What It's Like Hosting With Alton Brown, According To Kristen Kish - Exclusive
For anyone with ambitions in the food world, especially food TV, the chance to be part of a show like "Iron Chef" is an undeniably invaluable opportunity. What would it be like to host a show like that? We asked Kristen Kish. The newest co-host of "Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend" joins Alton Brown on the revived Netflix series to bear witness and bring clarity to the calculated culinary madness of each and every Kitchen Stadium battle. As you might expect, Kish says it was "an incredible experience, one that is life changing in a lot of ways," adding that "it was definitely full circle for my career."
In an exclusive interview with Mashed, Kish also shared what it was like to co-host "Iron Chef" alongside Alton Brown, who's known not only for his longtime affiliation with the show, but also his wide breadth of culinary knowledge. Brown might have started out with more star power, but Kish brings her own unique experience to the table, too. And as viewers of the show will see, what results is the perfect blend of expertise, play-by-play action, and a few jokes here and there, too.
Kish learned a lot from her co-hosting conversations with Alton Brown
Kristen Kish admits that "neither of us knew what to expect going into it" when she began her "Iron Chef" hosting duties alongside Alton Brown. Whatever the worries may have been, they were quickly erased.
"When we got there together ... It was a really nice open relationship right from the get go," Kish tells Mashed. She says their successful teamwork partially stemmed from their ability to improve each other's skills along the way, adding "we had conversations about what he could do to help me and what I could do to aid him." Both hosts also got to demonstrate their interests and areas of expertise throughout the season's themed episodes, as "different challenges brought different parts of us out," says Kish.
While Kish learned a lot from her conversations with Brown, she also acknowledged the balance she brought to the show because of her competitive experience. "I remember I competed on ["Top Chef"] and ... I know what it felt like," she recalls. "It is the most nerve-wracking experience and ... the time flies." With that kind of background, part of her contribution as a co-host was to remind the chefs and the audience what matters most at the end of it all. "You have to remember to actually enjoy the moment and the process without completely forgetting that you're in it," she explains, "because when it's all said and done and you look back on that 60 minutes, you wish you could do it again."
To sum it all up, Kish puts it this way: "Ultimately, I get to hang out with a really great guy and have awesome conversations. If that's my job, then it's pretty awesome."
"Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend" is now available to stream on Netflix.