Why would someone who has already worked as the personal chef to the Canadian prime minister and heads the kitchen at a Michelin Guide-recommended Vancouver Italian restaurant want to throw himself into the mix on a TV culinary competition?
If you're Chanthy Yen, it's simply because it's something you'd never done before.
Yen, 35, is among the talented toques taking part in Food Network Canada's 11th season of Top Chef Canada. The show premieres Monday, Oct. 14.
'It just sort of added up for me'
"I have never been a competitive person," Yen admits to V.I.A. during a video interview. "I'm always pushing my team at Bacaro to try new things, to really expand their portfolio."
And then one of the cooks asked Yen if he'd ever done a culinary competition.
"'Oh, I actually haven't,'" he recalls saying. That sealed the deal.
"It just sort of added up for me."
Yen was appointed executive chef at downtown's Bacaro in December 2023.
Before he joined the crew at the Kitchen Table Group restaurant inside the Fairmont Pacific Rim, Yen was the chef of Nightshade, the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand vegan restaurant that closed somewhat unexpectedly in September 2023. At the time, Yen had hoped the concept could relocate, but, no stranger to the nomadic nature of chef life, he landed at Bacaro soon after.
It was looking for a way to hit pause on the nomadic life — on a bigger scale — that brought Yen to Vancouver.
Top Chef Canada another milestone in an incredible 20+-year career
The Cambodian immigrant's storied career began over 20 years ago, and his resume includes gigs at Michelin-starred restaurants in San Sebastian and Barcelona, Spain; being named Chef of the Year by Eater Montreal when he had his first restaurant there, Fieldstone; his namesake stall inside Montreal's lively Time Out Market; and, in 2021, making history as the first-ever queer and BIPOC chef to serve as personal chef to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family.
"I just really wanted to plant my feet down. I've just moved back to Vancouver, and really showcase my talents and the experiences that I've had over the last 20 years," he shares.
Still, the show accorded Yen the opportunity to achieve another first, which, ultimately, he says, let him tap into his vulnerabilities.
"Being the very first Cambodian person in this competition, I really get to have moments to express myself and shine and really represent Vancouver," he describes.
West Coast, best coast
He's also the sole Vancouver chef in the cast for Top Chef Canada's 11th season, and Yen says he has been bolstered in the weeks leading up to the premiere with encouragement from past competitors who call Vancouver home, like Deseree Lo.
"Having support from Vancouver just feels like a huge milestone in my career and my life, and to be able to cook for this many people and to be successful at it is a dream come true."
"I always believe that the West Coast is the best coast," Yen adds.
Ultimately, though, Top Chef is a competition, one that often pits chef against chef under exaggerated circumstances with a set of mandates and time pressure. Rather than give into the rivalry, Yen applied the same approach in the Top Chef Canada kitchen as he does as leader of the Bacaro kitchen.
"My culinary philosophy is to treat people with kindness and to always cook with intention. So those two things, married together, really gave me the push I needed to survive the competition and to also promote the people around me," Yen describes.
"Instead of competing against people, I was kind of cheering them on, because you want to take people on at their best. And Top Chef Canada really gave me that opportunity this year."
Yen admits he didn't prepare in any particular way to be on the show, but the show does prepare a chef to further their career.
"People have come out of the competition being rising stars throughout Canada and the world," Yen reflects. "I think that during this competition, you'll learn a lot about yourself, which really will give you the armour to move forward in whichever way you go."
'Celebrating people and cheering someone on is just such a fun thing to do'
While Yen can't reveal specifics about what viewers will see him cooking or how far he goes this season, he is hopeful that he will have a positive impact on Canadians who see him on the show –– which is one of TV's most enduring culinary competition franchises.
"There are so many things that are difficult in this world, and I think celebrating people and cheering someone on is just such a fun thing to do. It's like picking your favourite Power Ranger," he says.
"You see someone with these underdog stories or these different patterns and quilts of life, and you find a way to connect with them," Yen continues, describing what many viewers experience by tuning into Top Chef Canada.
"I hope that I can be a voice for a lot of queer Cambodian people, or second-generation or first-generation immigrants. I have different culinary experiences and hopefully I can reach one person...or two people...or one community or two communities, at least," he adds.
Oh, and what is Yen's favourite Power Ranger? "The Green one!"
- Watch the season premiere of Top Chef Canada Season 11 on Monday, Oct. 14, at 10 p.m. local time on Food Network Canada
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