‘Top Chef’: Padma Lakshmi Teases the London-Inspired Challenges of ‘World All-Stars’
Preview
How’s this for fusion cuisine? Season 20 of the four-star cooking competition goes global for a showdown in London featuring 16 alums from 11 worldwide Top Chef editions.
Below, host and judge Padma Lakshmi samples this pan-edition for us.
The Full English
One outing sends the cheftestants to “a beautiful old pub, where they’re asked to make bangers and mash, fish and chips and Scotch eggs,” Lakshmi says, noting that some cooks of diverse cultures had never prepared “that kind of food.”
(Credit: David Moir/Bravo)
Pinkies Up!
Other trips outside of the kitchen include a picnic challenge on the grounds of Downton Abbey’s Highclere Castle and a heated serve-off involving high tea.
Trompe L’Oeil Challenge
“We brought in elements we found interesting from other franchises,” Lakshmi says of this bit from the show’s French version. The eye-trick contest tasks chefs to create a dish that looks like something other than what it really is — such as a soup that when served resembles a glass of wine. Bon appetite!
Restaurant Wars
Each season, contenders team up to design an eatery from the ground up, menu to decor. This time, they take over London’s storied Core by Clare Smyth restaurant, giving it a respin. “On one hand, it gives them a top-notch kitchen,” Lakshmi notes. “On the other, it adds pressure.” Just to impress a table of industry icons in the digs of a Gordon Ramsay protégé.
Top Chef: World All-Stars, Season Premiere, Thursday, March 9, 9/8c, Bravo
