Steven Prusakowski
Padma Lakshmi is back in the kitchen but this time she’s reinventing the wheel entirely. When someone shows you who they are, believe them and Padma Lakshmi has shown us time and time again that she is the queen of culinary TV, a title she has earned from nearly two decades on screen and multiple acclaimed cooking shows. The Emmy nominated host, executive producer, creator, and judge is armed with an insatiable appetite to push culinary TV to new heights, something she aims to do on CBS’s America’s Culinary Cup.
What makes her return so exciting is the scope of all that Lakshmi brings to the table this time around. She wears every major hat from creator, executive producer, and host to lead judge. A one woman cooking competition and with good reason. Under that hat she also packs a secret weapon, one that was not learned in school or bought in a store. The weapon is actually in her blood – literally part of her biological make-up. Lakshmi is considered a supertaster with an unparalleled palate, something revealed to her by a scientist at the Seattle Science Museum. That, combined with her decades of work in the genre.and the fact she is a self-described “culinary spelunker”, someone who will taste anything once, make her an undisputed authority.
Lakshmi helped build America’s Culinary Cup from the ground up, drawing on her experience to deliver exactly the refresh the format she craved. “I thought the genre was ready for a shakeup for a refresh and for something new and different. And I wanted to be the one who did it,” she recently mentioned at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press event, where she previewed the series along with executive producer Susan Rovner and judges Michael Cimarusti and Wylie Dufresne.
Everything about the competition is intended to feel high end from the NY setting to the people. Lakshmi assembled an elite panel of judges consisting of people she personally respects and has long admired. On the other side of the competition are a handpicked, invitation-only cast consisting of the country’s best chefs including Bocuse d’Or medalists, James Beard winners, Michelin-starred and others. The chefs, some of whom may be familiar from other cooking shows, are provided the very best culinary tools, ingredients, and a flashy space to showcase one thing – their culinary skills. “When all the other shows are zigging I want to zag” she shared. “I want to do a show that just tests the mettle of every great chef in every way possible. There are no tricks. I’m not going to be putting obstacles in their way. This is a very pure show.”
This is where the show separates itself from others, staying true to the idea of keeping their cooking skills centerstage. There are no gimmicks, in terms of how they compete, the food is the main dish, a pure test of culinary skills. The judges critique based on execution and taste, with eliminations tied directly to performance rather than artificial obstacles or competitor sabotage. It is a cooking competition to the core. There is still the chef-on-chef tension, rivalries and even some interpersonal drama.
The show’s intended crowning innovation is an idea of Lakshmi herself, (drumroll) “The Culinary Commandments” – the ten principles of cooking that define greatness in the kitchen. “There’s nothing inaccessible about our culinary commandments,” Lakshmi explained. “They’re designed to be something that’s very approachable and understandable by anyone who’s ever cooked for their family.”
For those expecting a biblical set of rules or restrictions, the commandments are much more open for interpretation. It is a simple list that starts with food groups (kind of) meat, vegetables, sauces, dessert, then shifts to innovation, flavors, sustainability, world cuisine, consistency, culinary science and technology. There are no thou shall or thou shall nots, just a list that frankly feels kind of broad and perhaps purposely open-ended, only defined within their respective episodes.
The first commandment, meat, is introduced during episode two and requires the chefs to butcher a massive 250 pound hind saddle of beef. The chefs need to rely on their own knowledge and culinary instincts to trim specific cuts, then use them in their dishes, including the beef being cooked a minimum of two ways, then served for over 100 guests. It’s entertaining, but the Commandments naming feels like a reach.
The secret to a good culinary show is as much the contestants as it is the food and the show does a great job making each shine, investing us in their stories, making them more than just skilled chefs or competitors. Connecting with them as people will leave you thrilled to see your personal favorites move forward to the next round or equally bummed to watch them leave. Sadly, four contestants do not even make it out of the first episode, something that always seems unfair – dreams that come to an end like a burned casserole being tossed in the trash.
Each week some chefs move forward while others are sent packing as they pursue the million-dollar prize, the largest in culinary TV history. Through confessionals and pre-recorded vignettes about each chef’s home and professional lives we learn about them and what they would do with that million dollar. To decide who stays and who leaves the judges use numerical scoring rating the same core criteria: taste, creativity, presentation, and technique. This adds a welcome layer of transparency, turning judging into something easier to follow and more engaging rather than purely subjective mystery.
At its core America Culinary Cup delivers an authentic, no bull competition. The best chefs stay and the least successful that week go home. No one earns immunity or unexpected advantages or goes directly to Go!, the competition itself is truly gimmick free. That is not to say it is without some faults. the Culinary Commandments are a little too vague to feel revolutionary or even all that interesting, they are more or less the week’s theme on steroids in name only. Fans of Lakshmi’s previous work will appreciate having her very present from start to finish of each episode, bringing humor, energy, and authority to the series.
Then there is the New York City-inspired aesthetic, and I choose that term specifically. It is put to use early on, from the helicopter flyover openings over Manhattan to skyline shots and backdrops of city views through massive arched windows. There is even a Grand Central station-style display that delivers the weekly matchups and other crucial info. It is a nice touch that aims to remove the sterile studio feel as they try to sell the NYC vibe which never quite gets there. Ultimately, there is a reason it all feels like a facade, as the stunning high-end kitchen with Manhattan views is actually a soundstage in Toronto. Why Fakehatten? It is beyond me.
While I am no culinary expert, cooking shows are often my comfort viewing. As a home chef, I watch for inspiration, to learn new techniques, and simply for entertainment. I dined around the world with Phil Rosenthal on Somebody Feed Phil!, feasted on tempting delights The Great British Bake Off, enjoyed many sides of Top Chef.
America’s Culinary Cup fits right into the food-centric part of my viewing diet. It successfully accomplished my first criteria for a cooking show, it gave me the urge to get in the kitchen and cook while the competition kept me compelled to watch and learn more. The cooking and judging portion of the show is tense as chefs race against the clock and their own ingenuity, though more actual cooking on screen would be welcome. The end results which reminds me of my culinary show watching commandment: Thou shall not watch on an empty stomach.
With the undisputed queen of culinary TV at the helm America’s Culinary Cup aspiring to make the series “the Olympics” or “the Wimbledon of cooking,” it ends up falling short of that lofty goal, but the potential is there. Fans of culinary shows will enjoy it but the casual viewer may be oblivious to what it is that is supposed to separate it from the others. Hopefully as we get further into the season some of the flavors will be refined and it will find just the right spice to take it closer to its goal. As is, the show is never bland, has some pleasant flavors, delivering a satisfying, even if relatively familiar meal.
SCORE: ★★★ out of five stars
The competition airs on CBS, serving up new episodes each Wednesday, available the next day on Paramount+.
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