CBS dominates in the soap opera television game these days with The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, and Beyond The Gates. Now the network revealed something new and exciting coming in primetime. The network teams up with former Top Chef star, Padma Lakshmi for a whole new cooking competition. It’s called America’s Culinary Cup.
High Stakes Kitchen Competition
Lakshmi returns to competitive cooking television. America’s Culinary Cup airs on CBS during the 2025–2026 broadcast season. The show will feature some of the nation’s most acclaimed chefs. Chefs compete in a unique, high-stakes culinary contest that emphasizes creativity, endurance, presentation, leadership, and more. Lakshmi serves as the show’s host, creator, and executive producer. She’s partnered with Susan Rovner, who also executive produces through Aha Studios.
CBS shared the news on Instagram, writing “Padma Lakshmi is inviting the nation’s most decorated chefs for a new, one-of-a-kind competition show coming to CBS. We’ll save you a seat at the table for AMERICA’S CULINARY CUP. #padmalakshmi #cooking #cookingshow #competition #tvshow #cbs”
Lakshmi describes the competition as a fusion of culinary excellence and the excitement of sports, highlighting American pride and individuality through each chef’s personal cooking style. Produced under Lakshmi’s Delicious Entertainment banner, the series is intended to showcase elite chefs battling it out in a format that goes beyond traditional cooking competitions.
Well-known for her long-running role as host of Bravo’s Top Chef, Lakshmi left that series in 2023 after 19 seasons. The host of Taste the Nation noted that leaving Top Chef at its peak gave her space to push herself creatively in new directions.
Over her career, Lakshmi earned 16 Emmy nominations for her work on Top Chef and Taste the Nation. With her return to the competitive cooking genre, America’s Culinary Cup aims to be both an innovative culinary showdown and a celebration of American chefs’ diverse talents.
Does this seem like something you plan to watch?
