GEN E R ATIONS
Saint David’s Alumnus Wuta Onda ’02 Makes National
Appearance on FOX Network’s “MasterChef”
A special education teacher at Lyons School in Brooklyn, New
York, Saint David’s Wuta Onda ’02 was a proud contestant in
Season 10 of the FOX network show “MasterChef.” Following
his participation, Wuta connected with us for a Q&A session to
share his experience with the Saint David’s community.
Q: How did you become one of the 20 contestants for this
show? As a schoolteacher, do you have cooking
aspirations for the future?
A: Becoming a contestant was not planned!
Cooking has always been a hobby for
me – something I could do to bring my
friends together. In my school, I had been
working with a chef on a plate-based
cooking club with students. One day, a
friend simply told me there would be an
open casting call. I prepared a General
Tso’s cauliflower and garlic rice, went
downtown to the casting call – and the rest
was history! My cooking dreams are now
bigger. I want to cook for people – and teach
others how to cook for themselves.
As a lifelong learner, I want
to travel and learn how to
cook things from all
around the world. I
also hope to achieve
a platform to push
positive messaging:
facing fears, finding
a calling, bringing
people together,
and creating your
own story.
Q:
Advancing
through the show
is an incredible
feat. Can you
tell us a bit about
your life experiences
that enhanced your
cultural appreciation in
relation to your culinary
evolution?
A: As a kid, I learned from trips
to Nigeria as well as the annual
Saint David’s curriculum-
64 • Saint David’s Magazine
driven trip to Italy. There’s no better way to learn about
culture than to become fully immersed in it. During my
trip to Italy, I recall falling in love with the flavors that were
so different than those I had known from back home. As I
travelled more, I found that travel helped me explore other
flavors. I’ve also made it to Guatemala and learned how to
incorporate spices and peppers to create unique vegetarian
dishes. Since then, I’ve been to Thailand and learned how to
make the best teriyaki, which helped win my MasterChef
apron.
Q: When you reflect on your Saint David’s
experience, what sticks out? Favorite classes and
memories? Do you stay in touch with friends
through our alumni network?
A: I still remember my first day like it was
yesterday when my mom dropped me off! When
I think about my Saint David’s experience, I
remember how important it was to experience
hands-on learning – that has always been the
best way for me to make connections. Saint
David’s taught me that you can learn
just as much from experience as
you can from a book. This
lesson has been crucial
to my own teaching. I
can’t imagine being as
successful
(teaching
history through art)
if I didn’t have this
experience myself.
Being able to help
my own students
connect with the
world in the way
that I was taught
has helped them
think
critically.
Professionally, I have
taught Grades Seven and
Eight – the same years
that I have found most
pivotal to my own growth.
I have a lot of great memories
from Saint David’s! I will never
forget teachers like Mr. Ryan
who taught us (boys) how to be
good men and have layers to our