‘Don’t lead with fear’: how Kristen Kish is redefining Top Chef with empathy and tears
The former Top Chef winner and current Emmy-nominated host reflects on prioritising contestant well-being over fear-based leadership
But she acknowledges that her distinct approach – kinder, gentler, more tearful – is rooted in her particular skill set.
“It’s similar to how I responded to being led in kitchens,” she says. “You don’t lead with fear. You lead with compassion and empathy and encouragement and confidence. And two things can be true at the same time … I can require more from them, and I can also cry because I’m filled with joy for their progress.”
Nominated for Emmys in the reality competition series and reality host categories (among others), Top Chef: Carolinas – the 23rd season of Top Chef – epitomises Kish’s swift remaking of the role in her own image. The season, which concluded in June, finds Kish comforting a distraught chef and navigating thorny questions of fairness and wellness.
Here she revisits this season’s most talked-about moments, recent criticism of the format and the hard work of being a good host.
Are you a big crier in your everyday life?