Padma Lakshmi was feeling nostalgic about Top Chef.

The celebrity chef, 55, spoke with Interview Magazine about her life in the spotlight after “falling into” the world of food for the magazine’s fall issue.

The four-time cookbook author is best known for her 17-year run on Bravo’s Top Chef and, even two years off the show, the model said she was “not at all” tired of talking about the series. “My kid grew up on the set of that show,” she added.

The mother of one continued, “I miss some of the people I worked with, even the ones who made it really hard for me. I thank them. They made me better at my job.”

After 19 seasons at the helm of the show, the Padma’s All American author announced that the 20th season would be her last back in June 2023 and season 10 winner Kristen Kish was revealed as her replacement the following month. Lakshmi starred alongside longtime judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons but the show saw celebrity chefs as guest judges each episode.

Despite her reminiscing, there are some negatives to being on the small screen that Lakshmi finds “annoying.” When asked about the public’s fascination with her looks, she said, “It’s hard. I mean, I go to the gym,” she said, clarifying that the hard part isn’t eating for a living. “That’s not the crazy part. The crazy part is I have to eat for a living and still look a certain way. Women that are on television or in fashion and media have different standards that they’re judged by compared to men.”

Her lack of restaurant and culinary school backgrounds didn’t help matters, according to Lakshmi. “It was also really hard because I wasn’t a chef, and I would get these eye rolls at Judges’ Table from white male chefs,” she said.

But, she doesn’t want to be anything else: “I’m not trying to be a chef. You know what my opinion is? My opinion is of the guy who’s paying the check. Okay? I’m the consumer. I’m the person that you’re supposed to be catering to.”

Lakshmi will back on the silver screen with America’s Culinary Cupa cooking competition series on CBS set to air in early 2026. The specifics about the show have not been published yet but Lakshmi said fans shouldn’t expect it to be another Top Chef.

“They’re doing all types of cuisines, but it’s a lot different from Top Chef. It’s not formatted,” she explained of the series.

Despite her time hosting competitive shows, Lakshmi doesn’t see herself joining in anytime soon.

“I’m hyper-competitive, but no. I mean, it’s not my bag. I don’t cook to impress,” she said. “I cook to make people happy and comforted. My job is to tell you how to make something when I’m not standing in the room with you. I never wanted to be a chef. I don’t sell food for a living. What I sell is knowledge on how to cook for your family and eat interesting food.”