PRECISION AND POISE: GLOWBAL RESTAURANT GROUP’S ALEX KIM
FINISHES SECOND ON THE SEASON 12 FINALE OF
FLAVOUR NETWORK’S TOP CHEF CANADA
Five Sails Culinary Director Goes Neck and Neck with Winner
Coulson Armstrong Of Ontario in ‘One Night Only’ Finale
on Flavour Network Tuesday Night
Glowbal Restaurant Group’s Five Sails Culinary Director Alex Kim finished second to Ontario’s Coulson Armstrong in a frenetic, down-to-the-wire grand finale episode of Season 12 of the Flavour Network’s Top Chef Canada last night.
Armstrong — of Matty Matheson’s Toronto-based Our House Hospitality Company — and 2025 Canadian Culinary Champion Kim were the last two chefs standing after seven episodes of the twelfth season of the popular reality TV show, leading to last night’s showdown entitled ‘One Night Only’ in which Kim and Armstrong were tasked with bringing their own dream restaurant concepts to life.
Kim’s concept, called ‘Sovereign est. 1867’, served as an homage to Canadian farmers, foragers and fishers via a five-course tasting menu that incorporated regional ingredients such as Arctic Char from the Northwest Territories, Sablefish and Dungeness Crab from Haida Gwaii, BC, Alberta Lamb, Strawberries from Ontario, Foie Gras from Quebec and Nova Scotia Lobster.
His final menu began with an amuse-bouche of Bannock with Smoked Arctic Char Mousse and an Arctic Char Barley Seaweed Roll and continued with an appetizer of Lobster Bisque with Mussel, Salt Cod Croquette and Lobster Claw. His first entrée — Sablefish with Dungeness Crab Fregola and Citrus Dashi Foam — drew high praise from Top Chef Canada Judge Chef Mark McEwan, who said “Everything that Alex touches is very artful and super precise, and that’s the beauty of it … So much technique. So much skill here. What a pleasure to be at the table.”
Kim continued with a second entrée of Herb-Crusted Lamb, Chickpea Panisse, Wild Rice Stuffed Morel and Carrot Top Mint Salsa Verde and finished his menu with a dessert course of Foie Gras Ice Cream and Strawberry Cake with Maple Tuile.
Before the judges eventually named Armstrong the winner, Kim drew more praise for executing his fine-dining concept from Top Chef Canada Judge and restaurateur Janet Zuccarini, who said: “[Alex] really thought about every little detail. He’s delivering on the full experience … Sovereign 1867 was a masterclass in technique, refinement and service. It really felt like a fine-dining experience at a Michelin-star level.”
“I cannot express what an incredible experience this has been for me and am so grateful for all the support that everyone from Vancouver and across Canada has shown us,” says Kim, who was one of three BC-based chefs (Katy Cheung of Vancouver’s Burdock & Co. and Nick Maharaj of Victoria’s Part and Parcel) to compete in Season 12. “Coulson was an amazing competitor to go up against in the finale — so skilled, seasoned and experienced, and he really helped make this journey so special and unforgettable.”
After emigrating from Korea as a teenager, Kim worked the line at several of Alberta’s top luxury hotel properties including Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and Fairmont Hotel MacDonald before coming to Vancouver to continue his culinary career in 2017. He first joined the Glowbal family in 2021 as Executive Chef at its flagship Glowbal Restaurant following a three-year turn as Chef de Cuisine at the former MARKET by Jean-Georges at the Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver and most recently took the reins of Glowbal’s award-winning Five Sails as Culinary Director.
“We’re immensely proud of Alex and the precision and poise he showed throughout this season of Top Chef Canada,” says Glowbal Restaurant Group CEO Emad Yacoub. “He’s an amazing chef, mentor, member of our Glowbal family and a passionate champion of local cuisine — which he showed so well on the Top Chef Canada finale. A huge congratulations to Alex, Coulson and all the competitors who showed their chops this season.”
All episodes of Top Chef Canada, Season 12 can be streamed now on STACKTV.