A senior policy analyst from Kingston, N.S., has been crowned the winner of season six of MasterChef Canada, earning them the title and a $100,000 grand prize.

After 12 episodes of high-stakes challenges and culinary showdowns, it came down to home cooks Jennifer Crawford and Scarborough resident Andre Bhagwandat, who faced off in a three-hour, three-course cook-off on the season finale Monday evening.

Crawford served the judges fancy ants on a log with poached figs and blue cheese mousse, a lamb dish, and a cereal-inspired dessert, while Bhagwandat dished up dumplings with lobster rundown, curried goat, and deconstructed turon with Chinese five spice waffle.

Judges Michael Bonacini, Alvin Leung and Claudio Aprile considered the overall story presented across the three courses, as well as the finalists’ culinary journey throughout the competition, when making their decision.

In the end, Crawford came out with the slight edge and was declared the winner of MasterChef Canada.

“I hope this win shows that actual magic can happen with simply taking good care of your squishy heart, honouring your own weird precious self, and showing up as best you can for others, one day at a time,” said Crawford.

“I feel astonished and so excited for a big, juicy future in food, whatever that might look like! Today, I’m just going to eat something mega delicious, and enjoy these wild burst-at-the-seams feelings of gratitude and possibility.”