Rich Francis wins third place in Canadas Top Chef

It was a bittersweet finale for Rich Francis, originally of Fort McPherson, N.W.T.

The first aboriginal chef to compete on the Food Networks Top Chef Canada came in third place last night.

• Chef Richard Francis takes aboriginal cuisine down new road

Francis dominated the cooking challenges leading up to the finish.

But atthe last minute Francis changed his menu, and the judges were put off by his scallops in a vanilla cream sauce, undercooked quail, and muskox... for dessert.

Francis says he has no regrets.

Anytime you present something new to people or the public, there is gonna be some criticism," he told the CBC. "But this is my food and this is the food that weve known for so long. Maybe theyre just not used to it just yet.

Francis says since the taping of the show back in August, he's taken what he learned while shooting the finale and perfected the dishes.

He runs a pop up restaurant in Ontario called District Red by Rich Francis.