«[ Top Chef ] isn't about creating drama for the sake of drama. It's about showing amazing chefs doing exactly what they do.".
It's been a busy year for Kristen Kish. Participating in the show «Traitors» and leading the program «Top Chef» , the chef and author says the secret to success in the latter is simple: "Everything went smoothly.".
Subscribe to Parting Shot podcast with H. Alan Scott on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Editor's note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication.
What a wonderful year it has been for you, with the show continuing to be a success. Top Chef и Traitors ! What do you feel?
How am I feeling right now? I'm a little tense because there was some work going on and a lot of knocking going on just before I started talking to you, so I was running around trying to find a quiet corner. I hope everything will be okay. Otherwise, I'm calm and happy to be here.
Isn't it always like this? Just when you're about to do something, someone decides to hammer something.
I hope everything will be fine.
I'm sure it will be. I have so much I want to talk to you about, but I'll start with Top Chef . This season seems more exciting in many new ways. What do you think makes this reality show so popular?
I don't think this show has devolved into reality TV. It still attracts chefs who are very serious about their careers and see potential in «Top Chef» . It's trusted in the industry. It remains consistent and focused on achieving its goals. We're making a TV show, but it's not about creating drama for the sake of drama. The goal is to showcase amazing chefs doing exactly what they do—cooking—and to introduce viewers to incredible chefs whose dishes you can try in their own restaurants. The show has stayed true to its mission.
TOP CHEF — "The Perfect Dinner Party," Episode 2309 — Pictured: (L-R) Shuai Wang, Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio — (Photo: Paul Chaney/Bravo)
Look at other long-running reality shows like Project Runway , Survivor и Amazing Race , and you'll always hear talk about how the show isn't what it used to be. With Top Chef This has never happened before. It has stayed true to its course, while remaining relevant and maturing with its audience. Do you agree?
I completely agree. And a lot of the credit goes to the chefs you invite. The 15 or so chefs you select each season truly define the season, along with the city. Depending on who's involved and their perspective, it's the people cooking that matter. These are the same people who work at your favorite restaurants and really make their mark on the industry. These are the people we need to get to know, because not everyone cooks at the same level anymore. The interesting thing about food is that there are so many different perspectives and points of view, and you have the opportunity to experience so many amazing flavors that sometimes you don't even need to get on a plane. They're right next door or at your local restaurant.
One of the features Top Chef show, The beauty of a show that organically and authentically showcases diversity through food is that when chefs appear on the show, it's not an overt display of their individuality or the dishes they cook. It's simply authentic. It's exciting food that, oddly enough, represents a diverse reflection of an entire community, doesn't it?
It reflects what's happening in the industry as it evolves. Thanks to our fans, they crave a different perspective on food and people who look different or think about food differently than they do. In many ways, it's an educational show. There's always drama when professionals compete at a high level, and everyone wants to win. Sometimes we have to struggle with the fact that, with the rise of reality TV, they're often driven by interpersonal drama, staged murders, and the like. But our fans remain loyal because they appreciate the quality of what just happens to be shown on television. I think there's no greater drama than watching amazing people who have trained and studied for decades for this moment on the show. «Top Chef» . For me, the stakes here are higher than in some other TV shows.
I completely agree. If you want drama, try cooking something you don't know how to cook. «Top Chef» It's like the Olympics for chefs. These people have spent so many years and come from completely different levels, and it's exciting because you're celebrating excellence in a genuine, dramatic way.
That's right. And all these people, as soon as the cameras turn off, will find themselves back in the real world. Some will return to their former lives, while others will have opportunities they never dreamed of. This is a show that makes dreams come true and helps build careers.
You are a great example of this. The food industry is a very clear example of the damage COVID-19 has done to small businesses. The hype around Top Chef show« fuels people's desire to visit restaurants again and try new things. Have you noticed this in people?
Top Chef show« brings out a lot of talented people who go on to achieve incredible things. And just like that, how many people in your life have said, "I can't wait to go to this or that contestant's restaurant" «Top Chef »"Or, 'I just went to her restaurant, it's amazing, I can't wait to go back'? It sparks a lot of conversations. Especially since COVID-19, it's making people want to get out of the house. You see something on TV, you have no idea what it smells like or tastes like, all you know is how we talk about it, but you think, 'I have to try that.' Restaurants have a hard enough time managing profits, prices, inflation, and all of those issues. At the end of the day, communities and neighborhoods aren't the same without them. We need them. And when we talk about what happened six years ago, all the chefs just went and said, 'We're going to feed our community.' It's so rewarding to see fans and everyone else coming back to support the chefs and feed us, literally and figuratively.
TOP CHEF — "Cut and Dry," Episode 2305 — Pictured: Kristen Kish — (Photo: Paul Chaney/Bravo)
Last year your book "« "Accidentally, but on purpose"» showed that the world of food has many different facets, and anyone can join in. Food is a wonderful way to get to know something or someone you might not be familiar with. The book was very candid about your own search for identity and how you became who you are. Was this intentional, to tell more of your story, and how learning more about you changes our perception of how you navigate situations?
Most of the things I do in my life are very purposeful. I think about the impact each event will have in the immediate and long-term. By revealing my story and showing all the facets of my personality, I'm not saying, "Look at me, look at everything I do." It was a moment of connection. I can't tell you how many people from so many walks of life have said they see themselves in my book. What we all have in common is that we're all human. We all love, we all fear, we have egos, we have things that challenge us. We all go through it a little differently. The universal language in all of this, beyond food, is simply a universal feeling connected to moments and events we all experience. I can tell you about one of the most terrifying events in my life, how I felt and the challenges it caused, and you'll tell me something similar, and our feelings will be virtually identical. One of the questions I've often been asked is: what do you hope to achieve from the book? I don't care. That's something you'll have to discover and understand for yourself. It has nothing to do with how I wrote the book.
It's easy to connect this with food. When I try something new, I connect it to the past, to the American Midwestern cuisine I grew up with. You don't get to dictate what I should take away from your book or your story. It's like when you serve a dish, you just take it. It might remind me of something completely different from my past. It's my own story, and I'm simply experiencing it through what you've served me.
This is exactly what we all strive for. Human nature is such that we always associate something new with something familiar. This helps regulate our emotions and anchors us to something that feels safe, be it good or bad. I think about this when I try new dishes and look at food from a different perspective. I used to want to serve you a dish you've never had before and say, "Oh my god, I'm going to blow you away!" And many chefs are very good at that. I'm not one of them anymore. Now it's all about making one flavor or one ingredient feel slightly familiar so that you want to keep eating. And then, whatever happens, it's up to you.
Many people know you from the film «"Traitors", which came out last year. For fans who've been following you for years, it was a really cool introduction to you on a mass level. Most chefs prefer to stay in the kitchen and let the food speak for itself. But last year, you've done a lot of talking while in the spotlight. Did you ever decide to be more outspoken, and what's it like balancing the desire to be in the kitchen with the desire to be out there?
That was never my plan. When I was competing in Season 10 Top Chef , I never wanted to appear on television. I struggled with deep insecurity and fear of judgment. I went on Top Chef , and if that was my first experience in television, it was perfect because it was about a skill set. It wasn't about my personality being the best. It wasn't a popularity contest. It was food and skills that gave me a sense of purpose. Everything I've done since then, every project I've accepted, I do because I've found meaning in them. I don't just go into television. I can connect each project to a specific reason. If you look at all the shows I've been on, they're all a little different, all based on food, but no one asks me to be a different version of myself. Every project I'm involved with happens because someone says, "We see you in this role, now go ahead and use it." This "sandbox" is really big, and it allows me to think less about how to do my job and more about living in the present moment, while simultaneously doing my work.
TRAITORS — Episode 409 "Think Outside the Box" — Pictured: Kristen Kish — (Photo: Ewen Cherry/PEACOCK)
Your participation in the show «Traitors» In a way, it symbolizes your own career. The season started, and I kept wondering where you were, and then, as things went on, you became the cool guy we always knew you to be, becoming more and more visible right up until the very end. In a way, it reflects the course of your career: wanting to stay behind the camera, then participating in the competition, and then becoming a host. What do you think of your season? «"Traitors"» ?
I still sometimes wonder where I was. I was there, I took part, but I understand that my words don't always influence the overall outcome of the story. Some people left, and aspects of their character came out that maybe they didn't want to show. The thing I remember most was buttering my bread with a bread knife, and that's okay. I came out unscathed. By the time you see me in episode nine, when I attack Eric [Nam], I'd had enough. I was playing the game, having a good time, and by that point we'd developed such a strong friendship that I just couldn't play the game anymore. Would it have been wiser to just shut up and move on? 100 percent. But I was tired, I was hungry, I missed my wife, I was sick of all the noise. And so I just lost my temper. I was like, "Why the hell aren't you talking to me? I've had enough." At that point, I kind of stopped playing the game because real life kicked in. It's hard to stay mentally sharp in this game. Trying to strategize and figure out how to interact with people is exhausting. I reached my limits.
When you reached your breaking point, for those who'd been watching you for years, it was like, "There's the cool girl we always knew." I was so upset when you were released, but that moment became kind of iconic. You were just fed up, right?
Oh my god, yes. I think the way I lashed out at Eric and the way I generously handed him bread were the two things that really defined my personality in the game. Watching the footage back, I wished I'd been more forthright in my thoughts. But for me, the most important thing was to survive another day. If silence and a lack of confrontation helped me survive another day, then that's exactly what I was going to do, because you only win by making it to the end. What an incredible experience.
What an incredible experience to go along with this amazing season Top Chef and with the book I laid the foundation for your future. How do you see it? What's next?
I don't know. And I'm okay with that. For most of my life, I had everything planned out—I'll definitely have it by this age, a vision board of goals. And every time I didn't achieve a goal, I'd get depressed, thinking, "Kristen, why aren't you doing better at what you set out to do?" I gave up that way of thinking in my early thirties. Now I don't know what's going to happen, and I'm open to anything. I embrace the various opportunities that come my way, and I can say "no," but I'm ready and open to all of it. It gives me more freedom than constantly trying to control the direction of my life. More TV, more books, more sleep, more food. We'll see. Hopefully, all of the above.
Related articles
-
Taylor Swift's Likely Wedding Guests, Ranked by Era.
-
Dua Lipa announced her wedding to Callum Turner.
-
Wheel of Fortune fans react to Ryan Seacrest's game strategy.
Start your unlimited trial of Newsweek.