From Five Sails To Final Plates: A Q&A With Top Chef Canada Finalist Alex Kim

Fresh off a nail-biting Season 12 finale of Top Chef Canada, Vancouver’s own Alex Kim has emerged as one of the country’s most exciting culinary voices—finishing second in a showdown that had judges calling his work “a masterclass in technique” and “Michelin-star level.” As Culinary Director at Five Sails, Kim brought precision, artistry, and deep Canadian inspiration to the finale, crafting a dream restaurant concept that honoured the nation’s farmers, foragers, and fishers. Now, with momentum, national admiration, and a season’s worth of unforgettable dishes behind him, Alex sits down with VITA to talk creativity, competition, and what’s next after one of the biggest culinary stages in Canada. —Noa Nichol

Your finale concept, Sovereign est. 1867, was a love letter to Canadian ingredients. What dish from your tasting menu best captured your personal connection to cooking in Canada — and why?

The dish that captured my connection to cooking in Canada was the amuse-bouche: Arctic Char Barley Salad with gochujang–sesame dressing, served in a crispy seaweed roll. For me, it represented the meeting point between my Korean heritage and the Canadian landscape that shaped me as a chef. Arctic char is uniquely Canadian, delicate, resilient, and deeply tied to the North while the fermented elements and quiet smokiness are flavours I grew up with. That bite felt like home in two directions: where I came from, and where Canada has allowed me to grow.

Judge Mark McEwan called your work “artful” and “super precise.” Where does that precision come from — training, personality, or something you’ve honed uniquely over the years?

It’s a mix of all three. My early training in classical kitchens taught me discipline; my personality pushes me to refine things until they feel just right; and over the years I’ve learned how to channel that precision into food that still feels warm and human. Precision isn’t about perfection for me, it’s about respect: respect for the ingredient, the guest, and the story I’m trying to tell on the plate.

You went head-to-head with Coulson Armstrong in an incredibly tight finale. What was going through your mind during that last service, and did anything surprise you about the final challenge?

During that last service, I kept repeating to myself: stay present, stay composed, trust your food. Coulson is a great chef, so I knew the margin would be razor-thin. What surprised me was how emotional it became in the final hour.. not from stress, but from realizing how much of myself I had poured into that menu. Once the dishes left the pass, all I could do was breathe and hope the judges felt the intention behind every plate.

Your menu featured everything from Arctic Char to Foie Gras Ice Cream. Which ingredient pushed you the most creatively during the competition?

The foie gras pushed me the furthest. Turning it into ice cream forced me to rethink the ingredient entirely, taking something traditionally rich and heavy and giving it elegance and lift. I wanted it to feel playful but not gimmicky, luxurious but still balanced. Pairing it with strawberry and maple allowed me to create harmony and showcase familiar ingredients in a new way.

Viewers saw your technique — but not the behind-the-scenes pressure. What was the toughest moment of the entire season, and how did you push through it?

The toughest moment came midway through the season, when fatigue started to build, physically, creatively, emotionally. There was a point where I felt like I was cooking on fumes. What got me through was remembering why I cook in the first place: to honour my roots and to grow as a Korean Canadian chef. Each challenge became a reset button. I told myself, just focus on the next plate. That mindset carried me all the way to the finale.

You’ve cooked in Alberta, Vancouver, and beyond. How has your journey — from immigrating from Korea to leading Five Sails — shaped the way you define “Canadian cuisine”?

Immigrating from Korea taught me that food is a language and Canada gave me the space to speak it in new ways. Cooking across Western Canada exposed me to the extraordinary diversity of Canadian ingredients, as well as the many cultures that shape our food landscape. My definition of Canadian cuisine is simple: it isn’t one identity, but many identities coexisting on the same plate. It’s curiosity, openness, and pride in the land we share.

Now that the whirlwind of Top Chef Canada is behind you, what’s the next culinary mountain you’re excited to climb? A new menu? A new concept? Or maybe revisiting Sovereign est. 1867 in real life?

I’m inspired to keep building on the ideas behind Sovereign est. 1867. I would love to explore it as a full tasting menu at Five Sails and dive deeper into that intersection of history, identity, and Canadian terroir. At the same time, Top Chefreignited a fire in me to keep evolving — new flavours, new collaborations, new techniques. The next mountain is about growth, but also about gratitude. Canada has given me so much to cook with; I want my next chapter to give something back.