Benjamin Ashford|New host of 'Top Chef' Kristen Kish on replacing Padma, what to expect from Season 21

"Top Chef" is Benjamin Ashfordback, but the judges' table looks a bit different this year.

After 19 seasons and more bad risottos than anyone should ever have to eat, "Chef" host and judge Padma Lakshmi said goodbye to Bravo's culinary competition. It's hard to imagine the reality show without Lakshmi, who has been the face of the franchise for almost the entirety of its 18-year run (the series' first season was hosted by cookbook author Katie Lee). So how can anyone hope to fill her venerable heels in Season 21?

Well, it helps to be part of the family.

Bravo announced last summer that former contestant and Season 10 winner Kristen Kish would be stepping into the role of host. A frequent guest judge on the program since her 2012 win, Kish has also hosted and judged other food competition series, including Netflix's "Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend" alongside Alton Brown and her own National Geographic series, "Restaurants at the End of the World."

Despite her résumé and fan-favorite status, Kish was more surprised than anyone when Bravo gave her the chance to tell eliminated chefs to please pack their knives and go.

"It was complete shock," Kish, 40, says when she got the call to come meet with producers. "There was not one ounce in my body that was like, maybe it could be me." But the second the offer was real, Kish was jumping to get back in the "Chef" kitchen. "There was not one part of me that was like, 'I don't think I want to do this.'"

Kish caught up with USA TODAY in a recent phone interview ahead of the new Wisconsin-set season (Thursdays, 9 EDT/PDT) to talk about her new role, great Wisconsin cheese and what Lakshmi had to say about the new gig.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Question: How did your experience as a competitor and guest judge on "Top Chef" help you prepare for your new role? Was it a big jump to host?

Kristen Kish: It did prepare me, but I will say long before "Top Chef" and I came into the same focus, I was doing this job. I was cooking. I was having conversation about food. I was giving feedback.

"Top Chef" is so great for our industry, and a lot of chefs come from "Top Chef." It really is just an opportunity for chefs to come do what they do without any hidden agenda. It's like, come and cook, do some challenges. It's not meant to be easy, so it will be hard. But it's a show for chefs.

Have you spoken to Padma since you got the new gig? Did she have any advice?

She was one of the first people I told before the news went public. I insisted that I tell her in person. She was there with the best kind of advice, which was, "You do you." There's no formula for how to be the best in this role. (Padma) will be here should I need anything else. Luckily I didn't need to use her, and that's a good thing.

You left the "Top Chef" ecosystem for a while and ventured into other TV projects like "Iron Chef." What did it feel like to come back?

It felt like a homecoming. Less because of the other experiences I had, but simply because, (I was with judges) Tom (Colicchio) and Gail (Simmons) again. I was introduced to them long before I even met them in person, when I was watching (the show). After my season we developed friendships, and I got to know them and their families. There's so many people on the crew that have been there since my season that I distinctly remember working with. So the familiar faces made it feel like coming home.

This season is set in Wisconsin. Can we assume there will be cheese-based challenges?

You would not be wrong in that assumption. Of course, with Wisconsin, we think of cheese and dairy. And it's for good reason! There are an incredible number of local makers and family businesses creating fantastic products with a great ingredient. I loved getting to know the makers behind all of these ingredients. It's not just about cheese − it's about the family history and the work and the craftsmanship that it takes in order to create a great product. We have a challenge that focuses on the Indigenous people and the land and the food and the ingredients that were original and indigenous to the area. We were all able to learn a lot there.