She’s ‘a clam pizza girl’
‘Top Chef ’ judge Gail Simmons to talk about ‘food, flavor and culture’ at Hartford’s Bushnell
“Top Chef ” judge Gail Simmons is coming to Hartford’s Bushnell Center for the Arts on May 21 to talk about “food, flavor and culture.”
The talk, organized by Connecticut Forum, will also feature celebrity chef and cookbook author Marcus Samuelsson and New York Times food reporter Priya Krishna, author of the cookbook “Indian-ish.” Sam Sifton, a managing editor at New York Times and founding editor of New York Times Cooking, will moderate the discussion.
Connecticut Forum, a nonprofit organization that’s arranged public discussions since 1992, according to its website, has previously hosted panelists including Michelle Obama, Toni Morrison, Seth Meyers, Patti Smith and John Legend, as well as local legends like Sue Bird, Geno Auriemma and Morgan
Tuck.
“I think that it’s going to be a relevant conversation for this moment in food, what we’re eating, why it drives us, our passions, why we all got into the industry in the first place and all of our journeys,” Simmons said. “It’ll be about what, what are the sorts of trends that we all are excited about and why we love to cook and how it touches other points in the world and in our lives.”
For Simmons, these conversations overlap with her work on “Top Chef,” which is currently in its 21st season.
“I don’t think that you can ignore the impact that ‘Top Chef ’ has had on the world of food,” she said. “Food affects sustainability, climate change, agriculture, health and wellness, community, religion, you know, it touches every aspect of our lives. And I think that ‘Top Chef ’ has brought that into everybody’s living rooms.”
Simmons said this season of the show has been particularly fun because filming returned to the U.S., in Wisconsin, and because season 10 winner Kristen Kish is now the host, replacing Padma Lakshmi.
“Of all of (the past contestants)...I was closest to her,” Simmons said. “My family has gotten close to her. She’s close with my husband, close with my mother-in-law, and so it to me just felt like a sister coming in.”
In addition to her work on “Top Chef,” Simmons owns a production company called Bumble Pie Productions, writes books and works with New York City food-rescue organization City Harvest. Her busy schedule means that this time around, she won’t get to visit local restaurants.
“I’m a clam pizza girl, but I also think there’s a lot more to (Connecticut food culture) than that,” Simmons said.
Her panel discussion starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $15 for the balcony to $110 for the orchestra.