Andres Araneda, a Grade 5 teacher and punk band musician in the Regina area, now finds himself as a MasterChef Canada contestant.

Since he was three years old helping his grandmother inside her home, cooking has always been close to his heart.

When MasterChef Canada applications opened for season eight, it was an instant ‘yes,’ as this is something he’s dreamt of for years. From the application process to being on the show itself, Araneda said it always felt like a natural fit.

“This is one of my passions, so this was really easy for me,” he said. “I just had to act like myself and just show off my love for cooking.”

His wife, Sienna, is not surprised he made the cut after submitting his application.

“I’m so proud of him,” she said. “To be honest, I never had a doubt in my mind of him not making it onto the show.”

The application process is a lengthy one, having to prove to the judges that they have strong skills in the kitchen. She saw the effort her husband put into the kitchen, outside of being the main chef of the household.

“He was up into the wee hours of the morning practicing cooking, timing his cooking, perfecting dishes and reading food theory, and it was a lot,” she said. “It was really, really hard, and I know he was exhausted and drained, but he just kept going.”

Season eight’s first episode starts out with 15 contestants fighting for 12 white aprons.

In the first challenge, chefs must rely on their signature dishes to advance to the next round.

For Araneda, deep-dish pizza happens to be his specialty. He’ll be using this dish in front of the three judges of the show.

“You have to be extremely creative and very efficient,” he said. “When you’re in front of a couple judges and you have competition, it’s really nerve-wracking and scary.”

Araneda is the second MasterChef Canada contestant to originate from Regina, after Josh Miller, who finished third in season six.

“Saskatchewan is going to be well represented, I’m feeling very, very good,” Mary Berg, one of the hosts of MasterChef Canada, said during Your Morning Saskatchewan.

“Saskatchewan, in all the seasons of MasterChef Canada, every time they’ve appeared have really kicked some butt, so we’ll see what the season has in store,” she added.

Only time will tell if Araneda will have to take off his apron or walk away with the $100,000 grand prize on finale night.

The first episode airs on CTV at 8 p.m. Mountain Time on Thursday evening.