Mary Berg (chef) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mary Berg
Mary Berg at the 2019 CFC Garden Party
Born	(1989-12-13) 13 December 1989 (age 35) Pickering, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater	Wilfrid Laurier University University of Toronto Pine Ridge Secondary School
Occupation	Insurance broker (former) Cook TV host Author
Known for	Masterchef Canada Mary's Kitchen Crush

Mary Berg is a Canadian television host, author, and cook. She became famous after winning the third season of MasterChef Canada. Mary has hosted two cooking shows, Mary's Kitchen Crush and Mary Makes It Easy. She also hosts the daytime talk show, The Good Stuff with Mary Berg. Mary is scheduled to return to the MasterChef Canada kitchen as a judge in fall 2025 for its upcoming eighth season. She has written three cookbooks: Kitchen Party, Well Seasoned, and In Mary's Kitchen.

Early Life and Education

Mary Berg was born in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. When she was four years old, Mary was in a car accident where her father passed away. Her mother and brother were injured, but Mary was mostly unharmed.

Mary started helping her family prepare meals around age seven. By the time she was 13, she was cooking dinner for her family all by herself.

School and University

Mary attended Pine Ridge Secondary School in Pickering. After high school, she went to Wilfrid Laurier University. There, she studied both history and English. Later, she earned a master's degree in information science from the University of Toronto.

Mary's Career Journey

After finishing university, Mary worked as an insurance broker. She left this job in 2016 to compete on MasterChef Canada. Mary won season three of the show. She was the first female winner of MasterChef Canada.

Life After MasterChef

Since winning MasterChef Canada, Mary has appeared on other TV shows. She was a regular food expert on programs like Your Morning and The Marilyn Denis Show. In 2017, Mary starred in her own eight-episode cooking show called Mary's Big Kitchen Party on Gusto. She also worked as a food consultant for an episode of Star Trek: Discovery.

Mary is the first MasterChef Canada winner to host her own cooking show. Her show, Mary's Kitchen Crush, started on CTV in April 2019.

Awards for Mary's Kitchen Crush

Mary's Kitchen Crush won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lifestyle Series in 2020. Mary also won Best Lifestyle Host at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards. The show won Best Lifestyle Series again in 2021 at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards. Mary also won Best Lifestyle Host that year.

Cookbooks and New Shows

Mary's first cookbook, Kitchen Party, was published in September 2019.

In 2021, Mary launched a new series called Mary Makes It Easy. This show focuses on simple recipes for people who find cooking difficult. It aired on CTV Life Channel. That same year, her second cookbook, Well Seasoned, was released. Well Seasoned won a gold medal at the 2022 Taste Canada Awards for best general cookbook.

More Awards for Mary Makes It Easy

On April 6, 2022, Mary won the Canadian Screen Award for Host, Lifestyle at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards. Mary Makes It Easy also won the award for Lifestyle Program or Series. Mary is a co-executive producer for this show.

On April 12, 2023, Mary hosted the 11th Canadian Screen Awards ceremony for Lifestyle and Reality Television. Mary Makes It Easy won three awards that night. These included 'Best Lifestyle Program or Series', 'Best Direction, Lifestyle or Information', and 'Best Photography, Lifestyle or Reality/Competition'.

In February 2022, Mary Makes It Easy also began airing on Food Network in the USA. Mary was also a co-host for the CTV show, Cross Country Cake Off, which started in December 2022.

Hosting The Good Stuff

In June 2023, it was announced that Mary would host The Good Stuff with Mary Berg. This is a new daily talk and lifestyle show. It replaced The Marilyn Denis Show on CTV's daytime schedule. The show's name comes from a quote Mary included in her first cookbook. The quote is from the movie Ratatouille: "‘If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff." The Good Stuff premiered on September 5, 2023. It airs on weekdays.

In July 2023, Mary announced she would host a podcast called Mary's Reservation for Two. Her third cookbook, In Mary’s Kitchen: Stress-Free Recipes for Every Home Cook, was published in October 2023. In Mary's Kitchen won a 2024 Taste Canada Award in the General Cookbooks category.

Dealing with Fake Ads

In January 2024, fake ads appeared on X (formerly Twitter). These ads falsely claimed Mary Berg had been arrested. The Good Stuff team addressed these ads on X on January 5. They wrote, "We are aware of the ongoing issue of fake advertisements targeting Mary Berg. We encourage our followers to remain vigilant against these deceptive ads and report suspicious content to the platform they're using." These ads were found to be part of a cryptocurrency scam.

Recent Achievements

On May 30, 2025, Mary Berg won two awards at the 13th Canadian Screen Awards. Mary Makes It Easy won for Best Lifestyle Program or Series. Mary also won for Best Host, Lifestyle. The Good Stuff with Mary Berg was awarded Best Talk or Entertainment News Series. Mary was also nominated as Best Host, Talk Show or Entertainment News for The Good Stuff with Mary Berg.

On June 5, 2025, it was announced that Mary will be a judge on the upcoming Season 8 of MasterChef Canada. She will judge alongside Toronto chef Craig Wong and chef Hugh Acheson.

Television Appearances

Personal Life

Mary Berg lives in Toronto, Ontario. She lives with her husband, Aaron Mariash, who is an engineer. Mary has been a pescatarian for over 15 years. This means she eats fish but not other meat. However, she does cook meat on her TV shows.