Padma Lakshmi is expressing pride for her successor as host of Bravo's longstanding hit cooking competition show "Top Chef."
On Tuesday, the Twitter account for the program officially announced Season 10 champion Kristen Kish as the new host of the show, after Lakshmi stepped down from the post earlier this year.
Kish has previously acted as a guest judge for "Top Chef," but Season 21 later this year will see her taking on the role of host for the first time.
Lakshmi congratulated Kish on the move, writing on Twitter, "I'm so proud of you @KristenLKish and am over the moon that you'll be taking over for me on @BravoTopChef!"
She added, "I'll be rooting for you and our whole crew next season. Congratulations!"
Kish also took to social media to mark the news, saying in a video testimonial that it felt like a "homecoming and a full-circle moment" for her.
"I am most excited to get to know an incredible group of chefs" and "to be reunited with a lot of friends that are on and off camera in the production," Kish said, adding, "I am at a loss for words still, a little bit, but I promise I'll find those, come Season 21."
The new season of "Top Chef" is slated to premiere on Bravo later this year.
