The chefs first had 30 seconds to grab one ingredient from the Top Chef pantry. They were then split into groups of three. In honor of Toronto's nickname "The Six", referring to the number of municipalities that form the Greater Toronto Area, each team had 30 minutes to create a dish featuring six ingredients — the three ingredients chosen by the group members, and three ingredients selected by host Kristen Kish, head judge Tom Colicchio, and judge Gail Simmons. Kristen picked tomatoes, Gail picked chives, and Tom picked clams. The winning team received US$15,000.