The contestants for the new season of Top Chef Canada have been revealed
And they include some Toronto-based talent
On October 14, season 12 of Top Chef Canada will see 10 Canucks competing for the ultimate culinary crown. This year’s roster includes three Toronto-area chefs whose cooking reflects the city’s signature blend of cultures: Coulson Armstrong, who worked in kitchens around the world before helping build out Matty Matheson’s restaurant empire, including Prime Seafood Palace; Charlotte Langley, a PEI-born chef now based in Prince Edward County and the founder of Nice Cans, a brand that’s been influential in popularizing tinned seafood; and Shai-Ann Tyson, the season’s youngest contestant, whose bold mash-up of Venezuelan, Trinidadian and Peruvian flavours has earned her top billing in prestigious cooking competitions.
Related: Inside the kitchen of Eden Grinshpan, host of Top Chef Canada
While the chefs can’t reveal details of the contests featured in the upcoming season, they all agree that their toughest rival isn’t a fellow chef—it’s the clock. “The challenges were harder than you can imagine,” says Armstrong. “When you’ve got just 20 minutes to pull off something spectacular, it’s hard not to panic. I mean, what the hell can you do in 20 minutes?”
For Langley, the only contestant this season who isn’t currently running a restaurant, the ticking clock brought a different kind of thrill. “It was exhilarating and nerve-wracking at the same time,” she says. “Cooking under that kind of pressure while also carrying the responsibility of telling my story was intense but also incredibly rewarding.”
Related: Two of Toronto’s top chefs are starring in a new series about Italian food
There’s extra chaos baked into this season’s fast-paced challenges, with appearances by Michelin-starred chefs, culinary icons and notable personalities—including Daniel Boulud, Susur Lee and deli king David Schwartz—who will join as guest judges and tasters. Fans can only hope a smoked-meat Quickfire Challenge is in the cards.
Season 12 of Top Chef Canada will premiere October 14 at 10 p.m. ET on the Flavour Network.
Erin Hershberg is a freelance writer with nearly two decades of experience in the lifestyle sector. She currently lives in downtown Toronto with her husband and two children.
