Bravo's TOP CHEF Heads to Canada for Season 22

Bravo's “Top Chef” makes Destination Canada the backdrop for Season 22 with host Kristen Kish, head judge Tom Colicchio, and perennial judge Gail Simmons who hails from Canada.  

The series premieres Thursday, March 13 on Bravo with an entire season of supersized episodes airing every Thursday night from 9—10:15 p.m. Episodes will be available next day on Peacock. 

The Emmy, James Beard, and Critics Choice Award-winning series produced by Magical Elves, brings a new crop of chefs together for the ultimate culinary showdown. This season, 15 rising star chefs will compete for the highly sought-after title, across the diverse and vibrant culinary scenes and ingredients of our neighbors to the north, highlighting Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Prince Edward Island for a chance to win the largest grand prize package in “Top Chef” history. 

The winner will take home the grand prize of $250,000 provided by Saratoga® Spring Water, the official water of “Top Chef”; Delta SkyMiles® Diamond Medallion® Status and a $125,000 flight credit to spend on travel with Delta Air Lines; a feature in Food & Wine magazine, and an appearance at the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. And for the first time ever, the winner will headline their own exclusive dinner at the historic James Beard House in New York and have the opportunity to present at The James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago, IL.  Throughout the season, the chefs will also have the opportunity to win a cash prize at every Quickfire Challenge and select Elimination Challenges with more than $150,000 in total up for grabs. Watch a sneak peek below.

MEET THE CHEFTESTANTS 

• Anna “Anya” El-Wattar – San Francisco, CA 
• Paula Endara – Lexington, KY 
• Tristen Epps – Houston, TX 
• Corwin Hemming – Brooklyn, NY 
• Katianna Hong – Los Angeles, CA 
• Lana Lagomarsini – Harlem, NY 
• Henry Lu – Houston, TX 
• Vincenzo Loseto – St. Helena, CA 
• Zubair Mohjir – Chicago, IL 
• César Murillo – Chicago, IL 
• Massimo Piedimonte – Montreal, QC 
• Bailey Sullivan – Chicago, IL 
• Kat Turner – Los Angeles, CA 
• Shuai Wang – North Charleston, SC 
• Mimi Weissenborn – Portland, ME 

The cheftestants must show off their creativity and skills as they battle it out in a range of challenges across our northern neighbor, showcasing Canada’s tapestry of flavors and diverse landscapes from the nation’s boreal forests, sun-drenched deserts and windswept prairies to the icy tundra, rugged coastlines and serene farmlands. From creating a dish best served cold in honor of the nation's favorite sport, hockey, to embracing Toronto’s vibrant mosaic of cultures, the chefs are put to THE TEST and must be at the top of their game to stay in the kitchen. The judges’ expectations are at an all-time high when guest judges, including Canadians such as Michael Cera stop by the “Top Chef” kitchen for a fun trivia game where the chefs have to earn their ingredients and Sarah Levy lends her palate as they put their spin on poutine, the nation’s beloved dish, and signature ingredient maple syrup. 

The cheftestants also are tasked with creating a dish featuring a stunt. Before they hit the kitchen, however, they will have to perform a stunt of their own as they climb to new heights and face their fears atop Canada’s National Tower, the architectural icon also known as the CN Tower. The competition’s signature challenge, Restaurant Wars, is back but with a twist, as Kristen and the judges set guardrails on overused concepts they don’t want to see in hopes of sparking fresh and out-of-the-box ideas.  

Later in the season, the chefs head to Calgary, home of the Calgary Stampede, the world’s largest outdoor rodeo, then travel to Canmore, at the foothills of Banff National Park. The chefs must lay it all out on their plates in order to win the honor of being named Top Chef. 

Throughout the season, “Top Chef” winners, finalists and favorites return to lend their guidance and expertise, including Richard Blais, Sara Bradley, Nina Compton, Danny Garcia, Ali Ghzawi, Gregory Gourdet, Nicole Gomes, Buddha Lo, Dale McKay and Spike Mendelsohn. 

The distinguished rotating team of judges include Andrea Aprea, Denia Baltzer, Daniel Boulud, Jeremy Charles, Ilona Daniel, Greg Tarzan Davis, Connie DeSousa, Wylie Dufresne, Sheila Flaherty, Eden Grinshpan, Brenda Holder, Punkie Johnson, Jet Lee, Susur Lee, Hunter Lewis, Tracy Little, Antonio Park, Clare Reichenbach, Amy Schnieder, Dwight Smith, Clare Smyth, Mattea Roach, Paul Rogalski, David Zilber and Janet Zuccarini. 

Directly after the premiere, the digital aftershow “The Dish with Kish,” presented by Saratoga® Spring Water and hosted by Kristen Kish, returns. Kish will be joined each week by a “Top Chef” alum. The pair will break down all the culinary action from the latest episode while creating a new dish inspired by the biggest culinary questions from the episode, revealing new insights into the creativity and techniques behind challenge-winning dishes. Joining her in THE KITCHEN to talk about the culinary action and give a look behind-the-scenes are “Top Chef” winners, finalists and fan favorites Sara Bradley, Joe Flamm, Gregory Gourdet, Mei Lin, Amar Santana, Michael Voltaggio and Brooke Williamson. 

Also following the premiere, Bravo’s Emmy-winning digital companion series “Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen,” presented by BMW of NORTH AMERICA and hosted by Tom Colicchio, returns for its 14th season. Eliminated chefs go head-to-head each week to try to cook their way back into the main competition. Both digital series will be available at the conclusion of each week’s episode on Peacock or wherever you stream Bravo’s “Top Chef.” 

The partnership with Destination Canada was made in cooperation with Travel Alberta, Bonjour Québec and Tourisme Montréal, Destination Ontario, Destination Toronto, Niagara Falls Tourism and Tourism Prince Edward Island, Canada’s Food Island. 

Photo credit: David Moir/Bravo

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