Dr. Matthew Houck, an optometrist practicing in Iowa City, IA, is earning recognition for more than his eyecare skills.
He has “survived a national search for the top 23 home chefs and a half-dozen episodes” on the popular cooking show MasterChef, the American Optometric Association reports.
After the July 11 episode, he said: “Made it through one more week. This team challenge was extremely tough, because we were cooking for a previous MasterChef winner’s wedding. Also, scallops and duck are two proteins that can easily be prepared incorrectly. We gave it our best shot, but came up short.”
Although his time lost, Houck survived “when the judges declared him safe from elimination,” according to AOA.
The show airs Wednesdays on Fox. Houck, a 2016 graduate of the Indiana University School of Optometry, can’t reveal what happens in future episodes.
He was among 43 amateur chefs chosen from among thousands who auditioned. The competition offers a grand prize of $250,000.
Houck told AOA that for him, cooking and optometry have some parallels.
“Cooking is a visual art and optometry protects the visual system,” he said. “Making sure people see things accurately and beautifully is something I’ve strived to do in practice and my cooking.”
Read more at AOA