‘Top Chef’ Judge Gail Simmons on Getting Tough With Cheftestants & What’s New This Season

Season 22 of Top Chef is extra special for Gail Simmons. That’s because the hit Bravo competition reality series heads to the Great White North as its Destination Canada. A taste of home for the Toronto native, who returns to judge alongside head judge Tom Colicchio and host Kristen Kish. They’ll welcome 15 rising culinary stars to test their skills on the biggest platform infusing the flavors of Toronto, Calgary Montreal and Prince Edward Island. 

At stake is $250,000 from Saratoga Spring Water, $125,000 flight credit to spend on travel with Delta Air Lines, a feature in Food & Wine magazine and an appearance at the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Sweetening the already biggest prize package in show history, the winner will also receive the opportunity to headline their own exclusive dinner at the historic James Beard House in New York and present at The James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago. 

Cheftestants will also be able to cook for a chunk of the $150,000 up for the taking during the Quickfire and Elimination challenges. Of course, guests will stop by throughout the competition including Canadians like Michael Cera and a plethora of Top Chef alums and respected industry names.

Here Simmons checks in from maple leaf country and sets the table for what’s to come. 

How long have you wanted the show to come to Canada? 

Gail Simmons: It’s not like I set my sights on it. I truthfully didn’t think it would happen. I just didn’t know if we would be able to go through with what it takes to get to a place, let alone leave the country. When we did our season in London, it was the first time we were able to do a full season abroad. I didn’t think that would happen again necessarily. The fact two years later we made it happen here is very special. It’s sort of a dream come true, but it was a dream I never let myself get fully invested in because I didn’t want to get my hopes up. 

When viewers see this season, what do you think will be most surprising? For me, it seems every region of Canada has its own character. 

Yeah. It’s a massive country. We can’t show you everything, but usually we go to one city or maybe two. This is an entire country, and it’s the second biggest country in the world. It’s the largest land mass, besides Russia. There is a lot. Of course, from coast-to-coast there is a lot of nuance. For example when it comes to America, we know that Maine and Texas are very different places. That’s the same for Vancouver and Newfoundland. I hope we will be able to show people the breadth of Canadian food and ingredients and the immigrant communities and a little bit of our history and the really rich and diverse agriculture in our country that makes the food so delicious. Also, the vast wilderness, which I think is our greatest resource. 

What can you tease by way of challenges? 

We do a lot of really good things. I think we push these chefs. They are very, very good. There are a number of challenges where they just shine. There are also challenges where they can’t believe we make them do what we make them do. We make them pair unbelievable things. We bring them across Canada in terms of ingredients. We have some amazing guest judges this season, both Canadian and otherwise. Some awesome celebrities come and judge and eat with us, which is really fun. It’s pushing all the creative buttons and pushing what they’re able to do. That’s what we try to do every year, but I think this season more because there is such a good group of chefs we can get them to go even further. 

TOP CHEF —  Pictured: (l-r) Vincenzo Loseto, Lana Lagomarsini, Paula Endara, Kat Turner, Henry Lu, Corwin Hemming, Mimi Weissenborn, Katianna Hong, Cesar Murilo, Massimo Piedimonte, Shuai Wong, Bailey Sullivan, Anya El-Wattar, Zubair Mohajirl — (Photo by: David Moir/Bravo)

Do you think last season was a new chapter for the show with Kristen on board? How would you describe the dynamic with her taking over for Padma Lakshmi? 

It wasn’t something we wanted to do. It wasn’t a change we were necessarily expecting, but as soon as Kristen came on board, we realized she was the only choice. More than that she allowed us a reset. Not that we knew we needed one. All of a sudden when you make a major change after so many years, that person comes in with fresh eyes and is able to ask questions and make us change things. It gives us all a chance to reexamine the things we take for granted and kind of do every year season after season but often don’t know why. She didn’t ask for the changes, but having such a big change allowed us to make other smaller changes in other departments. It changed the dynamic of the show in small ways that led off to a really big feeling. It allowed us to refresh, reboot a little bit. It added a little life to everybody’s stuff. 

Being there from the beginning, what does it mean to you to see Top Chef endure and thrive when others haven’t? 

It’s true. We’re very grateful for it. This is not lost on me that I’ve been able to do this show for so long. I never imagined in my wildest dreams thought that I would still be here after 19 seasons. It’s amazing I’ve been able to make it the foundation of my career. That year after year I get to come back to the same people I love and the same crew and make it better and better. We’re so lucky Bravo has allowed us to evolve. We’re not a studio show. We don’t do the same thing in the same kind of bubble every year. We are out in the world. I think our show is really reflective the way the restaurant industry feels and looks at any given moment. I’m very proud of that.

I think we’ve also made a lot of changes to the show year after year. We never do the same thing twice, but we also every season make small tweaks and changes. Whether it’s changing the immunity for the elimination challenges. Instead of the Quickfire to elimination, having Tom and I come back into the Quickfires last year and then bringing back old challenges that really worked. Tweaking the ones that didn’t. We’re always in constant conversation, and I think that is really cool. For Tom and I, there have been so many changes over the years. They can be subtle, so you don’t always see them until we look back and realize just how big an impact they had on the show. 

TOP CHEF  (l-r) Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons — (Photo by: David Moir/Bravo)

When was the moment you saw the show had really reached another level? 

There have been several. I think Season 6 during those early years was a turning point for us That was the season we won our Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition. I think that season really solidified our show is about professionals at the highest level. We had great casts at that point, but the Season 6 cast just blew us away. We realized just how much we were able to do with them because they were such amazing chefs. From then on, it really allowed us to hone in on that piece of what made us different. There have been some big ones like having some of the celebrities we’ve had on the show. Some of the chefs we’ve had on the show. 

Anyone in particular? 

Joël Robuchon and Alain Ducasse agreeing to be on the show. Having celebrities like the Foo Fighters. People who are in the zeitgeist. To understand they wanted to be on the show because they were fans really is incredible to us because we still think of ourselves as this little reality show that could. In actuality, I think we have made a huge impact on the restaurant industry and the way America eats and the way America eats out and understands the world of chefs. I think that is valuable because it opens the conversation in so many ways.

Talking about moments, I think also being able to do our all-star season in London was huge. That was a major milestone obviously for our 20th anniversary and forgetting to finally connect with the 29 other versions of Top Chef out in the multiverse. We’ve all been living these parallel lives in the world, and it all started with us. That was really amazing to see and learn how the other versions of our show works, form Canada to the Middle East to Italy and France and Germany. That was wild and really fun. 

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So, it’s like coming full circle here in Canada. 

Yes! Absolutely. 

What do you see for the future of the show? Any other dream destinations. 

That’s the thing. There is a whole world to explore. I can’t wait to do Top Chef in Japan. I can’t wait to do Top Chef in Australia. Not versions of that show, but us going to those places. I think that’s the most amazing thing about food. That it is different all over the world, but that it is universal and I think everybody can connect to it and learn through it. This is a channel that speaks to every human alive. I think it just allows us to go anywhere and make great television. 

Top Chef,  Season 22 premiere, March 13, 9/8c, Bravo (Next day on Peacock)