Buddha Lo is the Last ‘Top Chef’ Winner for Padma Lakshmi: ‘It Was Unreal’ [Exclusive]
Winning Top Chef is an exhilarating feeling, but knowing you are the last Top Chef winner named by Padma Lakshmi is truly surreal. That’s how Top Chef World All Stars winner Buddah Lo felt.
He said the win was both thrilling and bittersweet in terms of the franchise. Like everyone else, Lo learned that Lakshmi was stepping away from the series ahead of the season finale.
“It was unreal,” he told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, reflecting on the moment he found out that Lakshmi was departing. “I remember specifically I was having lunch with my mother and my brother who just came in from Australia. And I just looked at my phone and my jaw dropped for like a whole minute. And I was speechless.”
Buddha Lo was in shock when he learned Padma Lakshmi planned to leave ‘Top Chef’
Lo understood the historic and meaningful impact his victory would have on the enduring series. “I was thinking about not only is she leaving, but the fact that next week is the last episode and it’s the last time she’s going to say someone’s name,” he said.
“I was feeling it the whole way, going, ‘Wow, I thought I was lucky already winning back-to-back. But I feel even more lucky knowing that this is the last name that she’s going to call in a whole era of Top Chef,'” Lo, who also won Top Chef Season 19 remarked. “So I feel even luckier to be a part of it.”
Lakshmi announced her departure before the season wrapped. So, Lo sent her a message. “Just like a quick message to say thank you for all that you’ve done and moving on I wish you all the best,” he shared. “She’s a super busy person. And to be honest, in terms of judging-wise, we actually don’t really connect that much because it’s a bit of a conflict of interest, especially with the show going on.”
The ‘Top Chef’ kitchen is ‘more like heaven’
Lo had fierce competition, up against some of the best chefs in the world. And despite the cameras and pressure, Lo said cooking in the Top Chef kitchen is a dream. “I’ve been in some very interesting situations in my life, throughout my career. And I’ll tell you what, cooking in the Top Chef kitchen isn’t the worst. It’s actually more like heaven. And if there’s cameras filming you, then so be it. It only pushes you to make sure that you do better.”
“Nobody wants to look like a fool on national television, you know? So it pushes you to go, ‘OK, these cameras are here. People are working really hard. There’s all these ingredients and produce to make you successful. So, I’m going to take advantage of all of it,'” he said.
“I have an induction oven where I work right now, we have a 12-seater restaurant. But to go into the Top Chef kitchen, whether it’s like deep fryers, grills, wood fire ovens, the liquid nitrogen blast chiller freezers – it’s just a dream come true. So I take full advantage of every single thing that I can use in that,” he shared.
Lo was awarded the coveted title of Top Chef World All-Star, along with the grand prize of $250,000 provided by the Saratoga® Spring Water, a feature in Food & Wine and an appearance at the 40th annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. The milestone 20th season featured 16 of the greatest competitors from Top Chef iterations around the globe facing off in London and Paris.
