March is a big month for sports fans. There’s the reliable madness of the NCAA Tournament, of course, before baseball shakes off the cobwebs and returns in full swing. The NBA and NHL both hit their stretch runs with the playoffs looming. In my household, however, there’s only one competition that really matters this time of year: It’s Top Chef season, baby!
I’ve been a diehard fan of the stalwart Bravo reality cooking series for years now, and approach every episode with the same rigor and passion that the average member of Bills Mafia brings to a Sunday at Highmark. I host Top Chef watch parties in my home. I listen to Top Chef podcasts on my commute to work. I compete in a Top Chef fantasy league with a dozen friends.
The show has long been a worthy object of my obsession, not merely because of its thrilling displays of improvisatory culinary genius (and chaotic kitchen flameouts), but also because of its commitment to rich, nuanced storytelling. In recent years, especially—largely at the urging of former host and executive producer Padma Lakshmi, who strongly advocated for more diverse competitors and cuisines—Top Chef has done a brilliant job of shining a light on the food cultures and histories of the regions each season is based in. In the second episode of 2020’s Los Angeles season, the chefs crisscrossed the sprawling metropolis to sample a multitude of restaurants championed by the late Pulitzer-winning critic Jonathan Gold, from a Sichuan hole-in-the-wall in East LA to a new-school taco spot in the Arts District. And during 2022’s Houston season, the contestants spent Juneteenth at the Freedmen’s Town in the city’s Fourth Ward, where they catered a fundraiser for the historic Bethel Baptist Church.
So you can imagine my fevered anticipation upon hearing that Top Chef’s 2025 season would be set in Canada, including my beloved hometown of Toronto. At long last, all my American friends and colleagues would get to see exactly why I never shut up about how incredible the food is back home. Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, with over 250 ethnicities represented and over 180 languages spoken among its population. And the robust culinary scene reflects that diversity: On a single streetcar route, you can taste the flavors of the Caribbean, Tibet, Portugal, Iran, Pakistan, Korea, India, Vietnam, Greece—just to name a few. The city boasts one of the largest Chinatowns in North America and by far the greatest Little Italy ever to appear in an unwatchable Hayden Christensen romcom. And yeah, we’ve got pretty damn good poutine and back bacon sandwiches, too.
Add to all that gastronomic range the roiling political climate into which this latest season was released—with President Trump declaring war on both trade with Canada and the very notions of diversity, equity, and inclusion—and you’ve got yourself a recipe for punchy, powerful, can’t-miss TV.