Kristen Kish. Credit: Sasha Israel/Bravo

Kristen Kish Dishes on Top Chef: Carolinas

9 Minute read

12 Mar 2026

Ari Bendersky

Writer

Copy link

The Top Chef host and season 10 winner talks about the beauty of Greenville, Charlotte’s abundant dining scene, melting in the heat, and needing her quiet time.

It’s a sweltering September day in Greenville, S.C., and Kristen Kish is standing in Unity Park along the city’s 28-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail, filming a quickfire challenge for Top Chef: Carolinas. It’s the kind of day where the heat and humidity are relentless, and it takes hours to capture what will eventually become about 15 minutes of television.

Thankfully Kish knows something about endurance. She won Top Chef season 10 after getting eliminated and clawing her way back through Last Chance Kitchen. Now, as the show’s host and judge, she brings that competitor’s empathy to the table—sometimes even tearing up when sending someone home. This season took her, judges Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio, and the chefs across Greenville and Charlotte, N.C. Kish dove into the region’s food, from Eastern and Western barbecue to livermush to, yes, plenty of pimento cheese.

We caught up with Kish at the end of that long, sticky day to talk about Charlotte’s surprisingly diverse dining scene, a Greenville restaurant she’d put up against anywhere, and why she still needs her quiet time.

Credit: Bravo and Top Chef World

You are pretty deep into the season so far. What’s something that has surprised you this season?

Kristen Kish: I don’t know if I can ever say I’m surprised by anything. I think because I don’t expect anything coming to a new place. My job is to explore it. My job is to see how the chefs handle all the challenges and live the experience. And I think because of that, I’m never really surprised because my expectations are none. I think that Greenville was never really on my radar to visit ever.

And what do you think of Greenville?

Kish: The food has been great. It’s incredibly charming. I knew it was outdoorsy, but this whole area that we’re filming in right now is beautiful. I can’t wait to explore the 20-plus miles [of the Swamp Rabbit Trail].

Right, but on an e-bike.

Kish: Only on an e-bike! Pedal? No, not me.

Greenville is known for its eclectic restaurant scene. Have you had a chance to try any?

Kish: I had a fantastic meal at Scoundrel. I think that restaurant … you plop that anywhere and it would stand up. Not saying that I’m surprised that there’s good food here, but it was outstanding.

Anywhere else in Greenville or Charlotte that kind of surprised you or impressed you food-wise?

Kish: What I really like about Charlotte is I’m finding all different kinds of food, everything from Balkan to Vietnamese to classic French to sushi, of all places. I’m going to an omakase restaurant when I go back. The options are abundant and there’s a lot of variety.

Any local delicacies that you’ve had, whether it’s shrimp and grits or hoppin’ John or anything else this area is known for?

Kish: Luckily through Top Chef we have challenges that really introduce me to a lot of different things and give me the opportunity to try the dish that inspires the challenge. Of course, the chefs don’t cook traditional whatever kind of food they cook, their food. But I’ve had Eastern barbecue, Western barbecue, livermush, hoppin’ Johns. Yeah, I’ve had it all.

Any pimento cheese?

Kish: Oh, plenty of pimento cheese.

Has anything one of the chefs made really blown your mind or something that was a total dud?

Kish: There’s been a couple clunkers of a dish, but I think especially it’s really challenging on Top Chef that you can take really great chefs, give them any challenge outside of this and they’re going to thrive. They’re going to feed off of that. It takes a minute for some chefs to find their footing in this competition. And sometimes at the beginning there are dishes that fall a little flat, but not by any means horrible. I’m sure they could probably also agree that it wasn’t their best.

Between competing on Top Chef and now being a judge, what’s something challenging that you’ve experienced?

Kish: When I was a competitor, it was very hard. You’re just completely taken out of your comfort zone, but it’s an incredible opportunity and experience. Challenging things as a judge? I mean, it’s always hard when you have to send people home. That sucks, but everyone understands that that is something that happens here. Purely personal, the heat gets to me. I’m not going to lie, when I’m in heels and full glam and heat, I’m struggling to stay afloat.

When you were on my podcast before the pandemic, we talked about you now having fame and being uncomfortable with that. Have you settled more into your role of being a celebrity?

Kish: I’ve gotten used to being recognized. I think at the beginning it was taking a minute for me to understand what was happening around me because it was something that I had never, ever imagined happening to me. But obviously through Top Chef and the amazing fans and all the other jobs I have, it’s becoming more normal for me. But I do require my quiet alone time.