A longtime Rocky Mountain House resident is stepping into the national spotlight tonight as local chef Denia Baltzer appears as a guest judge on an episode of Top Chef Canada.

Baltzer, owner of Creative Cuisine Catering, has been serving the West Country region for 15 years. Now, she’ll be representing her community—and her Indigenous culinary roots—on a much larger stage.

The episode itself was filmed in Calgary last September and focuses on Alberta-sourced ingredients. Baltzer says during the episode, she introduces one of the night’s key features: wild berries.

“It was a really fun and unique experience,” said Baltzer. “I got to sit at the judges’ table, introduce a foraged ingredient, and taste some incredible food made with Alberta beef and berries.”

Denia Baltzer, second from left, travelled to Calgary in September 2024 for taping of the episode. (provided)

Baltzer says she caught the show’s attention after filming a nine-part cooking series for APTN that highlighted Indigenous cuisine. “They reached out, but I actually deleted their first emails—I thought it must be a scam,” she laughed. “Luckily they called the day before.”

The episode features scenes from Calgary’s Olympic Plaza—filmed before its demolition early in 2025—and concludes with a judges’ dinner at Rouge, a high-end Calgary restaurant.

Baltzer adds, what viewers see on their screens is authentic.

“The judging is legit. There were some heated conversations off camera between judges over different dishes,” she said. “It was really neat meeting the other judges— they were lovely people.”

Without revealing spoilers, she confirmed the show made a point of incorporating Indigenous culture and voices throughout the episode.

“I think it’s really exciting to showcase what Alberta’s culinary scene has to offer,” she said. “It’s evolving all the time, and it was great to be part of something that highlights that on a national platform.”

The episode airs Thursday May 22 on Bravo at 7 p.m.

Denia Baltzer (provided)