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

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor 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.

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,