Bolton woman makes final 49 of MasterChef show

February 8, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea

Sweet and sour meatballs on rice would sound like a pretty appealing meal to just about anyone.
It’s one of the offerings in the MasterChef Canada competition, which started airing Sunday night.
The entry is the creation of Bolton resident Holli Miller.
The program premiered Sunday night, right after CTV’s coverage of the Super Bowl, and some contestants were shown to advance to the final 16. Miller was not mentioned Sunday night, so her official status is not known. The next episode will be broadcast this coming Sunday (Feb 8).
Miller, 24, has resided in Bolton since 2001, currently living with her parents and boyfriend. She is employed as a bank teller.
She was among 49 competitors to make it to this year’s televised competition. They were all competing to make it into the Top 16 for the chance to win a $100,000 cash prize and the title of the next Canadian MasterChef.
She said MasterChef was one of her favourite shows.
She got into the competition after being on the Internet one day and finding information on how to audition.
“I decided, ‘Why not?’ and tried out, and this is how far I got,” she said.
Miller said the first audition was in July, and she learned in the fall that she had been named a finalist.
“I felt amazing,” she recalled after getting the news. “I actually cried for a couple of minutes when I got the phone call. I actually cried. I was so happy.”
She also admitted she was surprised when she got the news.
“I didn’t think I was ever going to make it,” she said.
But this kind of success shouldn’t be too surprising, if one is motivated.
“To me, cooking is just a passion that I do,” she said.
She added that ever since she was little, she would help her father cook, then she eventually started cooking for herself. She said that most of her memories involve food, whether it’s preparing a big meal or going out for dinner.
And the meatballs are something special too.
“It’s a delicacy in our house,” she said. “It’s one of our favourite dishes.”
She added there’s nothing secret about the recipe or preparation.
“It’s pretty basic,” she commented. “It’s just one of those things that we like to do.”
As for the future, Miller said she sees herself joining the food truck scene and selling her own brand of “kooky comfort food.” She said that would include such items as savoury pies and tarts, which could be sold from a truck or at festivals.
“It was an amazing experience,” she said. “I’m so happy that I got to experience it. I’m so happy that I auditioned.”