Big Daddy Bacon

 

Sean Hickey

Sean.Hickey@bigdaddybacon.com

 

 

London’s Sean Hickey put ‘mise en place’ in its place, perfectly.

The 47-year-old former auto worker received his apron Sunday to be part of the final 14 contestants in CTV’s MasterChef Canada reality television show vying for $100,000 cash.

After the first show, six contestant were named to the final 14 and the remaining 18 contestants left from the original 40 were brought back for a second chance.

The 18 were given a ‘mise en place’ challenge. Mise en place is a French culinary term to describe setting out ingredients.

Hickey and the others were given 15 minutes to cut a chicken into eight pieces, shuck and remove the corn from six cobs, julienne three sweet peppers, separate 24 eggs into yolks and whites, clean and de-vein a dozen shrimp and peel and core one apple.

No one completed the entire task, but Hickey impressed the judges, who called him up first and alone to receive the coveted MasterChef apron bearing his name.

“I’m not going anywhere; I’m here to stay,” said Hickey on the show, wagging a finger in a clear challenge to the others.

“Get ready! Get Ready!”

Monday, Hickey said he “knew” he’d get an apron when he realized the challenge, especially considering his prior training at Fanshawe more than 25 years ago.

“I always buy my chickens whole and break them down and de-bone them to make broth,” said Hickey.

“Knife skills are a lot like riding a bike, you don’t forget.”

The next show will be what’s called a “mystery box challenge” when the 14 contestants receive a box of ingredients and told to create something.

“That’s where you’ve got to take your skills to the next level,” said Hickey. “You have no idea what the ingredients are going to be until you lift that box.”

 

 

 

 

Hickey was clearly emotional when the judges handed him his apron.

“Yes, there were tears,” said Hickey, who brings a big personality — loud and confident — to the show.

“What you see is what you get. There’s not much down time when it comes to Sean Hickey.”