The rose-coloured glasses are off: Todd Perrin on his return to Top Chef Canada
Todd Perrin knew exactly what to expect when he made his return to Top Chef Canada, this time for the All-Stars series.
After competing in the show's first season, Perrin was eliminated, with judges saying he couldn't change his style of cooking.
Perrin, the chef and co-owner of Mallard Cottage in St. John's, said that's not a point he'd necessarily argue with.
"Maybe I'm an old dog who doesn't learn new tricks, that might be a better way to put it," he said.
But Perrin said his signature cooking style is what he's known for, what he does best — and what he wants to keep doing.
"I think part of my success on that show is that I went on and represented myself and where I'm from, and pretty much that's what I know how to do," Perrin told CBC's St. John's Morning Show.
"So I wasn't gonna change anything I do to try and win a show or contest or whatever, I just kinda do my thing."
Perrin said since the first season of Top Chef Canada, he hasn't changed the way he cooks.
"Basically my whole premise is that we totally try to do solid good food for people, food that I like to eat, food that people I know like to eat and that hopefully other people like to eat. We're not about flash or a lot of flair, we're just trying to do solid foods and let people enjoy it," he said.
"Top Chef is all about drama, and I spend a lot of my time trying to avoid that at my work, so it's a bit of a dichotomy. But there it is, I decided to go back and do it again anyway."
'You know what to expect'
If anything, Perrin said this time around, he'll have a better idea of what's coming.
"It's a bit like watching a car accident after you'd been in one, right? You know what to expect, you know where the bad moments are gonna be, you know what's good about it, you know what's bad about it," he said.
"Maybe the first time around doing something like that you have the rose-coloured glasses of how awesome it's gonna be, but then you get in and kind of the realization is, exactly how tough it's gonna be."
With $100,000 and a kitchen upgrade prize up for grabs, Perrin said he wanted to do the best job possible — but couldn't divulge any details about what happens in the All-Stars season.
"It's a fun thing to be a part of. You go see old friends, meet some new ones," he said.
"You kind of look at it and go, well it's something that you'd regret not doing if you didn't do it."
Top Chef Canada: All-Stars premieres April 2 on The Food Network.
