Season 7

In the season debut, Host Eden Grinshpan and Head Judge Mark McEwan welcome 11 chefs, representing the coming of age of the Canadian culinary scene, to compete in the most prestigious cooking competition in the country and to battle it out for the title of Canada’s Top Chef. In a never-seen-before, high-stakes QuickFire, one dish will determine a chef’s destiny for the entire competition. Later, in the Elimination Challenge, the chefs are asked to take inspiration from a recipe handed down to them from a loved-one and reimagine it into a Top Chef Quality dish. In the first tasting of the season Eden and Chef McEwan, are joined by resident judges Chris Nuttall-Smith, Mijune Pak, and Janet Zuccarini.

Bring on the mimosas baby, it’s the most important meal of the day! In the QuickFire Challenge, chefs make their ultimate breakfast and serve it to Eden and guest judge Suzanne Barr in bed…with the winning chef earning a $5,000 cash prize. In the elimination challenge, the chefs are asked to take their cooking to new heights by creating their ideal Air Transat in-flight meal and then reimagine it into an hors d'oeuvre. Celebrated Québecois chef Daniel Vezina joins 100 guests at Toronto’s Fermenting Cellar for this high-flying adventure.

It’s Restaurant Wars! For the first time in Top Chef Canada history, the entire episode is dedicated to this marquee challenge. In part one, two chefs put their finesse to the test in a head-to-head culinary skills test to pick the members of their restaurant wars teams. In part two, the chefs head to the top of the CN Tower, 1,100 ft. in the air, to create their ultimate restaurant concept. With a $10,000 prize on the line and veteran New York Magazine, James Beard award-winning restaurant critic Adam Platt on board as guest judge, stakes are at an all-time high.

Diving into their next QuickFire Challenge, the chefs challenge conventions by combining two unlikely ingredients: seafood and cheese. Top Canadian cheese purveyor and owner of Toronto’s famed Cheese Boutique, Afrim Pristine, joins to judge this ultimate grilled cheese challenge. Later, in the Elimination Challenge, chefs take inspiration from the land of forests and fjords to create an authentic Nordic feast. It’s a star-studded tasting table at the beautiful Toronto Islands as the chefs are judged by the owner of Red Rooster in Harlem, New York City, Swedish-raised culinary icon Marcus Samuelsson and Executive Chef at New York City’s Two Michelin-Starred Scandinavian restaurant Aquavit, Chef Emma Bengtsson.

In a very special QuickFire Challenge, Top Chef Canada pairs with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada’s Kid Food Nation to challenge the chefs to take an ingredient that kids normally hate and use it in a dish that any kid would love. The chefs must please some very particular palates including Top Chef U.S. All-Star winner, acclaimed chef/owner of Juniper & Ivy in San Diego, Calif. and father or two, Richard Blais. It’s a food hall takeover and in this Elimination Challenge, teams of two must take a restaurant concept and translate it into a high-quality, fast-casual dining experience for 150 patrons at Toronto’s Assembly Chef’s Hall. A double-elimination has everyone on edge as both chefs on the losing team are sent home.

The power of an ingredient should never be underestimated and in this QuickFire Challenge, chefs work in teams of two to create a progressive tasting menu that highlights just one single ingredient. Judging is four-time James Beard Award-winner and the owner of Philadelphia’s Zahav, chef Michael Solomonov. In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs harness their wild side to create a dish that combines a luxury ingredient with a carnival classic and serve it to guests at the country’s largest theme park, Canada’s Wonderland. Joining our judges is Top Chef U.S. alumni and the owner of Fox & the Knife in Boston, Mass., chef Karen Akunowicz.