Who are Top Chef’s Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio?
TOP CHEF’S Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio have won Emmy awards for their co-hosting duties in the cooking competition.
Fans of the popular Bravo show want to know more about their beloved judges.
Who are Top Chef’s Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio?
Padma Lakshmi, 52, and Tom Colicchio, 60, are food masters in the cooking industry.
Padma Lakshmi
Lakshmi is a food expert, television host, producer, and a New York Times best-selling author, who often regards herself as a ‘home cook’ and not a chef.
Aside from hosting and executive producing, Top Chef, she also hosts, produces, and created the critically acclaimed Hulu series, Taste the Nation.
The cook was born in India but was raised in the US and started her career as a fashion model and actress in both Europe and America.
Lakshmi is co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America (EFA) and an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Artist Ambassador for immigrants’ rights and women’s rights.
She was also appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Tom Colicchio
Similarly to Lakshmi, Colicchio is a top chef known widely in New York and around the world.
He hails from New Jersey and is of Italian descent, which is often reflected in his culinary recipes.
Colicchio is a restaurateur and founded Craft hospitality, which currently includes New York’s Craft, Riverpark, Temple Court and Small Batch; Los Angeles’ Craft Los Angeles; and Las Vegas’ Heritage Steak and Craftsteak.
He is the recipient of five James Beard Foundation Awards for cooking accomplishments through his various authored books.
The chef serves on the boards of Children of Bellevue, City Harvest and Wholesome Wave.
Who else is a judge on Top Chef?
Gail Simmons has also been a recurring judge on Top Chef since its inception back in March 2006.
The 46-year-old is a Canadian-American food writer, cookbook author, and mother of two children.
Simmons was previously absent from the show’s season 16 due to her second pregnancy.
When asked by Entertainment Weekly in March 2023 if she thinks there will be another 20 more seasons of Top Chef, Simmons responded with:
“God willing. We’ll all be in walkers, but we’ll do it happily! You know, who knows. I don’t know if there’ll be 20, but I clearly remember on season 4 not believing that we were going to do a season 5. So I remain positive, and every year is a thrill and an honor.”
When does Top Chef season 20 premiere?
Top Chef’s milestone season is set to premiere on March 9, 2023, with all-new episodes airing every Thursday at 8pm Central.
The series will take place in London and will rally up winners and finalists from previous seasons of both the American version of Top Chef and its international iterations to compete.
The episodes can be streamed the next day on Peacock with a subscription.