Top Chef Canada has announced a new batch of chefs who will compete on its eighth season, including two British Columbians, and one who hails from Vancouver.

Xin Mao, chef and owner of waterfront dining spot M8 Bistro & Bar (1010 Beach Avenue) specializes in fusing Chinese and Italian flavours. He will demonstrate his cooking skills on the high-stakes culinary competition show.

The other B.C. competitor is Brock Bowes, who runs an Asian street-food truck called Crasian Food Truck in Kelowna. He and his girlfriend have also opened Provisions Kitchen and Boxcar.

The popular cooking show showcases 12 chefs who will battle for the top prize of $100,000, a new 2020 Lexus self-charging hybrid electric SUV, and an eight-night guided tour of Italy.

They will need to impress a roster of returning judges, which includes chef and host Eden Grinshpan, head judge and chef Mark McEwan, restaurateur Janet Zuccarini, Vancouver-based food blogger Mijune Pak, and food critic Chris Nuttall-Smith.

Here’s the full list of competitors on season eight of Top Chef Canada:

• Francis Blais, 27 – Montreal, Que.
• Brock Bowes, 41 – Kelowna, B.C.
• Dominique Dufour, 32 – Ottawa, Ont.
• Adrian Forte, 31 – Toronto, Ont.
• Shaun Hussey, 40 – St. John’s, N.L.
• Xin Mao, 36 – Vancouver, B.C.
• Lucy Morrow, 26 – Charlottetown, P.E.I.
• Jo Notkin, 43 – Montreal, Que.
• Stephanie Ogilvie, 36 – Halifax, N.S.
• Elycia Ross, 27 – Calgary, Alta.
• Nils Schneider, 27 – Calgary, Alta.
• Imrun Texeira, 25 – Ottawa, Ont.

Top Chef Canada’s upcoming season premieres on Food Network Canada on April 13 at 10 p.m. PT.