Padma Lakshmi, Joel McHale Hosting Thursday’s Cooking for Kamala Video Call Featuring Celebrity Chefs

Pat Saperstein
·3 min read
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When was the last time a presidential candidate was known for her roast chicken recipe? The Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign is different from past tickets in any number of ways, from the contenders joining TikTok to the growing number of themed calls, from Swifties for Harris to Comics for Kamala.

On Thursday, more than 60 notable chefs and food world personalities will join co-host Padma Lakshmi and Joel McHale on the Cooking for Kamala livestream, which will feature demonstrations of recipes including the famous roast chicken (lots of garlic is key). Philanthropist and chef José Andrès and “Top Chef” judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons are also on board.

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The livestream at cookingforkamala.com starts at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and runs for 90 minutes.

“Every time I’ve been with Kamala we talk about food,” Lakshmi tells Variety. She says celebrities, including chefs, have a role to play in the election.

“We need every voice and to use every method we can, to get the word out that this is not the election to sit out at home. If having someone in the public eye tell you something means you’ll listen for the good of all of us, then great,” Lakshmi says.

The former “Top Chef” host is a longtime Harris friend and supporter who wrote about her in the New York Times in 2020. “She is the person I trust,” Lakshmi says. “That she is female is a beacon of hope for all women in this country. The fact that she is a person of color would go a long way to healing some very deep wounds for many of us. Her election to this highest of offices in our land would also restore faith that our country is indeed a democracy, that we have risen above some of our basest bigotry and misogyny.”

Congressman Eric Swalwell, one of the organizers of the video call, said “I’ve known Kamala for 20 years and cooking with family and friends is so central to who she is. After hosting Comics for Kamala, I wanted to produce an interactive event where Kamala’s supporters could make Kamala’s favorite recipe along with America’s top chefs. The event came together with chefs Suzanne Goin, Susan Feniger, and Stuart O’Keefe — through their hard work we have attracted the best known chefs across our country.”

Among the Los Angeles chefs and restaurateurs joining the call are Susan Feniger, who provided her coconut-apricot cookie recipe for the demonstration, Suzanne Goin, Nancy Silverton, Michael Cimarusti, Mary Sue Milliken, Carole Iida-Nakayama, Carole Iida-Nakayama, Steve and Dina Samson, Ben Ford, Akasha Richmond, Neal Fraser and Josiah Citrin.

Also expected on the call are notable chefs from the San Francisco Bay Area, New York and elsewhere, including names like April Bloomfield, Marcus Samuelsson, Jonathan Waxman, Chris Bianco, Carla Hall and Alice Waters. Food writers Ruth Reichl, Alison Roman and Molly Baz will join in.

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