‘Top Chef’ Judges Talk Wisconsin, the Post-Padma Era and Diversity in Food: ‘I Don’t Care If It’s from Angola or Antarctica If Something’s Seasoned Correctly’
variety.comTop Chef” has always evolved in order to maintain its position as TV’s most prestigious cooking competition show. But when heading into Season 21, the Bravo mainstay had to make its greatest gear shift yet: After an international season that gathered contestants from a slew of global spinoffs in London, longtime host Padma Lakshmi announced her exit from the role after more than 15 years as the series’ grounded center.
Fortunately, Lakshmi’s successor is already well-known to the franchise’s fans. After winning Season 10, in 2012, Kristen Kish has topped the shortlist of “Top Chef” alumni who burnish the show’s credibility with their subsequent success.
In 2018, Kish opened her own restaurant, Arlo Grey, inside Austin’s Proper Hotel. She’s also developed experience as a presenter, co-hosting the Netflix reboot of “Iron Chef” with Alton Brown and traversing the globe for National Geographic’s “Restaurants at the End of the World.” Even with her track record on and off the show, Kish’s addition to the judging panel has been strikingly seamless.
Alongside chef Tom Colicchio and food writer Gail Simmons, Kish has presided over a season that’s shaken up more than just the cast: Its setting, Wisconsin, caused some observers to raise an eyebrow — compared to past destinations like New Orleans or California, the Badger State isn’t as well known as a culinary mecca.
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