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| Where Was America’s Culinary Cup Filmed? Inside the Real Kitchens Behind CBS’ New Cooking Competition. (Image via: CBS) |
CBS’ new cooking competition America’s Culinary Cup quickly caught viewers’ attention not just for its fierce culinary battles, but also for the striking kitchen arena where the chefs compete. The show, created and hosted by Padma Lakshmi, brings together 16 highly decorated chefs battling for a $1 million prize, and its filming locations have sparked curiosity among fans eager to know where the action actually takes place.
While the show presents itself as a sweeping culinary showdown across American flavours, most of the production happens in a carefully controlled environment. Not every filming address has been publicly revealed, partly to prevent disruptive fans from turning up during production. Still, several key locations tied to the show’s production have become clear — and some of them are places visitors could realistically see when travelling.
Confirmed America's Culinary Cup Filming Locations
A closer look at the confirmed and related filming locations tied to America’s Culinary Cup.
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| CBS |
Toronto, Ontario – Main Production Base
Toronto appears to be the primary filming hub for America’s Culinary Cup. Production for the first season reportedly took place around May and June 2025, with the show transforming an industrial space in the city into its massive culinary arena.
Producers reportedly scouted multiple warehouses before selecting a facility capable of supporting the show’s ambitious set design. Space was essential: the production needed room for multiple kitchens, camera rigs, judging stations, storage zones, and crew areas.
The result was a custom-built competition kitchen designed by award-winning production designer James Pearse Connelly. According to the creative team, the set was built to resemble the ultimate professional kitchen — one that top chefs would dream of cooking in.
The arena includes:
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Giant scoreboard tracking the competition
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Individual chef workstations
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Combi ovens and pizza ovens
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Deep fryers and flat-top grills
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Dehydrators and specialist culinary equipment
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Ceiling-mounted cookware racks
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A semi-dome window overlooking the Toronto skyline
The design balances television spectacle with real culinary functionality. Lighting rigs ensure the food looks sharp on camera while still giving chefs enough visibility to work quickly.
Safety was also a key factor.
Fire-safety officers are present during filming, and the studio includes a private dining room where judges — including Michael Cimarusti and Wylie Dufresne — evaluate dishes away from the heat of the kitchen floor.
Toronto Film and Production Warehouses – Additional Production Support.
Beyond the main kitchen arena, several nearby warehouse facilities across Toronto’s production district reportedly supported the show’s operations.
These industrial buildings provide the infrastructure needed for large-scale television shoots. Production crews use them for equipment storage, staging areas, wardrobe, technical control rooms, and preparation zones for ingredients.
Because America’s Culinary Cup features complex filming sequences — cooking challenges, judging panels, elimination rounds, and contestant interviews — multiple support spaces are required to keep filming running smoothly.
Toronto has become a major North American filming centre thanks to its mix of studio infrastructure and adaptable industrial spaces. For reality shows like this one, the city’s warehouses offer flexible environments that can be turned into almost anything — including one of television’s biggest competition kitchens.
Distillery District, Toronto – Culinary Inspiration.
Although the competition itself takes place indoors, the production’s Toronto setting also places it close to one of the city’s most popular culinary neighbourhoods: the Distillery District.
The historic area is known for its restaurants, bakeries, artisan food shops, and culinary events. While the show itself does not film competition scenes here, the district represents the broader food culture surrounding the production.
Visitors interested in the culinary atmosphere tied to the show’s filming base often include the Distillery District on their itinerary when exploring Toronto. Its cobblestone streets and historic brick buildings have become a go-to destination for food lovers.
Inside the Kitchen: Why the Show Chose a Studio Environment?
Unlike travel-based cooking programmes, America’s Culinary Cup relies on a controlled environment. Filming inside a studio allows producers to carefully manage lighting, sound, camera movement, and cooking equipment.
This is particularly important for a competition built around ten culinary principles: vegetables, meat, desserts, flavour, sauces, world cuisine, culinary science and technology, consistency, innovation, and sustainability.
Each challenge requires specific ingredients, equipment, and judging setups. A studio environment allows producers to switch between challenges quickly while maintaining a consistent visual style.
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| CBS |
Creator Padma Lakshmi explained the vision behind the set design, saying the goal was to build a kitchen that any elite chef would be excited to cook in. The final result is both functional and visually striking — a key reason the show stands out among cooking competitions.
Chef Katie Button, one of the competitors, shared her experience after filming wrapped, describing the competition as one of the toughest culinary challenges she had faced.
She noted that going head-to-head with some of the country’s most accomplished chefs was both intense and deeply rewarding. According to Button, every competitor brought their absolute best to the kitchen arena.
For viewers, that intensity translates into high-pressure cooking moments that feel authentic rather than staged.
Online reactions to the show’s filming setup have been mixed but largely positive. Many viewers praised the scale of the kitchen arena, describing it as one of the most impressive competition sets in food television.
Some fans on discussion forums joked that the kitchen looked “like a chef’s version of a Formula One garage,” packed with high-end equipment and sleek design.
Others were surprised to learn the show was filmed in Canada rather than the United States. However, many acknowledged that Toronto’s film infrastructure makes it a logical choice for large productions.
A few viewers also expressed curiosity about whether future seasons might expand filming to real culinary destinations across North America.
Could Fans Visit the Filming Locations?
While the exact warehouse used for filming has not been publicly disclosed, many of the surrounding areas in Toronto are open to visitors. Food lovers travelling to the city can still experience its thriving culinary scene, which mirrors the spirit of the show.
However, production secrecy means fans should not expect public tours of the actual competition set anytime soon.
America’s Culinary Cup proves that a cooking competition can be as visually ambitious as any drama series. By transforming a Toronto warehouse into a world-class kitchen arena, the production team created a setting that matches the intensity of the chefs battling for the $1 million prize.
As the show continues to gain attention, viewers are increasingly curious about the places behind the cameras. And if new filming locations emerge in future seasons, they will almost certainly become must-visit spots for culinary fans.
Would you travel to Toronto just to see the city behind America’s Culinary Cup? Or do you hope the show eventually takes its challenges on the road to real culinary destinations?