The host and judge discusses the "unexpected" and "moving" season 1 finale of the CBS culinary competition
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/CBS-Original-Series-AMERICAS-CULINARY-CUP-Padma-Lakshmi-051126-2-85953d8ffe684959adc9f16c314a24c4.jpg "America's Culinary Cup Michael Cimarusti, Padma Lakshmi, and Wylie Dufresne")
Credit: Jackie Brown/CBS
Warning: Spoilers for the season 1 finale of America's Culinary Cup, which aired Wednesday, May 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET
NEED TO KNOW
- Cara Stadler, a James Beard-nominated chef from Maine, won the $1 million prize on CBS’s America’s Culinary Cup
- Stadler competed while pregnant with her second child and impressed judges with a unique dish blending English and Asian flavors
- Host Padma Lakshmi praised Stadler’s win as a triumph for women and chefs of color in the culinary world
America's Culinary Cup has just crowned its first winner — and the last standing chef taking home the CBS culinary competition's staggering $1 million prize is Cara Stadler.
Stadler, a James Beard-nominated chef who lives in Maine and owns restaurants there in Maine, beat out all 16 decorated contestants, including finalists Michelin-starred chef Chris Morgan and Bocuse d'Or gold medalist Matt Peters.
In the season 1 finale, "Million-Dollar Menu," the chefs faced one final commandment: innovation. All three of them were tasked with reimagining signature dishes from guest judges Eric Ripert, Suzanne Goin and Daniela Soto-Innes, before two went on to serve their own three-course menus highlighting the best of their past, present and future careers.
When it comes to Stadler beating out Morgan by four points after the final serving, host and judge Padma Lakshmi tells PEOPLE, "It was unexpected. It was moving."
Credit: Jackie Brown/CBS
"I honestly didn't know about Cara before. I hadn't heard of her, to be honest," she continues, explaining that "she hasn't had a restaurant for a couple of years" because she's been growing her family.
According to The Bangor Daily News, Stadler "is the former chef and co-owner of Brunswick restaurants Tao Yuan and ZaoZe Cafe and Portland's Bao Bao Dumpling House. She and her partners were preparing to close ZaoZe, the last of her venues, when the filming was underway."
During the competition, the chef was in the second trimester with her second daughter, Lina, who was born mid-February. "Not only was she pregnant, she had a very small child at home that her wife was taking care of, and it was very compelling," Lakshmi says. "That's what I love about the show is that you can never predict what's going to happen."
"I was so proud of her," she adds.
Certainly what helped set her apart was her final meal, which was something even Lakshmi hasn't tasted before. "Cara made this beautiful dish of tea with some dumplings in it, which I had never seen before," she says of the chef's third and final presentation, which Stadler described on the show as a fusion of English and Asian cultures.
Credit: Jackie Brown/CBS
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Lakshmi explains, "I don't think any of us had ever had a dish like that, but it was so personal to her that, of course, I couldn't have tried it from anyone else. And that was something new."
Of course, since the competition kicked off on March 4 with contestants like Bocuse d'Or silver medalist Philip Tessier, James Beard winner Katie Burton, Michelin-starred chefs Beverly Kim and Buddha Lo, who also won two seasons of Top Chef, it was anyone's guess who might make it to the finale.
One of the more shocking moments came in episode one, "Spoiled for Stroganoff," when the chefs were tasked with determining who would go head-to-head in a culinary elimination challenge. Tessier and Peters had to cook against each other. By putting two of the most revered competitors up against each other, it meant that Peters was forced to go home much earlier than expected.
"I felt really badly that Philip Tessier, who is one of the best chefs in the world, Bocuse d'Or medalist and coach, went home in the very first episode," Lakshmi says. "I think if we had to do it again, we probably wouldn't have let the chefs pick. It just never occurred to me. And that's also my naivete, but there you go. The chefs played the game properly. That was a great decision on their part because you get rid of one of the best competitors, but we were dying [while watching it unfold]."
Credit: Jackie Brown/CBS
Another surprise for Lakshmi was when James Beard nominee Emily Yuen went home in episode five, "The Roots of Success." "It shocked me that Emily Yuen went home so early. I know why, at that moment, comparatively to what the other plates were, but I think she's a great chef," she says. "They're all great, but I think that I would have thought she could have lasted longer."
The executive producer clarifies, "It wasn't even her sauce work, it was just her noodles were not evenly cooked, and that just happens."
Lakshmi also adds, "I thought Buddha would make it to the finale." Lo, who won back-to-back seasons, Houston and World All-Stars, was easily a fan-favorite and considered the most seasoned, in terms of competing in front of the cameras.
"That's what I love about the show is that you can never predict what's going to happen," Lakshmi says. In the end, while reflecting on Stadler's win, she says, "I think it's great for women, I think it's great for chefs of color and it just shows you I couldn't have predicted or controlled the outcome — but I'm very happy about it."
The season 1 finale of America's Culinary Cup aired Wednesday, May 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS. The series is available to stream on Paramount+.