Television host, model, author, entrepreneur, and activist Padma Lakshmi stepped away from the Bravo cooking competition program “Top Chef” in 2023, having hosted the show for 19 seasons since 2006. However, she recently returned to the small screen to host a new series airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
But Lakshmi, 55, didn’t actually believe she’d ever return to cooking competition shows. When she departed “Top Chef,” she described being “burnt out” and was ready to put her efforts into alternative projects — such as “Taste the Nation,” which is her Hulu travel series tracing American foodways, as well as the cookbook she wrote to accompany the show, titled “Padma’s All American,” which hit bookstores last fall.
Per Variety, Lakshmi says of the change, “I just needed to be challenged and do something bigger, to be honest.”
However, CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach then took Lakshmi out to dinner and asked her a very intriguing set of questions. “What if you could do it your way?” “What if you could have total control?” And “What if we gave you all the things you needed to go out and make the show you wanted?”
Lakshmi describes how Reisenbach’s persuasive methods ultimately “just wore me down.”
Padma Lakshmi’s Answer to Reisenbach’s Questions Is ‘America’s Culinary Cup’
Padma Lakshmi is now back with her answer to Amy Reisenbach’s questions with her new show, “America’s Culinary Cup.”
After hitting it off with Reisenbach over dinner, Lakshmi told Variety, “If I have the ability to choose. I’m going to work with people I not only respect and admire, but who are fun and make it fun.”
Per IMDb’s description of the new series, “Top chefs compete in challenges testing creativity, endurance, presentation and leadership skills in America’s Culinary Cup.”
The show began airing on Wednesday, March 4, at 9:30 p.m EST. The first episode was titled “Spoiled for Stroganoff.”
Lakshmi took to Instagram a couple of weeks prior to its premiere to post a preview on the popular social media platform. It featured two images: one of Lakshmi looking glamorous, and another of the show’s logo.
The post’s caption read, “Two weeks until sixteen of America’s most decorated chefs compete for one million dollars, and America’s Culinary Cup!”
Lakshmi’s followers were immediately excited, with one writing, “Omg can’t wait for this!!! 👩🏽🍳😍”
Two Parties Kicked Off ‘America’s Culinary Cup’
On the night of the launch of “America’s Culinary Cup,” Padma Lakshmi again took to Instagram to post a video from two parties that took place to kick off the show.
Lakshmi captioned the video, “Two parties to kickoff @americasculinarycupcbs!!”
She continued the caption, saying, “Come back around 9PM ET as I’ll be going live with my two gentlemen besties as we wait for the show to start!”
The caption concluded with Lakshmi writing, “Thank you to everyone who helped pull these parties together, but an extra big thanks to @stretchpizzanyc, @wyliedufresne, @rivianofficial, and @infatuation!”
It looks as though Lakshmi had a lot of fun at the two parties. The video shows her mingling liberally and posing with the cast members from the new show.
New episodes of “America’s Culinary Cup” will air weekly on Wednesdays at 9:30-10:30 p.m. EST.
Here are the dates and names of the next three episodes:
- March 11: “Meat the First Commandment.”
- March 18: “Call Aunt Quail.”
- March 25: “Let’s Get Saucy.”
Make sure you check it out!
