 months, and loves her job. But her passion is food.

“I've always wanted to do this, actually. Cooking is in my blood,” says Innis. “My mom is a chef and she has a best-selling cookbook out there, so it is just something I grew up with.”

In fact, cooking in front of a crowd and cooking for show are second nature to the Vernon mom.

“Anytime I had an assignment in school where I had to do an oral presentation of sorts, it was always a cooking demo,” explains Innis, who even found a way to work cooking into her dental career. While in school for dental hygiene, Innis says she presented a cooking demo on anti-cavity and cavity-preventative foods.

She is actually no stranger to reality TV cooking shows. She also competed in CBC's Recipes to Riches and nearly had her signature chicken Cornish pasties win big.

When season one of MasterChef Canada was announced Innis, was about to give birth to her youngest and couldn't apply. But when season two was announced, she knew it was time to try.

Her husband has not been as fond of her TV experiences and wasn't too pleased when she started the MasterChef Canada applications without his knowledge.

“I wanted to so badly, but I had to consider that my kids are little and that my husband was going to be so mad, but I had do it. I thought I will submit my application, and if I don't get through, no harm no foul. But, of course, I got through,” says Innis, who adds she could no longer hide the process from her family as she had to head to Vancouver for the next round of auditions.

She made it through the Vancouver auditions and waited for the call that she was chosen to fly to Toronto in the top 50.

“I got the call, and it was so exciting, but it was scary, too. I had to talk to the boss and tell them I could potentially be gone for a couple of months,” says Innis. “Not to mention my kids were very small. My youngest wasn't even completely weened yet, so that was fun. My husband was ticked right off.”

His disapproval ended up igniting her competitive spirit.

“Going into the competition, it was clear that going home was not an option because I needed to prove him wrong,” says Innis. “That this isn't a waste of time and that this is actually something that could potentially benefit our family indefinitely. It is not just some fun little thing I enjoy; I would actually like to make a career out of this... it is something I am very passionate about. Don't get me wrong, I love cleaning people's teeth, but my heart is in the kitchen.”

With the B.C. school system in strike mode, finding childcare for the kids was tough, but she was able to seek assistance from her parents and in-laws when she took off to Toronto.

She says the experience was amazing and she met phenomenal home cooks, but it wasn't always glamorous.

The competition involves long hours on your feet and sometimes wearing the same outfit for days to keep up with the magic of TV.

“You are in same dang outfit every single day for 14-16 hours a day and you stink.... I was dumb and I was wearing heels, and my feet were killing me,” laughs Innis. “The stress, as well, because you just don't know whether this is the end of the road for you.”

She says the other home cooks' talent blew her mind, and she was able to learn much from the other contestants.

Innis especially connected with fellow competitor Lauren Scheit, who is also a mother of three about the same age and also from Leduc.

“People thought we were sisters, some thought we were even twins,” laughs Innis. “We both got along so well and had so much in common. I met a lot of great people, and the talent was just wow.

Her long-term food dream is to open a food truck specializing in drool-worthy grilled cheese.

“I want to do something that is comforting and cozy, and who doesn’t love grilled cheese?”

The entire season was filmed last fall, so Innis of course knows how far she made it in the competition, but her lips are sealed for now.

The premier of MasterChef Canada is this Sunday, after the Super Bowl. 



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