OCTOBER 26, 2026, 21:20
A familiar flavour from Albanian tables has entered Linxi Mytkolli’s “MasterChef Canada” story. In footage published by Loki Magazine on October 26, the contestant discusses traditional Albanian cooking and is shown pairing chicken with ajvar.
Mytkolli’s place in Season 9 does not rest on that report alone. Bell Media officially lists the 31-year-old Montréal contestant among the season’s 16 home cooks and identifies her as a health policy leader. Linxi has also written publicly that she entered the format as the first Albanian competitor on “MasterChef Canada”.
Her run began strongly. In her own account of the premiere, Linxi says that she and Rebecca Abbott won one of the first white aprons after preparing Beef Wellington. The appearance of ajvar now gives her television story a more direct connection with Albanian flavours and culinary memory.
The confirmation boundary is important. Bell Media confirms her participation, profile and the season’s format, while the specific chicken-and-ajvar detail comes from the video published by Loki Magazine. The official sources checked did not yet provide the result of that dish, the judges’ assessment or the episode outcome, so none of those details is presented as settled fact.
For Albanian audiences, the moment’s editorial value lies in cultural representation: a contestant who has publicly identified her heritage is bringing a familiar Balkan kitchen staple onto a Canadian television stage. What the dish means for her progress in the competition remains to be seen in the broadcast.
SOURCE: Bell Media, September 2, 2026 — https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/their-time-starts-now-16-new-home-cooks-enter-the-masterchef-canada-kitchen-september-22-on-ctv/ · Linxi Mytkolli, September 24, 2026 — https://linximytkolli.substack.com/p/i-won-my-first-masterchef-canada · Loki Magazine, October 26, 2026 — https://lokimagazine.com/2026/10/26/shqiptarja-ne-masterchef-befason-me-gatimin-tradicional-ja-cfare-pergatiti/
