'Top Chef' Host Kristen Kish Didn't Call Padma Lakshmi for Advice

Kristen Kish was going through airport security in Dubai when the call came through that sparked the kind of racing heart rate sensation the former “Top Chef” winner was familiar with during all those Quickfire challenges.

Like most fans of the Bravo cooking competition, Kish was stunned to learn last June that Padma Lakshmi would be leaving her position as host of Bravo's “Top Chef” after 19 seasons. “I couldn't believe it,” Kish said.

Shortly after the announcement, while traveling back to New York after a work trip in Thailand, Kish and his wife landed in Dubai. They were rushing to catch their connecting flight when Kish turned on his phone and saw text messages from his manager. She called him back, thinking something was wrong, only to find out that Bravo wanted to talk to Kish about hosting the show.

“I call her while I'm waiting in line for security to take my bags,” Kish recalled in a recent video call. “She said, 'They'd love for you to fly to Los Angeles on Tuesday,' and it was Sunday. I was like, 'Sure.' That was it.”

Kish takes over as host of season 21 of “Top Chef,” set in Wisconsin, premiering Wednesday.

The return to “Top Chef” is fitting for the 39-year-old chef. As a season 10 contestant, Kish was the quiet but particular favorite before being eliminated following the show's signature Restaurant Wars challenge, after taking responsibility as team leader for poor prep timing and a gelatin mistake on her part. from a teammate. She but she earned a spot in the finals after winning the companion web series “Last Chance Kitchen” and then, with the help of an impressive five-course meal that included chicken liver mousse, the overall competition.

Since then, Kish co-wrote a cookbook, opened Arlo Gray restaurant in Austin, Texas, and has become more comfortable in front of the camera by appearing on shows like “Fast Foodies” (truTV), “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend” (Netflix) and “Restaurants at the End of the World” (National Geographic). Still, Kish is aware that he has big shoes to fill. After all, Lakshmi cultivated and elevated the role for nearly two decades, earning four Emmy nominations as a host. But Kish didn't hesitate to accept the opportunity, even if she doubted herself.

Adam Siegel, left, Paul Bartolotta, Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons at the season 21 premiere of “Top Chef.”

(David Moaré / Bravo)

“You say, 'Wow, me?'” Kish says. “It caught me completely off guard. It's not like I'm, in my brain, preparing for it or even considering it. Yo would even be considered. “I don’t want to take away from the fact that I felt honored and excited.”

Kish spoke to The Times about her first day as host, the season's return to her “Top Chef” origin story and whether she got close to Lakshmi during filming. This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

You've done your part as a host and on-camera work since you won “Top Chef.” But is it weird to go from being a former “Top Chef” contestant to its host?

I knew Padma hosted the show, as did many of us. And being the new person in that mix is the most… I don't even know if I have a word to describe it. I probably leaned on the fact that I've been on the show and won the show as a comfort and validation for myself that I deserve to be there. I think it was just the idea that everyone would probably get used to having to see a new face in that role. Like me.

A man and woman standing in a professional kitchen.

Is there preparation? Where did you start?

No, without preparation. I knew from the moment I said yes and they offered me the job, that you just have to be yourself. I think, for me, it was more of a mental preparation to wrap my brain around the idea that is me doing it. Any time you expose yourself to being judged by the masses (by a lot of people you don't know and, frankly, don't know yourself), it's scary because the internet can be a scary place sometimes. People can be very cruel. What I will say is that the comments and amount of support have far outweighed any trolls here and there.

What was that first day on set as a presenter like? What do you remember about walking there?, delivering the first lines?

The good thing about television is that I can repeat a line over and over again. And I had to do it because, here's the thing, there's no teleprompter. They whisper the details of the challenge in your ear so you don't make a mistake, right? Because it has to be delivered so that everyone at home understands the rules. I don't register information when listening to it.

I could never. That sounds scary to me.

I am a visual person. In “Iron Chef,” when I had to deliver lines, I had a teleprompter and all I had to do was read. So for me, having to hear and then getting it out took some time. There was a line: I was trying to introduce someone and I just couldn't do it right for the life of me. I did it again and again. Gail [Simmons], on the first day, said: “We can be here as long as you need; everyone is going to need to do repetitions. And that's okay.” He knew those things, but hearing permission from seasoned professionals, “take your time, take what you need,” was a huge support, and the support from the team was tremendously helpful.

I know Padma sent you flowers when you started this journey. But what advice did she share?

She didn't really give me any advice. I think that's a huge compliment because she knows I have to figure it out on my own. She can't tell me how to do his work because he knew how to do it the way that suited him. I have to do it in a way that is me. What he did offer me was full support: calling, texting, writing, sending snail mail, whatever; If I need it, it will be available.

Did you find yourself looking for the phone?

No, I was too busy!

This season introduces new rules to the competition: YoElimination immunity is no longer tied to a Quickfire award but is instead awarded to the winner of the main challenge. What did you think of that change?

I love Immunity from a pure contestant standpoint. It gives you a minute to really focus. But to gain immunity for Quickfire to face the same challenge, you're not saying you don't try as hard. But it does take the pressure off a little, right? When you have to do immunity to win the next immunity, that only drives you to do immunity again. I feel like he pushes you harder, instead of knowing you can relax for a second. [with the Quickfire immunity]If that makes sense.

Veteran chef Emeril Lagasse with three competing chefs "The best chef"

Things begin in a way that completes the circle of their journey. The first challenge paymentyes tribute to how you got your spot on “Top Chef” in YesSeason 10. You had to make soup for Emeril Lagassewho saw soup preparation as a way to test whether a chef knew how to develop flavor.

We were chatting during pre-production time: if you could come up with a challenge that really shows what a great chef needs to have, what would it be? There are so many. The three [tasks] of what I took [Colicchio], Gail and I certainly chose to prove it. But I feel like it was the only natural place I wanted to go and say, “Well, I had to do it at my place, so now you have to do it to earn your place.” It was a no-brainer when they first asked.

Take me back to 20–something Kristen Kish. Where were you in your life when you auditioned for the show and got the call to be a contestant?

I was in a place where “Top Chef” wasn't even on my radar. I never thought he could do it, I never wanted to be on TV. She was my boss at the time and she told me: “You have to do it, can do it.” You often need other people to see your ability and your greatness to help you move forward. And that's what happened, combined with the fact that I had maybe been in my job for a couple of years and was [on] autopilot a bit. It was still fun, but a little easy.

You were eliminated during “R.restaurant W.ars,“ But your comeback story was crazy. Thanks to “Last Chance Kitchen,“ where eliminated contestants compete for a chance to return, you returned and faced Brooke in the finals. A truly epic showdown and you won. How do you remember that whirlwind of time?

I remember being eliminated and I can still hear Padma's voice: “Please pack your knives and leave.” Sometimes there is a lull between the main season before the finale and there was for mine. I was at home watching the season unfold like everyone else, knowing that I still have “Last Chance Cooking.” I didn't know my destiny. I was living in this “Top Chef” purgatory and thinking, “Okay, I still have two or three more 'Last Chance Kitchens' left before I can do it again.” By the time I got to the end, so much time had passed that I was at peace with whatever was going to happen. Luckily, it worked in my favor.

What was it like for you to deliver the first “Please pack your knives and leave”?

In my head, I kept repeating it over and over, even before we started filming. “Please pack your knives and go“—where should I put the inflection? “Please pack Take the knives and leave. You like to play with it.

Was There are some Did I think about giving you a different phrase?

Well, “Top Chef” has always had that since Katie Lee's season. I don't remember what they said specifically about “Please pack your knives and leave,” but in terms of “Your time starts now,” they said, “Play with it; you can play with it.” Say what you want to say.” But sometimes there's only one way to say it. It's all in the tone.

four "The best chef" The judges stand next to a table full of cuts of meat.

What can you joke about the season? Was there any moment of the season that surprised you?

I don't know if it's a tease, but I think it's a really interesting twist. You've already talked about immunity and I love the challenge of that. I was very excited that, in the second half of the season, Tom and Gail were a part of Quickfires. [typically it’s the host and a guest judge]. I like going out with them. Being able to have the three of us, trying the food together, means that Yeah We need to, and not always or, frankly, it's just in the moments, if something is that close and you need to go back to Quickfire, you can do that. I feel like it was good to have that in place.

Padma has hosted the show for 19 seasons. If you had your way, how long do you see yourself in this role?

As long as they have me. I feel like the beauty of “Top Chef” is not who hosts it, who judges it, what guest judges or celebrities you have. It's a show for the chefs; it's a taste of an opportunity for chefs who are really good at what they do to come and showcase it and be celebrated for it and ultimately walk away… with a pocket of opportunities that they otherwise wouldn't have had before. . I know there are a lot of comments like, “Oh, Kristen is the new host” right now. But… without the chefs, you don't have a show.

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