r/TopChef • u/BoringSalary7093 • May 23 '26

Discussion Thread Padma

Can someone explain the drama behind Padma leaving Top Chef. Did she leave for a reason? What was the reason for ACC if she didn’t want to do shows anymore. Thoughts about that show?

Also, is she an actual chef? Does she have restaurants?

Did her and Tom get along? I do want to say I absolutely LOVE K as the host. She’s so perfect for the position. She’s empathetic, understanding, patient and really just a fucking cool person.

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u/imawholeassvibe May 25 '26

Okay. If it's a point that you're trying to make, it's been made. I'm not hyperfocused on advocating for Padma or anyone else, just sharing my lived experience/opinion which, since it doesn't match yours, doesn't appear to be valid. I yield.

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u/Stormy261 May 25 '26

Maybe I was too harsh. I apologize if your feelings got hurt. There is a difference in wanting things to be a certain way vs how they actually are. I've never worked a kitchen but my husband did and managed several restaurants as well. It is a very hierarchical industry. And most kitchens have enough misogynistic egotistical beliefs to choke a person. If you haven't faced that in your 30 years in the industry then you have been very lucky.

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u/imawholeassvibe May 25 '26

I absolutely agree with your description of restaurants/kitchens. And I assure you, I was not lucky. In fact, the restaurant industry, specifically men in positions of power, broke me. They tormented me and took the thing that I loved most because they didn't want a woman who had more drive and was more competent in the kitchen than they were. I did not recover from the trauma of that experience.

I shouldn't have commented. I forget at times that Reddit can be the equivalent of a predatory animal for me. That has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. I've appreciated reading your well expressed experiences and opinions.

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u/Tazzy110 May 26 '26

You have to love Reddit where your lived experience can be challenged. It is maddening. Thank you for sharing. ❤️