Kristen Kish has been announced as the next host of Bravo’s “Top Chef” following Padma Lakshmi’s departure from the show after the recently finished “world all-stars” Season 20 episode.

Kish has won Season 10 and has since judged as a guest several times. She will start hosting the upcoming Season 21, which Bravo has confirmed will be set in Wisconsin. For Season 21, both chief judge Tom Colicchio and judge Gail Simmons will be back.

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Lakshmi announced her decision to leave “Top Chef” just ahead of the Season 20 finale. The finale saw Buddha Lo win the title of world all-star in the special international season hosted in celebration of the show’s 20th anniversary. After hosting the program for 19 seasons, Lakshmi stated that she now has to “make space” for her Hulu series “Taste the Nation,” her books, and “other creative pursuits.”

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Who is Kristen Kish?

Kish was adopted into a family in Kentwood, Michigan after being born in South Korea. After graduating from culinary school in Chicago, she worked as a chef in a high-end Boston restaurants for ten years. Kish won Season 10 of “Top Chef” in 2013 and then co-hosted “36 Hours” on the Travel Channel. In addition to serving as a co-star on “Fast Foodies,” she also co-hosted “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend”. She also served as the host and producer on “Restaurants at the End of the World.”

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“Kristen Kish represents everything that makes ‘Top Chef’ incredibly special,” said Ryan Flynn, senior vice president of current production at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “She’s an acclaimed chef and her experience as a cheftestant, winner and judge, alongside her culinary curiosity, makes Kristen the perfect host for the next chapter of ‘Top Chef’ as we take on a new region of the country we haven’t explored.”    

Lakshmi also approved the choice, writing on Twitter, “I’m so proud of you @KristenLKish and am over the moon that you’ll be taking over for me!!! I’ll be rooting for you and our whole crew next season.”