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    Why new 'Top Chef' host Kristen Kish didn't call Padma Lakshmi for advice

    by Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times Mar 19, 2024 7 minutes
    From left, Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons in Season 21 of "Top Chef."

    Kristen Kish was going through airport security in Dubai when the call came in that provoked the sort of clock-ticking, accelerated-heart-rate feeling the former "Top Chef" winner was familiar with during all those Quickfire challenges.

    Like most fans of Bravo's cooking competition, Kish was stunned to learn last June that Padma Lakshmi was stepping down as host of Bravo's "Top Chef" after 19 seasons. "I couldn't believe it," Kish said.

    Not long after the announcement, while traveling back home to New York from a work trip in Thailand, Kish and her wife landed in Dubai. They were scurrying to catch their connecting flight when Kish powered up her phone and saw texts from her manager trickle in. She called her back, thinking something was wrong, only to find out that Bravo wanted to talk to Kish about hosting the show.

    "I call her as I'm waiting in line for security to push my suitcases through," Kish recalled on a recent video call. "She was like, 'They would love for you to fly to L.A. on Tuesday' — and it was a Sunday. I was like, 'Sure.' That was it."

    Kish takes over as host on Season 21 of "Top Chef," set in Wisconsin, premiering Wednesday.

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