Claudio Aprile was only 5 when he took interest in cooking, and 14 when he started to make it a vocation. The Uruguay-born and Canada-raised MasterChef judge says he has spent more of his life in the kitchen than anywhere else.

"Cooking is really something that’s been an integral part of my creative process," he says. "I wouldn’t say it’s a hobby – but it’s definitely something I get a lot of pleasure from doing."

Touted ‘one of Canada’s most celebrated and visionary chefs’, Aprile has built a solid name for himself in Toronto, where his restaurants Colborne Lane and Origin have received countless awards and accolades, the latter being named the #1 restaurant in the city by Toronto Life and NOW magazines. What stands out to him, or appeals most, about a good dish is really quite simple, and some might say even carnal.

"Aroma really tells me everything," he explains. "How a dish smells is really the first impression for me. A dish has to be visually appealing as well."

Aprile is all for the classics.

"Risk taking – that concept kind of frightens me sometimes," he says. "Again aroma is such an important factor for me, not only when I am judging a dish on MasterChef, but even when I am in a restaurant ... I always smell the dish first."

"Animals do that too. It’s a survival technique."

It’s also a means for staying alive on the show; creating pleasant, well-executed dishes that follow the instructions outlined in the judge’s challenges.

"We give away all the secrets if you listen," he tips. "So many of the lessons are laid out in the presenting monologue, or whatever you want to call it. It’s all there."

He offers the outcome of last Sunday’s episode as example. The Elimination Challenge ingredient was selected, by contestant Cody Karey, as truffles.

"One cook, ‘Concrete’ Dave, he listened; he made the truffle the star of that dish and he completely slayed everyone in that competition," Aprile says. Contestant Kevin Gregory, presenting a "Decadent Eggs" dish that confused the judges with its lack of truffles, was sent home.

"I always gravitate towards a chef who is quiet but, you know... they are a good listener," he explains. "I tend to gravitate towards people that have a bit of an underdog character to them."

Humility and generosity are two additional traits Aprile says he looks for in a winning chef.

"Always remain a student," he says. "Accept the fact you picked a career where no one ever becomes a master."

This timeless logic stands true for even Aprile himself. With over 30 years in the industry, he admits he is still learning. MasterChef was his first experience appearing on a televised cooking show as a judge.

"I’ve done a few things here and there... but never pursued television," he says. "I was very cautious of merging those two worlds."

In MasterChef, however, he found a unique way to do that.

"The show... has been a very steep learning curve," he says. "I find a lot of the cooks very inspiring in how so many of them have taken a leap of faith... [and] given up their family lives and work lives to be on the show."

"The show has really taught me... the importance of ... empathy, and also it has taught me how to be live."

Appearing in front of a barrage of cameras and crew is something quite different from heading a kitchen.

"There is an incredible team behind us, guiding us through the process," he says. "I definitely feel like I’ve been thrown in the deep end... [but] it’s great to try something new."

With filming having wrapped last fall, Aprile admits critiquing never became natural.

"It is challenging to tell someone – a home cook – that their dish isn’t good enough. I always find that a bit difficult, because it’s someone that put a lot of time and effort into that dish."

When Aprile comes home from a day of work he is sure to hang his chef hat at the door and let his wife, Heather, take the helm.

"Home food, for me, is very different than restaurant food. Restaurant food is very precise, time sensitive and, in many ways, it is very standardized. Recipes have to be the same every time you prepare them," he explains. "Home food, for me, is more relaxed... At home I tend to check the chef at the door and my wife is really in charge of the home kitchen."

He says her soups are some of his favourite dishes to come home to, naming, specifically, Heather’s lemongrass, chicken and corn summer soup as a top notcher.

"I’ll pretty much eat anything my kids make me," he adds, proudly noting that both his son, 13, and daughter, 7, love to cook too.

As for future stints on television, Aprile is doubtful. He is very content with his experience on MasterChef.

"The show is such a special show; it’s such a special program. We celebrate home cooking, which is really the place where most of the chefs on the planet started – cooking at home."

"It would be difficult to find something as unique as MasterChef."

We can, however, keep on the lookout for a cookbook that may come out in the future.

"I have a secret stash of recipes and a few books that have never been published," he says. "Binder after binder full of recipes."

"You never know what’s around the corner," he furthers. "It doesn’t get much bigger than MasterChef."

MasterChef Canada airs Sundays at 7 p.m. MT on CTV, returning on March 22. The season finale is set to air sometime in May, the date TBD.