In case you’ve got missed it: Kristen Kish is taking up Padma Lakshmi’s internet hosting duties in season 21 of High Chef. This season is ready within the dairyland generally known as Wisconsin, and Kish spent two months tasting the meals of the competitors—in addition to the area’s finest dishes.
Forward of the season premiere, we chatted with former competitor, former choose and new host Kish to speak about her nerves forward of filming, her self care routine, her meals scorching takes and extra on this unique interview. Take a look at the total Q&A beneath, and watch the brand new season of High Chef premiering this Wednesday, March 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo with episodes accessible to stream the following day on Peacock.
EatingWell: From winner to host, what’s one thing you want you knew as a contestant of High Chef that you just discovered as a choose or host of the present?
Kish: I may in all probability offer you a whole listing of issues that I want I might have recognized. Nonetheless, I really assume it is higher that I did not know something as a result of had I recognized what I do know now, I in all probability would not even have gone on to compete. Not due to something damaging, just because my very own nerves and anxiousness would have gotten the very best of me. Figuring out the potential fandom that might occur from it or the potential alternatives—they’re all very thrilling, however for me being somebody that wasn’t even attempting to get on the present within the first place, if I had recognized all of that? I believe it might have scared me away, actually. So I’ll go along with nothing. I believe all of it labored out the best way it was presupposed to work out and I knew what I wanted to know once I wanted to comprehend it.
EatingWell: Had been your nerves just like your first season of internet hosting as they had been whenever you competed, and if that’s the case, how did you fight it?
Kish: Sure, nervous 100%. I believe it was the identical form of nerves, however on the internet hosting facet of issues, the expectation of me coming into a job that was the function of 1 individual for 19 seasons added a sure stage of strain. That expectation that I am inserting on myself, that I’m anticipating that different folks may have. I believe the nerves as a competitor was like, yeah, I wished to do properly and never disappoint my household and pals or no matter. However this was nerves on prime. This weight on my shoulder that I very a lot positioned there myself felt heavier. How do I wish to fight that? I did a number of periods of hypnotherapy. My spouse really turned me on to it. She’s an authorized hypnotherapist—I didn’t do hypnotherapy with my spouse as a result of I really feel like utilizing your spouse as a therapist might be not the neatest thought. However over time I’ve gotten to study the impression and the way highly effective it may be. And at that time I used to be keen to do and check out something to not really feel what I am feeling inside.
EatingWell: Exterior of the High Chef studio, what was the very best factor you ate whereas in Wisconsin?
Kish: There’s a couple of standout meals for certain. I imply, in fact we hit the custard and we bought some cheese curd and the issues that it’s important to attempt. However Wisconsin has this actually nice Serbian restaurant. It is known as Three Brothers, it has been round for a very long time. The household story is extremely essential and actually impactful. so attending to know them after having tried the meals, it was actually excellent. My spouse can also be half Macedonian, half Serbian, and so we frequently attempt to discover that meals at any time when we’re touring. So to have among the best Milwaukee eating places be of Serbian delicacies, that was fairly superior.
EatingWell: What’s your self care routine whereas filming?
Kish: My life could be very a lot unstructured in a whole lot of methods, however within the ways in which I can construction and create routine, it helps my anxiousness. And so once I’m on the street, for High Chef or some other journeys, instantly I am going to my resort room and I arrange the resort room. I’ve stocked the mini fridge with what I would like. I like junk meals, however I inventory my room with a whole lot of more healthy issues. Plenty of nuts, beef jerky, hard-boiled eggs, juices and many espresso. Each morning I’ve a routine it doesn’t matter what time I begin. I at all times need to have a two hour buffer within the morning earlier than I’ve to exit the door as a result of that’s my time to recharge. I am very a lot an introvert. I will be an extrovert for a brief period of time, however as soon as I exert that vitality, I’ve to recharge. That recharge occurs for me within the morning so I’ve that quiet time. Then in the course of breaks, oftentimes I would like to take a seat in silence, similar to a real introvert. You’ll be able to flip it on however you additionally need to have the battery so as to flip one thing on. So for me, it is a whole lot of preserving vitality and my psychological properly being and I do this with a whole lot of quiet time.
EatingWell: In your opinion, what’s essentially the most underrated spice?
Kish: There’s so many nice spices on the earth. By way of underrated, it typically is a number of the easier ones that everybody has. For instance, black pepper. I like black pepper however toasted black pepper I discover is underrated. You get entire peppercorns, you toast them dry in a pan till they turn into actually nutty and aromatic. And you then put them in your pepper grinder. It is so good, I find it irresistible. It simply provides a little bit little bit of one thing. Why aren’t we toasting all peppercorns?
EatingWell: Do you’ve gotten any favourite types of train or motion in your day?
Kish: I’ve realized that understanding combats a whole lot of my very own anxiousness. After I went to Milwaukee, I discovered a private coach. I have been on a lifelong journey to place extra muscle on my physique, and it is actually laborious as a result of it isn’t solely train nevertheless it’s about what you eat. So I discovered a coach with the entire objective of placing muscle on my physique. After I was not capable of go to him, I would possibly go for a stroll or run. I wish to run on the treadmill within the resort—Gail [Simmons] and I went for a run exterior as soon as. We in all probability ought to have performed it a little bit bit extra. I’ll run for half-hour simply to get the day shifting. However with the private coach, we’re utterly targeted on heavy lifting and truly placing muscle on. After I got here dwelling I felt stronger and for me, discovering a private coach earlier than arriving in Milwaukee was actually essential to me. I wanted construction in my day that wasn’t simply work.
EatingWell: Do you’ve gotten a present favourite pair of trainers?
Kish: Truthfully I’m presently carrying a pair of Nike Zooms. Not for some other motive apart from once I went to a Nike outlet they usually had been $40, so I purchased them. However $40, how wild is that? How do you not purchase these? So sure, these are those I am carrying.
EatingWell: Any meals scorching takes?
Kish: Most likely one of many issues as a chef that maybe is a scorching take for me is I do not love black truffles. I additionally do not love smoked salmon. I’ve discovered that I am very specific, however I prepare dinner with black truffles typically. I put it in dishes as a result of I do know folks find it irresistible and I do know I am in all probability the odd individual out right here. However for me, it utterly ruins the dish typically. And smoked salmon, I can not bodily get it down my throat.
Editor’s Observe: This interview has been edited for readability and size.