Kristen Kish, an acclaimed chef who won the 10th season of “Top Chef” more than a decade ago, will return as the next host of the long-running culinary contest, Bravo announced Tuesday. She succeeds Padma Lakshmi, who said last month she would be leaving the show, which she hosted for 19 of its 20 seasons.
Kish, who has hosted several other food-related series, will take the reins for season 21, which the network says will take place in Wisconsin. She will sit at the judges’ table alongside food writer Gail Simmons and chef Tom Colicchio.
“‘Top Chef’ is where I started my journey — first as a competitive chef, then as a guest judge and now as a host. I’m honored to help build this brand,” Kish said in a statement. “It feels like coming home.”
Kish, who was adopted from South Korea and grew up in Kentwood, Michigan, attended Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago. She then worked in restaurants in Boston for ten years, progressing to become chef de cuisine at Menton, Barbara Lynch’s crown jewel restaurant.
As DailyExpertNews reported in 2014, Lynch had encouraged Kish and another young chef from her restaurant group to compete on “Top Chef.”
Kish won season 10 and has become a familiar face on the show in recent years as a guest judge. She has also opened her first restaurant, released a cookbook and has hosted or performed on several shows, including ’36 Hours’, a Travel Channel show that is a collaboration with The Times; “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend” and “Restaurants at the End of the World.”
Ryan Flynn, a senior vice president of NBCUniversal, said in a statement that Kish was “the perfect host for the next chapter of ‘Top Chef,’ as we enter a new region of the country that we haven’t yet explored.”
Both Colicchio and Simmons posted posts on Instagram on Tuesday afternoon applauding the choice of Kish.
“She is an outstanding chef, brings a world class perspective and most importantly knows what it takes to win @bravotopchef as she has competed and been a judge in the past,” Colicchio wrote.
“I couldn’t find the words to let her move into that chair at the judge’s table,” Simmons said.
In a statement to The Times on Tuesday, Kish added that she was already “overwhelmed by the tremendous support from ‘Top Chef’ fans who are embracing this new chapter.”
“I can’t wait to get started!” she said.
Maya Salam contributed reporting.
