7. Top Chef is filming in Charleston this season. What are your top three US cities for food?

San Francisco, New York, and Seattle.

8. On the show, what happens to the pantry ingredients that don't get used?

If they're perishable, anyone from the crew can take them. Our catering staff will also use them for crew meals, and I'll look through them too. My daughter travels with me when we film, so I'll use those leftovers to make her dinner instead of ordering food. Simple stuff — like noodles with tofu, or spaghetti with turkey ragu.

9. What's a lipstick that you know will last through a marathon meal?

NARS Velvet Matte lip pencil in Dolce Vita. It's pretty all-purpose and is easy to apply without a mirror. On the show, I've actually hid it under Judges' Table and will quickly reapply when the cameras cut away to a chef. We'll sometimes take hours to film — without a break for makeup — so we have to get creative and do it on the fly.

10. You've talked pretty openly about what you've called "the only bad part" of hosting the show: gaining and losing weight every season. As you told The Cut: "I usually gain about 10 to 15 pounds every season ... they take me six weeks to gain and 12 weeks to lose." How do you manage that?

When we're not shooting, I do an elimination diet. For me, I've found it's easier to not eat whole categories than it is to count calories. So I cut red meat, fried foods, added sugar, bread, wheat, and pasta — and alcohol, which is the hardest thing. I'll also go easy on dairy. Workout-wise, I mix things up. I box, jump rope, lift weights, and do treadmill, stairs, and Pilates. I try to fit in at least an hour each day. It doesn't always work out, but I try to be as consistent as I can.

