Padma Lakshmi Launches CBS Cooking Competition
Padma Lakshmi has launched a new cooking competition show on CBS, marking her latest venture in culinary television. The show is expected to celebrate diverse cuisines and encourage innovative cooking approaches, though specific format details remain limited.
The new series is titled "America's Culinary Cup" and is set to premiere on March 4. The show will feature sixteen of the nation's most elite chefs competing for a $1 million prize, the largest in culinary history. Joining Lakshmi are acclaimed chefs Michael Cimarusti and Wylie Dufresne, who will serve as judges. The competition will test chefs across ten core culinary principles, including innovation, sustainability, and world cuisine. Lakshmi's departure from "Top Chef" after 19 seasons was a decision she described as "soul searching." She cited the physical toll of consuming so much food and the demanding filming schedule as key factors in her decision to leave the Bravo series. This new venture allows Lakshmi to continue her work in culinary television while also executive producing. It follows her critically acclaimed Hulu series, "Taste the Nation," which explores the diverse immigrant food cultures across the United States. "Taste the Nation" holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
