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The Battle for Canada's Culinary Crown

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20th Anniversary All-Star Invitational

The knives are sharper
The stakes are higher
The pride of ten cities is on the line

In late January 2027, 20 of Canada's finest chefs will be flown to the nation's capital to test themselves as both a two-person city team and a 10-person "East" vs. "West" Canadian All-Star team.

Each city team at the national competition will have two contenders working together:

  1. A Chef of Distinction, chosen by our national judges, with a bye to the national competition and
  2. A winner of each of the regional All-Star competitions held in the fall of 2026. The All-Star competitors have been on the podium in the past, either regionally or nationally.

Three gruelling competitions, each requiring the highest level of skill, creativity and technique, and judged blind by a panel of chefs, authors and culinary experts, put these All-Stars through their paces in every conceivable way. Their efforts inspire the next generation of culinary talent and shape the direction of the nation's cuisine for years to come.


East or West?

Only one will be crowned the best region in Canada

One city will rise above the others to be crowned

Canadian Culinary Champion

Tickets on sale April 30th

The Chefs of Distinction

TEAM EAST

Tradition with an Edge

Representing:

St. John’s • Montreal • Ottawa • Toronto • Winnipeg

What They Bring to the Table:

• Atlantic seafood mastery
• Honed precision and technical brilliance
• Big-city polish and innovation
• Cutting edge style and inventive storytelling


St. John's

To be announced

Montréal

To be announced

Ottawa

To be announced

Toronto

To be announced

Winnipeg

To be announced

TEAM WEST

Bold, Fearless, Ingredient-driven

Representing:

Victoria • Vancouver • Calgary • Edmonton • Saskatoon

What They Bring to the Table:

• Pacific seafood brilliance
• Prairie big sky inspiration
• Hyper-seasonal farm-to-table creativity
• Daring, confident flavours


Victoria

To be announced

Vancouver

To be announced

Calgary

To be announced

Edmonton

To be announced

Saskatoon

To be announced

The National Competitions

Mystery Wine - Canada in a glass and on a plate
Black Box Challenge - No prep. No mercy
Grand Finale - Where legends are made

Precision vs. creativity
Discipline vs daring
Legacy vs evolution

Are you riding with the East?

Or backing the West to bring the heat?

The Regional Competitions

Food

Staged in ten cities across Canada in the fall of 2026, the regional events celebrate 20 years of elevating Canadian Excellence and include a regional culinary competition of All-Star contenders – only those who have podiumed in the past.

VIP table and ticket buyers will enjoy an innovative dish of the city’s Chef of Distinction. Then the competition begins! Four to seven All-Stars will present a dish of their choice paired with a Canadian wine, beer or spirit. The competition is judged blind, with chefs going head-to-head for the honour of earning the second spot on their city’s team and advancing to the Canadian Culinary Championship.

The Three National Competitions

Details coming soon!

Link here for a video of the three events in January 2026, produced by students at Algonquin College.

Support in 2026 was given to MusiCounts for music education, to SpiritNorth for sport and play opportunities for Indegenous youth and Nutrition Blocs and ONFE for food security for youth.

Partners

Photos from 2026