Why burnt out 'Top Chef' Padma Lakshmi lit up 'America's Culinary Cup'

Bryan Alexander, USA TODAYTue, March 3, 2026 at 4:54 PM UTC

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Padma Lakshmi is bringing serious beef to "America's Culinary Cup."

It's not just the impressive 250-pound-plus hanging sides of meat featured in Episode 2 of the CBS prime-time cooking competition, premiering Wednesday, March 4 (9:30 ET/PT). Show creator and host Lakshmi, 55, ensured a full enchilada $1 million grand prize for the show's champion, matching reality behemoths "The Amazing Race" and "Survivor."

That's the biggest TV culinary purse so far — four times the prize money of "Top Chef," the Bravo show that made Lakshmi a household name.

"All I will say is that the boys, or men, who make 'Amazing Race' and 'Survivor' have million-dollar prizes," Lakshmi tells USA TODAY. "I didn't want to be the little sister on the network. I wanted to play with the big boys, and that meant getting the same purse that they did."

Padma Lakshmi brought in hanging sides of beef for Episode 2 of "America's Culinary Cup." The "Top Chef" host returns to the cooking format starting March 4.

The major prize was one of the things that pulled Lakshmi back into the cooking competition TV world after leaving "Top Chef" in 2023, following 19 star-making seasons as host and executive producer. Lakshmi admits she was "burnt out."

"One reason I didn't want to do the genre anymore is I thought it had gotten stale, frankly," says Lakshmi, who met with CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach over dinner shortly after leaving "Top Chef" to discuss a new direction. "I wanted to see a shake-up, to see that market disturbed. I have opinions. It would be a shame not to test these opinions out."

Lakshmi was offered the keys to a new cooking competition kingdom from top to bottom — from choosing the team, to designing the set, and everything in between. The detail-obsessed Lakshmi has swatches on her desk featuring the thread she ultimately chose to embroider the chefs' names on their jackets.

"I'm a classic Virgo, very OCD," says Lakshmi. "This spoke to all my manias. I went down a lot of rabbit holes."

Padma Lakshmi greets the chefs competing on "America's Culinary Cup."

The New York City-inspired set (actually in Toronto, Canada) is stunning, designed to look like a high-end kitchen in a fine-dining restaurant. The entire space consists of ovals, except for the elevator bank, thanks to the show creator.

"Research says people are more focused and creative in a space that has more curves," says Lakshmi. "I drove my set designer crazy. But we got there."

Lakshmi did not put her thumb on the scale when casting 'America's Culinary Cup'

The fellow judges are "good friends" — three-Michelin-starred chef Michael Cimarusti and restaurateur Wylie Dufresne.

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"I considered a lot of people, but chemistry is really important," she says. "I knew both would be equally respected. And it's 'America's Culinary Cup.' It needed to be American chefs, not, you know, Frenchy chefs."

Lakshmi helped narrow down the field of chef contestants from around the country, which includes six Michelin-star chefs and two James Beard Award winners. However, the final 16 choices were out of her hands, including "Top Chef" two-time winner Buddha Lo, who made the cut.

Michael Cimarusti, Padma Lakshmi, and Wylie Dufresne are "America's Culinary Cup" judges.

"I specifically did not want anyone to say that I was biased, that I had handpicked one chef versus another," says Lakshmi. "I had nothing to do with the final 16. I didn't want to know."

To give an idea of commitment, chef Rochelle Daniel postponed her wedding to appear on the show.

"That was a personal decision that I wasn't privy to. I had no idea," says Lakshmi. "But listen, it's $1 million dollars. That's a lot of wedding banquet."

Why Lakshmi believes in 'supremacy of American culture'

Many of the heated chef moments have required prime-time bleeps to cut out the swearing for CBS audiences

"I'm on network now," says Lakshmi. "I want everyone from nine-year-olds to 90-year-olds, and everyone in between, to watch this show."

Born in India and once married to author Salman Rushdie (from 2004-07), the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador is an outspoken advocate on international human rights. Still, in a divided era, Lakshmi believes she can bring a politics-free cooking show that celebrates America's melting pot culinary landscape.

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"My body of work proves that I really believe in the supremacy of American culture," Lakshmi says. "Not for its economy or its military, but because of the people who live here. All of us."

CBS is counting on this cooking competition tapestry translating to network success.

"I have no way of knowing whether the CBS audience will respond to this," says Lakshmi. "I hope they do. I made a show that I'm proud of at every turn."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why 'Top Chef' Padma Lakshmi dove into CBS' 'America's Culinary Cup'

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