Mary Berg is coming back to the place that started it all. After winning MasterChef Canada in 2016 and kicking off a career that has led to her own talk show, The Good Stuff with Mary Berg, she’s returning to the reality cooking show — this time as a judge! Ahead of the premiere on Oct. 2, she gave us the scoop on how she stirred up romance with her husband, Aaron Mariash.
How they met
@mary_berg3/Instagram
We met in 2009 when we were students at Wilfrid Laurier University. I was in a play for the student-run Fringe Festival, and Aaron was a theatre technician with the venue on campus. During the first day of tech rehearsals, I was sitting in the hallway eating Mike & Ikes, and Aaron walked in wearing a vintage shirt with extremely wide lapels. Now, I love a good vintage look, so I was quick to strike up a conversation and share my snack. Aaron didn’t have much to do during the rehearsals, so he took it upon himself to conveniently hang out on whatever side of the stage I was exiting from in each scene. There was a lot of downtime backstage, so we talked a lot, which, in a complete reversal of the current-day norm, led to us continuing our chats online after the festival wrapped.
After about a month of chatting online, I went to see Aaron’s band open for Sloan at the Mod Club [now Axis Club]. We hung out after the show (I’m just now realizing that the beginning of our relationship happened backstage at some show or another!). After that we started seeing each other regularly, taking long walks around Waterloo, talking and drinking Slurpees in weather that was probably too cold for drinking Slurpees.
The first date
After months of hanging out around campus, our first “real” date was the classic dinner and a show. Having only baked treats for Aaron up to that point, I had him over to my apartment for dinner before we headed to Humber College to see his childhood friend perform in a rather avant garde student-written play. Can I remember anything about the play? No. Do I remember in vivid detail the dinner I made? Of course. I’ve always loved cooking and my university roommates got used to coming home to pies cooling and sauces bubbling away on the stove but I was super nervous having Aaron over. I panicked and committed the cardinal entertaining sin of making a dish I’d never made before. It was a roasted vegetable bowtie pasta situation that was, to put it lightly, the worst thing I’ve ever made. I was secretly mortified but Aaron didn’t seem to mind. Needless to say, bowtie pasta remains my nemesis in the kitchen.
The proposal
Aaron planned the proposal while I was away competing on the third season of MasterChef Canada. After asking my mom, Myra, for the ring (my nana’s vintage setting that Aaron reset with new stones), Aaron enlisted Myra in the plan to surprise me. The weekend after I won MasterChef Canada, my mom and I went up north to Muskoka to celebrate. On our way home, we swung by the mainland dock that leads to our family cottage, and I saw a massive bouquet of balloons and Aaron standing there in the freezing rain. While he insists he had a whole speech prepared, he stumbled over the proposal and asked if “I want to keep doing this thing.” I think everyone on the lake heard my answer.
The wedding and honeymoon
@mary_berg3/Instagram; photo by @lvimagery
We got married at Le Select Bistro on Oct. 1, 2016. My mom and dad had one of their first dates at the original Queen West location, so it’s always had a special place in my heart. We love the restaurant and knew the food, drinks and decor would be perfect for our low-key affair. Aaron’s sister Jenna provided the flowers and created food- and floral-themed centrepieces for tables in greens and golds. My bouquet was a combination of florals, cabbages, mushrooms and herbs, and Aaron’s boutonniere had acorns from my family cottage. A friend of Aaron’s DJed, and the night ended with our closest friends scream-singing “Read My Mind,” by the Killers.
The pets
We have a spoiled doofus of a cat named Egg. He loves to scream and his favourite food is the water from tuna cans.
The Halloween routine
Aaron and I were never the biggest Halloween fans, but, unbeknownst to us, we moved onto a “Halloween street.” We get about 250 kids every year, and sitting out on the front porch in our hastily thrown together costumes to hand out candy to the annual cute/spooky parade is one of our favourite nights of the year.
The secret to success
We just really like and respect each other. We try to be great listeners for each other and always deal with issues as a team. We’re both extremely supportive of each other in personal and work-related matters.
Balancing careers and a relationship
@mary_berg3/Instagram
It can be really tricky for any couple to balance careers and their relationships. I’m lucky because, no matter how busy and hectic my work life gets, Aaron is a big part of so many aspects of it. Whether that’s showing up to taste food on camera; talking through writing, scripting and food ideas; or helping keep the dishes clean and the kitchen tidy during recipe development, Aaron is so integral to everything I do. We’re a team in every way!
The future together
I joke that my dream is to one day be able to just sit quietly and drink an entire pot of tea. If that teapot happens to be overlooking an Italian vineyard, I don’t think Aaron and I would complain.
