Who is Kristen Kish? Top Chef alum set to take over hosting duties 

Top Chef will return with another season later this year. Season 21 will feature a lot of changes, including a change in location and host. Padma Lakshmi, the long-term host of the show, announced her exit in June 2023 after season 20 wrapped up.

A little over a month later, on July 11, 2023, Bravo revealed who would take her place. Kristen Kish is set to replace Padma Lakshmi, who spent 19 years on the show as host.

Her Bravo bio reads:

"Kristen was born in South Korea and adopted into a family in Kentwood, MI. She showed an affinity for cooking at a young age. Her mother suggested she go to culinary school and since attending Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, she has never looked back."

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Kristen Kish is the winner of Top Chef season 10

The upcoming Top Chef host was born in South Korea and was adopted by an American family in Kentwood. She is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago. In 2021, she tied the knot with Bianca Dusic, the VP of Standard Hotels for the Food & Beverage division.

The upcoming host of Top Chef season 21, Kristen Kish, isn’t a stranger to the show. Fans first met the chef in 2013, when she competed and won season 10 of the show. She later returned as a guest judge on the show and is now set to take over for Padma Lakshmi as host.

According to Bravo, the upcoming host of the show previously worked in various high-profile restaurants, such as Guy Martin’s Sensing and Barbara Lunch’s Stir, where she worked as Chef de Cuisine. She later went on to work at Menton, but in 2014, she decided to travel the world and write a cookbook.

The champion's cookbook, Kristen Kish Cooking, reached shelves in October 2017, and the following year she opened her first restaurant along with the Sudell group called Arlo Grey. Her Bravo bio further states that the restaurant reflects her "playful yet refined" cuisine, inspired by French and Italian cooking, and also features dishes and techniques she picked up while traveling the world.

While in conversation with Korin, the chef opened up about her culinary journey and stated that she fell in love with cooking at a young age. When she was five years old, she would watch Great Chefs in the World, which played a major part in inspiring her.

The Top Chef season 21’s host stated:

"I get my inspiration from everywhere, and admittedly mostly from places that aren’t food related. I love going to museums, because art really inspires me. When I look at cookbooks, I tend to like the ones that are super artistic- more art books than cookbooks."

While she has appeared in several shows over the years as a contestant, host, and judge, she will now return to screens as the host of Bravo’s Top Chef. In a statement, she said that the Bravo show is where she started her journey and that it is her honor to help continue building a brand. She added that she’s thrilled to sit alongside Gail and Tom, as they will get to know the new incredible chefs and the way they cook.

"It feels like coming home," Kristen said.

Stay tuned for more updates on the upcoming season of Top Chef.