Can Top Chef Build a Bridge Between the U.S. and Canada?
Season 22 of the hit Bravo cooking competition has a timely theme with Top Chef:Destination Canada
For 22 seasons, Top Chef has been lauded for its ability to further the careers of some of the country’s best chefs. The show, which premiered in March 2006, quickly set itself apart from other reality shows by focusing on the competing chefs’ talents rather than drama in a hot tub at some shared villa. Instead of hookups and fights, viewers were engaged with knife skills and strategy.
The formula worked, and Top Chef became an incubator for excellence. Some of the country’s best modern chefs are alumni of the show, including Nina Compton, Jeremy Ford, Fabio Viviani, Richard Blaise, Michael Voltaggio, Carla Hall, Stephanie Izard, and Kristen Kish, who now serves as the show’s host and fellow judge.
This season, a new group of chefs travel to Canada to explore the culinary and natural wonders of our northern neighbors in Top Chef: Destination Canada. 15 contestants are competing for the $250,000 grand prize, while traveling through cities like Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, and Prince Edward Island. The show airs Thursday nights on Bravo, with episodes streaming on-demand on Peacock.
Under normal circumstances, viewers would be taken on a journey of discovery of the food and culture of this massive country that spans from the Arctic and prairies to major cities and beyond. This year, however, the U.S. and the world may be taking a longer look at the culinary competition show.
With President Trump imposing tariffs on Canada — and with Canada responding by pulling American products off its shelves and even some Canadian officials recommending that its citizens not visit the U.S., this season may prove to be more than just entertainment — it may build a bridge between the two countries with the chefs and judges serving as ambassadors of a sort.
I was invited to the season premiere at the TIFF, the home of the Toronto Film Festival. Every Torontonian I met during my short 24-hour visit was amazing. I had several friends predict that I would be met with some disdain as an American, but instead, I was met with the traditional warmth that Canaians are known for. I did see maybe a touch more hometown pride — Grape Witches, the tiny wine bar at the Waterworks Food Hall, for instance, proudly offered local wines, including a delicious sparkling wine from the Niagara region.
The Top Chef main judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, along with host Kristin Kish, were at the premiere, which also served as a reception to showcase the various foods and cultures of Canada’s different regions.
For Simmons, who was born and bred in Toronto, there was a responsibility to showcase her home. “There is this self-imposed pressure for people to love Canada. After all, I’m Canadian, and I’m a pleaser,” she told me, adding, “Canadians are kind people who want to be liked.” Simmons said she was “overwhelmed with emotion” at the opportunity to film in her hometown and other cities. “I was so excited to spend time with my kids here and for them to have quality grandparent time. I got to spend time with my girlfriends.” She said the few months of filming became something of a family affair, with her parents appearing in an episode and one of her nephews working as a PA.
Simmons wants viewers to see Canada as a diverse country made up of distinct regions. “I don’t think that Americans know how massive Canada is. It’s the second largest country by land mass in the world. Only Russia is larger,” she said, adding that each region is as unique as each state in the USA. “Tale, for instance, Dallas, Boston, and Miami. Each has a totally different climate, ingredients, traditions, and culture. That’s what’s so beautiful. We may kinda look and sound like the U.S., but we are a different country with our own money, government, and culture. It’s amazing to be able to showcase it.” Simmons added that the season explores Canada’s Indigenous Peoples and how they influenced its foodways.
Top Chef: Destination Canada wrapped up filming months ago — long before any tariff talk between Canada and the United States- but the timing of its airing could not be more significant. Simmons agrees: “It’s quite remarkable,” she says adding that she hopes the message is a positive one. “Top Chef celebrates the strong friendship between the two countries. We know the people of Canada and the U.S. want to share alliances. The government is separate from its people.”
At its heart, Top Chef is about showcasing some of the finest chefs in America and having them compete for the now-famous title.
Tom Colicchio says the caliber of chefs gets better year after year. “In the beginning, chefs just wanted to maybe win some money, but they didn’t realize how important it would be for their careers. In many cases, these chefs grew up watching the show. Their mission feels different these days. It’s all changed.” Though Colicchio calls past contestants “graduates”, he also compares them to athletes. “It’s a competition, like a basketball game. You see people put their heart and soul into it. The drama’s inherent. Bravo hates it when I make the sports analogy, but think about it. If you’re cooking in a restaurant, there’s no competition. But this. This is spontaneous.”
Host Kristin Kish started her Top Chef journey as a contestant, which gives her a different perspective of the talented toques stepping into the competition kitchen. “I’m excited for them. They all come in with different goals, and I’m interested to see where they take the opportunity and how they can turn it into something they’re passionate about.”
I ask Kish if there’s any one piece of advice she would give to the contestants. “I hope when they’re finished with this process, they feel their career has been enriched whether they win or not. It’s six to eight weeks, but in the big picture, it’s an opportunity that can change lives. I get so giddy for them. It’s their moment.”
Gail Simmons agrees that being on Top Chef has changed the lives of many of its contestants. “They succeeded in ways that Tom and I and our producers could never have imagined. We might have given them the door, but they stepped through it.” Simmons has nothing but praise for the Top Chef alumni. “They’re generous. They’re leaders. They’re activists. They’re contributors and trailblazers in every way. They have changed the landscape and the conversation around food.”
This year, the conversation is extended to our neighbor to the north. As always, food is the best way to show our unique differences — and also our combined human experience of breaking bread.