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Padma Lakshmi returns to TV as host of America’s Culinary Cup
The new CBS series features 16 top chefs competing for a $1 million prize in a prime-time culinary showdown.
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Malvika Choudhary - Sat, 21, Feb 2026
- 12:11 EST
- 23
Padma Lakshmi / Instagram/Padma Lakshmi
Indian American television host and culinary expert Padma Lakshmi is returning to prime-time television as the host of a new competitive cooking series, America’s Culinary Cup, set to premiere on CBS next month.
The show will debut on March 4 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT, airing immediately after Survivor. It will also stream on Paramount+, with live and on-demand access for Premium subscribers and next-day on-demand access for Essential subscribers.
Also Read: Padma Lakshmi on how food shapes immigrant America
The series brings together 16 of America’s most decorated chefs, who will compete for a $1 million prize and the title of America’s Culinary Cup. The judging panel includes chefs Wylie Dufresne and Michael Cimarusti, whom Lakshmi introduced in a recent Instagram post announcing the show.
“Please watch CBS on March 4th right after Survivor to see what I’ve been cooking up,” Lakshmi wrote. “I can’t wait for you all to get to know these two gentlemen… my new judges on our new show America’s Culinary Cup.”
CBS has released a first-look trailer for the series, positioning the show as a high-stakes culinary competition and a major addition to the network’s unscripted lineup.
According to the network, the format tests chefs on creativity, endurance, leadership, presentation, and technical skill in a professional kitchen setting.
Lakshmi previously hosted Bravo’s Top Chef from 2006 to 2023, a tenure that helped establish the series as one of the most influential cooking competitions on American television. She later fronted Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi, a docuseries examining food, culture, and identity across the United States.
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