Coulson Armstrong : TOP CHEF’s Canada winner
In a city buzzing with culinary talent, Coulson Armstrong stands out — not with loud declarations or flashy headlines, but with calm mastery, relentless work ethic, and some of the finest plates Toronto has to offer. The wonderful chef just won Top Chef Canada.
Coulson’s story doesn’t start with grand ambitions. It starts, fittingly, with dirty dishes. In his last year of high school, the “new kid” in class was offered a job at a local restaurant washing dishes. Then came pastry. “From that moment on, I never looked back,” he says. Well, almost. A brief detour into landscape construction at 22 confirmed what he already knew: the kitchen was where he belonged.
At Joia restaurant, someone suggested culinary school. Coulson enrolled at Humber College, but after a few months, the kitchen pulled him back faster than any classroom could. Real-world training became his education.
A stint at Canoe — one of Toronto’s most iconic kitchens — changed everything. Coulson rose through the ranks, eventually becoming Head Chef and making Canoe his second home for four years. At 32, instead of settling, he resigned to travel the world — a six-month journey that turned into a masterclass in global flavors and kitchen cultures for three years.
He worked on spice plantations in India, studied street food in Thailand and Vietnam, and then lived in Austrialia meet Morgan McGlone (whom he calls “the Matty of the Southern Hemisphere”). He cooked an 18-course menu with a three-person team in New Zealand at Pasture. He grilled at NOMA in Copenhagen, where he realized that Canadian grit — heads down, get it done — was a badge of pride. In California, he deepened his farm-to-table knowledge at State Bird Provisions, SingleThread, and Mr. Jiu’s.
World-class experiences, but Toronto still pulled at him. Returning home, he rejoined forces with Matty Matheson, becoming a key player behind the MattyFest festival, cookbook projects, and eventually, the ambitious Prime Seafood Palace.
Of course, opening a restaurant during a pandemic is another kind of bootcamp. Construction delays, bylaw hurdles, and peak COVID uncertainty pushed Prime’s opening by over a year. Coulson stayed adaptable, lending his talents to Matty’s Patty’s + Ca Phe Rang’s opening while waiting. When Prime finally opened in 2022, it made an immediate impact: a quietly stunning, cathedral-like space designed by architect Omar Gandhi, and a menu that lets seafood and steak shine without unnecessary flash. Also: fun fact — the “Palace” in the name? It’s actually a tongue-in-cheek nod to the restaurant’s jaw-dropping 22-foot-high, skylight-crowned restroom.
Today, as Culinary Director at Our House Hospitality and a partner in Matheson’s Food Company, Coulson balances high-end dining with product development — from spice rubs and BBQ sauces to new market initiatives. He’s even involved in a new project slated for Hamilton at the end of the year.
Despite traveling the world, Toronto remains his home base — and his ambition is rooted in community. Whether it’s a refined seafood palace, a farmers’ market selling the same veggies featured on the plates, or making Michelin-level products accessible to home cooks, Coulson’s goal is simple: to build things that last, things that matter.
In 2025, Coulson entered the Top Chef Canada and won!!! From dishwasher to director, from India to Copenhagen to Queen West, Coulson Armstrong’s journey is a masterclass in passion, humility, and consistency. In a business that loves noise, Coulson proves that true hospitality — like true talent — often speaks loudest when it’s just well done! We can not be more happy for him and we can’t wait to see what’s next.
Written by Élise Tastet
Photography by Taylor Renee Whyte
