Top Chef Canada facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Top Chef Canada
Genre	Reality competition Cooking show
Starring	Mark McEwan Thea Andrews (season 1) Lisa Ray (seasons 2–4) Eden Grinshpan (seasons 5–10) Shereen Arazm (seasons 1–4) Mijune Pak (seasons 5–10) Janet Zuccarini (seasons 5–10) Chris Nuttall-Smith (seasons 5–10) David Zilber (season 10)
Country of origin	Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	10
No. of episodes	67 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Barbara Bowlby and John Brunton
Running time	42 minutes
Production company(s)	Insight Productions Universal International Studios
Release
Original network	Food Network Canada
Original release	April 11, 2011 (2011-04-11) – present (present)

Top Chef Canada is a popular Canadian TV show. It's a reality competition where talented chefs compete. Many people think it's one of the best cooking contests in Canada. The show first aired on April 11, 2011, on Food Network Canada.

In the first season, 16 chefs competed. They wanted to win a big prize of $100,000. They also hoped to win a fancy kitchen worth $30,000. Each week, the chefs face different cooking challenges. Judges, who are professional chefs and food experts, decide who did best. One or more chefs are eliminated each week until only one winner remains.

Top Chef Canada uses the same look and music as the original American Top Chef show. The first season was very popular on Food Network Canada. Because it was so successful, the show came back for a second season on March 12, 2012. In 2017, the fifth season was an "all-stars" edition, bringing back favorite past contestants. The sixth season started on April 8, 2018, with 11 new chefs. The tenth season began on September 26, 2022.

Meet the Judges and Hosts

The show has different hosts and judges who guide the chefs. They also decide who wins each challenge.

Show Hosts Over the Years

Mark McEwan and Thea Andrews talking about Top Chef Canada in 2011

The first host of Top Chef Canada was Thea Andrews. She is a well-known TV personality. After her second child was born, she decided to leave the show.

On November 15, 2011, actress Lisa Ray became the new host. She hosted for three seasons. Starting with Season 5, Eden Grinshpan took over as host. Eden is from Toronto and trained at a famous cooking school called Le Cordon Bleu. She also co-founded a restaurant in New York City.

The Head Judge: Mark McEwan

The main judge on the show is Mark McEwan. He is a famous chef and owns several restaurants in Toronto. Some of his restaurants include ONE and Bymark. Mark McEwan also hosts another show on Food Network Canada called The Heat with Mark McEwan.

When chefs need ingredients for their challenges, they shop at McEwan Gourmet Grocery. This store is owned by Mark McEwan.

Other Important Judges

Shereen Arazm was the "resident judge" for the first four seasons. She is from Toronto and owns restaurants in Los Angeles.

In later seasons, three new resident judges joined the show. They are Chris Nuttal-Smith, Janet Zuccarini, and Mijune Pak. They help Mark McEwan judge the chefs' dishes.

Special Guest Judges

Many other famous chefs and food experts appear on the show. They come as guest judges to share their knowledge. In Season 6, some guest judges were Lynn Crawford and Susur Lee. Both are chef-owners of well-known Toronto restaurants.

Some past Top Chef Canada contestants also returned as guest judges. These included Steve Gonzales and Dustin Gallagher. Nicole Gomes, who won Top Chef Canada: All-Stars, also came back as a judge. Other guest judges included Evan Funke from Los Angeles and Danny Bowien from New York.

Past Seasons and Winners

Here's a look at the winners and runners-up from each season: