Tag Archives: Top Chef Canada

Corus Entertainment is Canada’s entertainment specialty programming leader with 2026/2027 slate of Canadian originals

From a media release:

With more top 20 networks than any other broadcaster and owning 100 per cent of the top 10 most watched entertainment specialty programs this past fall3, Corus Entertainment dominates Canada’s entertainment specialty programming landscape1. With a powerhouse slate of star-studded dramas and comedies, premium lifestyle and factual storytelling, and family fun entertainment premiering across its networks and streaming on STACKTV, Corus’ 2026/27 lineup solidifies its position as the leader in Canada’s entertainment specialty programming space1. Reinforcing its commitment to Canadian storytelling, Corus will also deliver an upcoming slate of 11 Canadian Original titles spanning lifestyle, factual, and entertainment programming.

Corus Entertainment presents its 2026/27 roster of new and returning series across its specialty networks below. For more details on all specialty programming, please click here.

SCRIPTED DRAMAS & COMEDIES

W Network

Hit holiday whodunnit series Mistletoe Murders3 (6×60) returns for Season 3 with more mystery and intrigue unfolding in Fletcher’s Grove. From Lionsgate Canada and Headspinner Productions, the Canadian-created, written and produced series by Ken Cuperus stars Sarah Drew as Emily Lane, a small-town shop owner with a secret past, alongside Peter Mooney as local detective Sam Wilner. Executive producers include Jocelyn Hamilton (Lionsgate Canada) Michelle Melanson (Headspinner Productions) and Sarah Drew.

LIFESTYLE AND FACTUAL

Home Network

Home Network, Canada’s #1 Lifestyle Network2, announces a sizzling slate of five new and returning Canadian Original series.  

The network announces the greenlight of Love It or List It West (8×60), bringing one of the world’s longest-running and most popular television franchises to Calgary.  Set against a distinctly Western backdrop – from modern urban skylines and vibrant cityscapes to expansive prairies, dramatic badlands, and the breathtaking Rocky Mountains – the series blends aspirational real estate with stunning landscapes and unique homes, giving the franchise a bold new visual identity. Introducing new hosts, interior designer Amanda Hamilton and real estate agent Robbie Kamaleddine, the duo helps a fresh batch of homeowners decide whether to renovate the house they have or sell and move to a new dream home. Love It or List It West is produced by Big Coat Media for Home Network.

Brand-new series Property Pursuit (18×60) sees designer Debra Salmoni helping ambitious homeowners level up, with episodes debuting this winter. From cramped condos to starter homes, Debra guides determined buyers through the emotional journey of climbing the property ladder in search of more space, more function, and a home that fits their next chapter. Property Pursuit is produced by MEM in association with Corus Studios for Home Network.

Beer Budget Reno (10×60) returns for a second season this winter, with Kristen Coutts delivering more transformational renovations for homeowners who have been told their dream home is out of reach. Beer Budget Reno is produced by Blue Ant Studios for Home Network and A+E Global Media.

Rock Solid Builds, a top 20 specialty entertainment series during its third season11, returns for Season 4 (8×60) this fall, following Randy Spracklin and his team who bring heart, community, and tough renovations in Newfoundland’s notoriously harsh weather and rugged terrain. Rock Solid Builds is produced by Cineflix in association with Corus Studios for Home Network.

House of Ali returns for a second season (8×60) this fall, as luxury designer Ali Budd and her team take on more epic builds and big-budget renovations across North America. House of Ali is produced by Nikki Ray Media Agency in association with Corus Studios for Home Network.

Flavour Network

Flavour Network, Canada’s #2 lifestyle network2, announces a mouthwatering lineup of new and returning Canadian Original series and upcoming acquisition titles.

Top Chef Canada: The Dessert Table (6×60), a new spinoff of the esteemed, long-running hit series Top Chef Canada, will bring together Canada’s best professional pastry chefs to compete in the country’s most prestigious dessert competition. Hosted by Eden Grinshpan, who is joined by two revered judges, each episode will spotlight sweets through culinary excellence and artistry in a showdown that will push the pastry chefs to create never before seen desserts. Top Chef Canada: The Dessert Table is produced by Insight Productions (A Blue Ant Studios Company) in association with Flavour Network. The Top Chef format is licensed globally by NBCUniversal Formats, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Top Chef Canada, last fall’s #1 Lifestyle specialty program3, returns for a landmark 13th season (8×60) this fall. Hosted by Eden Grinshpan, the nation’s most prestigious culinary competition will see 10 of the best up-and-coming professional chefs from coast-to-coast fight for the title of Canada’s Top Chef. Top Chef Canada is produced by Insight Productions (A Blue Ant Studios Company) in association with Flavour Network. The Top Chef format is licensed globally by NBCUniversal Formats, a division of Universal Studio Group.

As previously announced, the second season of the Canadian original series Halloween Bakeshop (7×60) – last fall’s #1 new lifestyle series3 – and Holiday Bakeshop (7×60) premiere this fall. Hosted by Lauren Ash, who is joined on the judging panel by Kareem “Mr. Bake” Queeman and Colin Asuncion, these seasonal baking battles bring fun, festive flair and fierce competition, with eight talented bakers competing for sweet victory and a $25,000 prize. Halloween Bakeshop and Holiday Bakeshop are produced by Nikki Ray Media Agency in association with Corus Studios for Flavour Network.

The HISTORY® Channel

The HISTORY® Channel, Canada’s #1 factual network2, has two upcoming Canadian Original series as well as new and returning acquisition titles that include proven ratings hits, premium factual storytelling, and star power.

Brand new co-production Mountain Men: Wild North (10×60) brings the long-running franchise to Canada’s vast and unforgiving terrain. This new series follows a rugged cast of individuals who have chosen to live entirely off the land – on remote traplines in the boreal forest, along frozen Yukon rivers, and deep in the wilderness where the nearest help can be hundreds of miles away. Mountain Men: Wild North is produced by Blue Ant Studios Company for The HISTORY® Channel and A+E Global Media.

Countdown to Disaster (8×60) will premiere this winter, unraveling the sequence of events that transforms ordinary days into catastrophes, both natural and man-made. Each episode plunges viewers into the heart of the calamity: volcanic eruptions, nuclear meltdowns, plane crashes, bridge failures, floods, infernos and earthquakes that devastated cities and stunned people everywhere. Countdown to Disaster is produced by Cream Productions for The HISTORY® Channel and A+E Global Media.  

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Top Chef Canada host Eden Grinshpan teases Season 12 of the iconic franchise

After a dozen seasons on the air, Top Chef Canada continues its winning recipe. There are new competitors from across the country facing off for big money, prizes and the title—and a new network broadcast on—but the core is still the same: to showcase the best chefs Canada has to offer.

Returning Tuesday at 10 p.m. Eastern on Flavour Network, host Eden Grinshpan and resident judges Mark McEwan, Janet Zuccarini, Mijune Pak and David Zilber welcome 10 chefs into the Top Chef kitchen to do battle.

We spoke to Eden Grinshpan about the upcoming season.

What has it been like being part of this franchise?
Eden Grinshpan: It really is such an honour to be a part of such an epic franchise in Top Chef. I’ve been a huge fan for so long, so to get to be the host of the Canadian version is a true honour, and it’s still, for me, it’s my favourite gig, and every time we shoot a new season, it is such a thrill and I get to eat and taste food from some of the best chefs in the country, and I get to eat so many icons in the industry. So it’s truly an amazing experience.

What’s the production window? How much time is allotted for the filming of a season?
EG: It’s usually around a month, but it is jam-packed. We do a lot in that month, basically. I say goodbye to my husband. I’m like, ‘Good luck. See you in a month.’ Because the mornings are super early. Sometimes the nights can be really late and just so much happens in such a short period of time. But I feel like it’s probably the best that it happens in that way because these chefs are putting their lives on hold as well.

There are some really unique themes and challenges to come in this 12th season. What are your thoughts on what the producers have come up with?
EG: I am, every season, floored, in awe, so impressed. The production company, Insight, is amazing and their team is just so good at staying on what’s relevant, what’s important. We did an incredible challenge where we celebrated pride. We also went to the Indigenous Film Festival, where we are celebrating and highlighting Indigenous culture and cuisine. These are exactly what we should be focusing on and talking about: the diversity of this city and this country. That’s something that I think the show has done so beautifully and continues to just highlight in such a creative and fun way. Listen, it’s television. We are entertaining here, so it’s always so fun and beautiful. And this season in particular, even watching the trailer, I was crying.

It’s an incredibly emotional season and I really do feel that it’s going to touch so many people in so many different ways. I bawled my eyes out so many times. I am actually curious to see how many shots there are this season of me crying, and it’s not like a gentle tear. We are ugly crying here. The prize is huge. The stakes are huge. These chefs leave their jobs and their families for a long amount of time, and they’re putting their lives out there.

As with past seasons, this one features a mix of chefs from all walks of life. Some have Michelin stars, some don’t. Do you think having a star gives a competitor an advantage?
EG: We’ve had a lot of chefs on this show who have catering companies blow some of these Michelin-starred chefs out of the water. So I think it really comes down to your ability, the seasoning, just the capability of the chef. Obviously, those Michelin-starred chefs they’re training at an insane level on a regular basis. So, obviously, it’s going to give them an upper hand on some level. And for instance, some other chefs have a more chill job and they may feel a little bit more insecure or whatever, but then they come into it and we’re blown away. It doesn’t need to be Michelin star to be absolutely delicious.

Top Chef Canada airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern on Flavour Network.

Image courtesy of Corus.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Top Chef Canada is back for Season 12 on Flavour Network

From a media release:

Top Chef Canada is back for a milestone 12th season featuring 10 of the country’s best up-and-coming professional chefs, each with their own culinary origin story, and each fighting for the prestigious title of Canada’s Top Chef. With the esteemed panel of returning judges joined by buzz-worthy guests, this season’s never before-seen challenges will task the chefs with showcasing their skills while celebrating the rich cultural diversity of our country. Season 12 of Top Chef Canada, a #1 specialty entertainment program*, premieres Tuesday, October 14 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Flavour Network and streaming exclusively on STACKTV.

Top Chef Canada welcomes back chef, cookbook author, and longtime series host, Eden Grinshpan, along with a revered panel of returning judges: chef, fermenter and author David Zilber, powerhouse restaurateurJanet Zuccarini, chef and owner of The McEwan Group, Mark McEwan, and content creator and global food expert Mijune Pak.

For 11 seasons, Top Chef Canada has given fans a front-row seat to the country’s ever-evolving food scene and propelled its winners into Canadian culinary stars. This season will explore the essence of each competitor’s identity, tracing their unique culinary origin stories. In each episode, the chefs must elevate their skills and creativity to new heights with dishes that captivate the judges and take audiences on a culinary journey across the globe. There will be many Top Chef Canada firsts including a Bocuse d’Or-inspired elimination challenge, special events supporting Pride, an Indigenous film festival, and Restaurant Wars like you’ve never see it before. Featuring some of the best competitors in the history of the series, in the end only one chef will emerge victorious and be named Canada’s Top Chef.

The 10 chefs – Canada’s culinary crème de la crème – ready to compete for the glory and title of Canada’s Top Chef include:

  • Coulson Armstrong (He/Him) – 41, Toronto, Ont. (Our House Hospitality Company)
  • Katy Cheung (She/Her) – 33, Vancouver, B.C. (Burdock & Co.)
  • Holly Holt (She/Her) – 35, Edmonton, Alta. (Yellowhead Tribal Council & She Cooks Catering)
  • Alex Kim (He/Him) – 34, Vancouver, B.C. (Five Sails & Glowbal Restaurant Group)
  • Charlotte Langley (She/Her) – 41, Prince Edward County, Ont. (Nice Cans & Langley Foods)
  • Tracy Little (She/Her) – 39, Canmore, Alta. (Sauvage)
  • Nick Maharaj (He/Him) – 35, Victoria, B.C. (Part and Parcel)
  • Chris Pyne (He/Him) – 32, Windsor, N.S. (Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards)
  • Shai-Ann Tyson (She/Her) – 26, Toronto, Ont. (Balmy Beach Club & S.A.L.T Pop-up Restaurant Co.)
  • Anthony Vien (He/Him) – 28, Québec City, Que. (Tanière³)

During this season’s fast-paced challenges, Michelin Star chefs, culinary icons and notable personalities join the Top Chef Canada judging panel as guest judges and tasters. This includes Daniel Boulud (One Star Michelin restaurant DANIEL, and Cafe Boulud), Tawnya Brant (Top Chef Canada, Season 10 competitor), Shane Chartrand (Top Chef Canada, Season 11 competitor), Charlotte Cardin (Juno Award-winning singer), Susur Lee (Lee Restaurant, Lee Kitchen and TungLok Heen), Mei Lin (Top Chef, Season 12 winner, Chef/Owner, 88 Club & Daybird), Charlie Mitchell (executive chef/co-owner, One Star Michelin restaurant Clover Hill), Andrew Phung (actor, comedian, host of Big Burger Battle), Massimo Piedimonte (Top Chefalumni & owner of Cabaret l’Enfer), David Schwartz (culinary director, Big Hug Hospitality: Linny’s, Sunny’s Chinese, Mimi Chinese), Nara Smith (model and content creator), Chanthy Yen (Top Chef Canada, Season 11 winner), and many more.


Top Chef Canada is the homegrown version of the hit Emmy® Award-winning NBCUniversal Series Top Chef and is produced by Insight Productions (A Blue Ant Studios Company) in association with Flavour Network. Eric Abboud is Executive Producer and Showrunner along with Insight’s CEO & Executive Producer John Brunton and Executive Producer Mark Lysakowski. Co-Executive Producers for Insight Productions are Jessica Brunton and Daniel Klimitz.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Chef David Zilber on Top Chef Canada’s landmark Season 10: “It is a litmus test for the state of gastronomy in this country”

Top Chef Canada is celebrating its landmark 10th season this year, and the homegrown version is celebrating in style.

First, the season is being dubbed Top Chef Canada X, and is rife with newer, bigger challenges, devious twists and a new face on the judging panel in Chef David Zilber. Zilber, originally from Toronto, has worked in some of the top kitchens around the globe, most recently as head of the Fermentation Lab at the revolutionary three-Michelin-star restaurant NOMA in Copenhagen, ranked as the top restaurant in the world.

Returning Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network Canada, the first challenge for the chefs—the traditional showing off of knife skills—has its stress and energy level upped because they’re doing it outside in front of a crowd of people, host Eden Grinshpan and judge Janet Zuccarini. It only gets better from there.

As in past seasons, Top Chef Canada‘s casting team deserves a gold star for landing a diverse crop of chefs from across the country, serving up dishes celebrating their regions and backgrounds.

We spoke to David Zilber—who joins Grinshpan, Zuccarini, Mijune Pak, Mark McEwan and Chris Nuttall-Smith—ahead of Monday’s return.

How did you end up on Top Chef Canada as a judge?
David Zilber: I was a guest judge on Season 8 and I enjoyed it. It was fun and pretty inspiring and I meshed well with all of the other judges—some of them I had known before—and it was an honour to come back.

What are your thoughts on the Top Chef franchise overall?
DZ: It’s become a household name. It has launched whole careers. So many chefs from the U.S., Canada, and overseas, capture the hearts of a nation and become the next generation in food television or opening restaurants. In that regard, it’s a catapult for all of these people. The talent is real. It’s not like a reality TV show where they are getting the craziest personalities; these are the people with the chops to actually cut it. The number of former co-workers who have been on Top Chef Canada that I have worked alongside, I’ve looked up to or have taught me things, is extensive. It becomes a colosseum for culinary talent that champions a worthy contestant in the best sense.

What was the experience like being alongside the Top Chef Canada judges more long-term?
DZ: I’ve known Mijune for years, cooking for her in Vancouver and then at NOMA before I was ever a judge; Chris Nuttall-Smith I’ve known through his food writing and he did a profile on me years ago; I’ve cooked in Mark McEwan’s restaurants and he has cooked at places where I was a sous chef… there is actually a lot of culinary history in Canada. I say big country, small industry. So, I didn’t feel intimated, they knew me. [Laughs.] Sometimes on my good behaviour and sometimes on my not-so-good behaviour. Kitchens are heated places, what can I say?

On the judging panel, there are a lot of voices vying for a position, if you will. There are a lot of opinions. [Laughs.] It’s understanding what angle to take and what one’s specialty is. Mark might be looking more for the classical technique if that’s there. Mijune is super-poetic with her words. Chris is super-witty. That was the learning curve for me. What is my voice and how do I contribute to this in a way that is true to myself and not stepping on anyone else’s toes?

What are your thoughts on the 11 competitors this season?
DZ: I was supremely surprised at how good some of these cooks were. They were putting out two-star Michellin dishes in the time trials. There was a lot of talent. Early on, I could see who wasn’t going to last based on some of the Quickfire’s and lo and behold it turned out to be true. The chaff fell to the wayside quickly and what we were left with was strength on strength. And there were some sleepers; people who I thought wouldn’t last that long who ended up in it for the long haul.

It really is a litmus test for the state of gastronomy in this country and it’s a positive test at that because the contestants really show Canada’s mettle.

Top Chef Canada airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network Canada.

Image courtesy of Food Network Canada.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Top Chef Canada: Chris Nuttall-Smith teases Season 9

Chris Nuttall-Smith is still pinching himself that he’s a resident judge on Top Chef Canada.

“This is a competition that resonates with people not just in Canada but around the world,” the food journalist and critic says. “Working hard, on the fly, under so much pressure. It’s a competition and a format that’s so fun to do. I’m so happy to get the call saying, ‘Hey, we’re doing another season.'”

Returning Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network Canada, the newest season of Top Chef Canada features familiar faces in chef, cookbook author and host Eden Grinshpan; chef and owner of The McEwan Group, head judge Mark McEwan; and fellow resident judges in restaurateur Janet Zuccarini and food writer and personality Mijune Pak.

Not so familiar? The impact the pandemic had on production. Where past seasons saw the competitors scramble out of vans and into McEwan’s eponymous high-end grocery store to shop for products, Season 9 has the ingredients trucked into the studio for a timed shop by the professional chefs. And the classic Restaurant Wars challenge has been scuttled in favour of Takeout Wars.

As always, it’s the professional chefs—and the food they create—that are the stars of Top Chef Canada. In Monday’s debut, we’re introduced to the 11 facing off against one another. The cast includes Kym Nguyen, who identifies as non-binary and whips up killer British-Asian fare; Indigenous chefs Siobhan Detkavich and Stéphane Levac, who bring their roots to their recipes; and Erica and Josh Karbelnik, who are married.

“This season really reflects Canada, who we are as a nation and what our culinary culture is,” Nuttall-Smith says. “More people are finding opportunities, carving out niches, are having a chance to show what they can do. And, as a judge, it makes the food way more interesting.”

That’s evident in Monday’s opening minutes when the competitors are tasked with creating a plate that represents their brand. Everything put forward is unique, authentic and—as evidenced by Grinshpan and McEwan’s reactions—for the most part tasty. That’s not to say there aren’t duds, but this season’s chefs are really bringing it. That’s to be expected, especially with $100,000 and a Lexus RX Hybrid Electric SUV handed to the winner. And, despite the fact not every dish presented to him is a home run, Nuttall-Smith enters each Elimination Challenge meal feeling the same emotion: hope.

“My perspective, as a restaurant critic and a food writer is that every dish and every chef starts at 100 per cent,” he explains. “I look at it as ‘You’re the best chef in the world, and let’s see how it goes.’ A lot of times that really pays off, and other times it doesn’t. But my expectation is always, ‘This is gonna be great.'”

Top Chef Canada airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network Canada.

Images courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail