''Top Chef Canada'' is a Canadian

reality competition Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

television series. The show premiered on April 11, 2011, on Food Network Canada (now

Flavour Network Flavour Network (formerly known as Food Network) is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. It broadcasts programming related to food, cooking, cuisine, and the food industry, including competi ...

). The first season consisted of 13 episodes, with 16 contestants vying for a grand prize of $100,000 and a GE Monogram kitchen valued at $30,000. Like the

original Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion t ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

series, each week the

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

contestants compete against each other in culinary challenges. Contestants are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

and

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

industry, with one or more contestants being eliminated each week. The Canadian edition uses the same graphics and music as the American version of the

program Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

. The first season of ''Top Chef Canada'' was one of Food Network Canada's most highly rated programs. The network renewed the program for a second season, which began to air on March 12, 2012. ''Top Chef Canada'' returned in 2017 with an all-stars edition for the fifth season. Season 6 of ''Top Chef Canada'' returned April 8, 2018, with a lineup of 11 chefs from the next generation. The tenth season premiered on September 26, 2022.

Judges, guest judges, and special appearances

Mark McEwan and Thea Andrews discuss Top Chef Canada

The host for the first season of the Canadian program was

Thea Andrews Thea Andrews (born October 4, 1973) is a Canadian journalist, sports and entertainment television personality, and reality competition and morning show host. From October 2003 to November 2006, she served as co-host on several ESPN shows such a ...

. After giving birth to her second child, Andrews stepped down from the position. On November 15, 2011, actress

Lisa Ray Lisa Rani Ray (born 4 April 1972) is a Canadian actress. She began her modelling career in India in the early 1990s, appearing for leading Indian brands like Bombay Dyeing and Lakmé. She made her acting debut in 1994 in the film '' Hanste Khe ...

announced that she was named as host. Beginning in Season 5 Toronto-born Eden Grinshpan took over hosting duties. Trained at

Le Cordon Bleu Le Cordon Bleu (; French: " The Blue Ribbon"; LCB) is a French hospitality and culinary education institution, teaching haute cuisine. Its educational focuses are hospitality management, culinary arts, and gastronomy. The institution consists ...

Grinshpan is co-founder and executive chef at Middle Eastern restaurant DEZ in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and host of Eden Eats and Log On and Eat with Eden Grinshpan on the

Cooking Channel Cooking Channel is an American basic cable channel owned by and spin-off of Food Network. Both are owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (69%) and Nexstar Media ...

. The head judge is

Mark McEwan Dennis Mark McEwan (born May 7, 1957) is an American-born Canadian celebrity chef based in Toronto, Ontario. He was head judge on Food Network Canada's ''Top Chef Canada''. McEwan had his own television show on Food Network Canada entitled ''Th ...

, chef and owner of several restaurants in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, including ONE in Yorkville and Bymark in the

Toronto-Dominion Centre The Toronto-Dominion Centre, or TD Centre, is an office complex of six skyscrapers in the Financial District, Toronto, Financial District of downtown Toronto owned by Cadillac Fairview. It serves as the global headquarters for its anchor tenant, ...

as well as host of the Food Network Canada program ''

The Heat with Mark McEwan ''The Heat with Mark McEwan'' is a Canadian food and catering show produced by General Purpose Pictures which airs on Food Network in Canada. It is hosted by Mark McEwan, a Celebrity chef based in Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced ...

''. In preparation for elimination challenges, contestants shop for ingredients at McEwan Gourmet Grocery located at the

Shops at Don Mills The Shops at Don Mills (corporately known as CF Shops at Don Mills) is a lifestyle centre-type shopping centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located at Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue East in Toronto. There are 72 retail stores with a total flo ...

. The "resident judge" (the position held by

Gail Simmons Gail Simmons (born May 19, 1976) is a Canadian food writing, food writer and cookbook author. She has served as a permanent judge on Bravo's Emmy-winning series ''Top Chef'' since the show's inception in 2006. Simmons was previously the head criti ...

in the original version) was Shereen Arazm, a

native and owner of several

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

-area restaurants. Beginning in later seasons, the show introduced three new resident judges, who include Chris Nuttal-Smith,

Janet Zuccarini Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psychologist and psychotherapist * Maurice ...

and Mijune Pak. In Season 6, guest judges included chef-owners of distinguished Toronto restaurants, such as

Lynn Crawford Lynn Crawford (born July 18, 1964) is a Canadian chef and television personality. She is known for her appearances on the Food Network show '' Restaurant Makeover'', which is seen in over 16 countries worldwide. Biography Lynn Crawford was bor ...

(Ruby Watchco), Susur Lee (Fring's, Lee), Rob Gentile (Buca, Bar Buca) and Alexandra Feswick (Drake Devonshire). ''Top Chef Canada'' alumni returning as guest judges included Steve Gonzales of Baro, Dustin Gallagher of 416 Snack Bar as well as ''Top Chef Canada: All-Stars'' winner, Nicole Gomes of Calgary's Cluck ‘N’ Cleaver. Additionally,

Evan Funke Evan Funke (born 1978 in Los Angeles, California) is an American chef and pasta maker who is head chef and co-owner of a series of popular Italian restaurants across North America, including three in Los Angeles. He is a two-time James Beard nomin ...

, L.A.-based chef and co-owner (with

) of Felix restaurant, and

Danny Bowien James Daniel Bowien (born 1982) is a Korean-born American chef and restaurateur. He is the founder and owner of Mission Chinese Food in New York City and Brooklyn and co-founder of Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco, California. Bowien is a Ja ...

, chef-owner of New York's Mission Chinese Food join as guest judges.

Seasons

Notes

Season 5 was an "All Star" season; Gomes originally appeared in Season 3, and Gallagher originally appeared in Season 1.

References

External links

* * {{Food Network (Canada) series Food Network (Canadian TV channel) original programming 2011 Canadian television series debuts 2010s Canadian reality television series 2010s Canadian cooking television series Canadian English-language television shows Canadian television spinoffs Reality television spinoffs Television series by Corus Entertainment Cooking competitions in Canada Canadian television series based on American television series Television series by Universal Television Television series by Insight Productions