When a show has been around long enough top chefthe fanbase tends to be…passionate. So when news broke that long-time host Padma Lakshmi was leaving, it was no surprise that people had “thoughts” about her successor. It’s hard to imagine someone who could step into Lakshmi’s shoes and pay homage to such a beloved predecessor while still feeling fresh – but that’s exactly what Christine Kish has done.
The fan-favorite Season 10 winner took over as host of Season 21 earlier this year, Top Chef: Wisconsinand seamlessly became part of TC Family with Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio. She even received her first Emmy nomination for her new show. Kish is one of those few people who feels both relatable and ambitious at the same time. When she talks about food, you think Listen to what she has to say.
Obviously, her experience speaks for itself—she graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, owns popular restaurant Arlo Gray in Austin, Texas, and has hosted other cooking-centric shows, including 36 hours On the Travel Channel and National Geographic Magazine Restaurant at the end of the world. Just this month, she announced the release of her memoir, intentionally carelesswhich will hit shelves next April.
Horrible Mom caught up with Kish to chat all things food, from gut health and “travel tummy” (which is why she recently partnered with digestive relief product Iberogast) to fair food and why you can’t eat chicken fingers.
Scary Mom: Congrats on the Emmy nomination! Does the journey from season 10 winner to today still feel a little surreal to you?
Kristen Kish: Thank you. Oh, oh, totally fine. hundred percent. Sometimes we’re getting ready to shoot my second season, the 22nd season of the show – oh my god, it’s crazy – yeah, like, I have to do it. You know, when life catches you a little bit, it always surprises you and you’re like, “Oh my God,” and your only job is to keep up with it? I find myself a little behind, but a lot behind.
SM: top chef This cycle went to the Midwest, and the food in the Midwest reminds me of state fairs, which reminds me of fall. So, I’m curious, as fall approaches, which fair foods are absolute must-haves in your book—and what are you steering clear of?
KK: I have to admit, I dare say, I probably haven’t been to the state fair since I was a kid. But I certainly know which ones are the biggest winners, and you don’t always have to go to the market to get this, but corn dogs are always number one on my list. One, I love corn dogs. Second, I love anything fried, and third, I love anything skewered. Convenient, delicious, and efficient, it’s my favorite dish.
To avoid… I understand the appeal and craze of frying Oreos or frying in butter or whatever, but butter is delicious without being fried, and Oreos are pretty much perfect without being coated with something else and fried. So, if someone offered it to me, I wouldn’t say “no,” but it’s not something I would naturally gravitate toward.
SM: As someone who seems fearless when it comes to trying new things, how do you handle it when your stomach rebels?
KK: This is something I didn’t realize until the last few years… really understanding what gut health means. It’s not just about how your stomach feels, but what gut health actually does for the rest of your body, both internally and externally.
One of my first and hardest lessons was when I opened a restaurant and consumed a lot of sugar and fried foods. My skin is showing; you can see it on my face. I look back at old photos and I look tired and sluggish. I think that was my first real lesson of, ‘Okay, okay, it’s not just, Will my stomach hurt when I eat? Is this a sign of something I disagree with? It’s about overall health.
And then, through my wife, I really, truly understood what gut health was. We have stepped in cautiously. She started giving me different teas – I called them her potions. But you can add something to the water, like Iberogast. But five years ago, when I first met my wife, I didn’t know about Iberogast, and she gave me dandelion tea and stuff like that. So, it’s been a journey and I’m probably consuming more gut health products now than ever before.
SM: Obviously you have to travel a lot for work. What’s the secret to keeping a “travel tummy” from living your best foodie life?
KK: Man, I did everything I was supposed to do. You want to eat probiotic foods. You want to maintain a good eating lifestyle – no matter how you want to look at that. I would definitely take an apple juice supplement, turmeric and cinnamon. All tea! We often travel with our own tea bags – to approved countries of course.
I also find that whenever you travel, wherever you go, especially abroad, wherever you go, there are a lot of really good medicinal, herbal, all-natural things out there. So, my wife’s favorite thing to do is go to the local pharmacy [and] Find out what they have available for purchase over the counter. Maybe it’s in my head, but it helps when you buy from where you are.
SM: Oh, that makes sense. Like using local honey to treat allergies.
KK: Yes.
SM: Got it. Well, you’re very open about anxiety disorders and I think people really relate to that and appreciate that. Since anxiety is often associated with food – my kids are overly obsessed with food and this helps comfort them – I’m curious if you have any thoughts on this connection and how parents can help anxious kids in healthy ways Eat comfort food.
KK: I’m not here to preach…I just had blueberry pie for lunch for dessert; I’m not going to lie. But for me, I anxiously realize that I have to start the day with a good source of protein—and I can’t wait until I’m already hungry—so that I don’t have these crazy blood sugar spikes. It helps stabilize my mood.
My wife has always been the biggest supporter of “Christine, eat protein, eat protein.” When I started to feel anxious, I ate protein and I immediately and truly felt a difference inside. I think there’s probably a ton of research, nutritionists, and scientific people out there that can give you the exact reason why protein helps calm your nervous system in some way. But it works; it absolutely works.
So, before I get too deep into the day, I always like to start it off on the right foot because it sets my internal mood and allows me to settle better.
SM: What was that like for you?
KK: So, for example, top chef, Nine times out of ten, I start my day with fresh berries and a boatload of hard-boiled eggs. Is this what I always want to eat in the morning? No, but I know it makes me feel better throughout the day – especially last season when I was so nervous and anxious about doing a good job. I try to help myself in the best way possible.
SM: Ah, I love eating delicious hard-boiled eggs.
KK: To me, when it’s a seven-minute egg, that’s perfect. when we were filming KishinaEvery morning, the cooking team would make five seven-minute hard-boiled eggs for me, and I would crack them one by one before we started shooting. My glamor team was like, ‘Do you want to share this with us? You have five. I was like, ‘No. This is how I start my day.
SM: I know you are also a connoisseur of chicken fingers, a comfort food for countless children. Sometimes they’re best enjoyed scooped out of the greasy fry basket, but do you have any suggestions for trying to sort them?
KK: Oh, I wouldn’t categorize them. My favorite chicken fingers are bought from the freezer and fried. I don’t usually do this at home, but whenever I go out and order – OMG, I can’t believe I’m saying this – chicken fingers on the kids menu, these are the chicken fingers I want.
What I’m trying to say is, I grew up with a dad who made homemade chicken fingers, and the way he made them was very, very simple.
He would take the chicken breasts, cut them into lengths, and dust them with flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. Then he would shallow/fry them in my parent’s pan. He would serve them with a mix of Miracle Whip and Dijon mustard, and I would always squeeze a healthy dollop of ranch on everything.
So, I’ll probably just eat the chicken feet that my dad makes. But other than that, I want them to be dirty and grungy.
SM: You can’t go wrong with dressing dirty and dirty. Or pasture. The ranch has it all. Presidential Ranch.
KK: Or, hey, you could make it with some yogurt, a little garlic powder, fresh garlic, a little lemon, some chopped dill, and maybe some buttermilk. We’re creating a more gut-friendly ranch—as long as you don’t have lactose intolerance or dairy issues.
