Plus her self-care routine and her favorite forms of exercise.
Kish:I could probably give you an entire list of things that I wish I would have known.
I think it would have scared me away, honestly.
Photo:NBCUniversal
So I’m going to go with nothing.
Kish:Yes, nervous 100%.
That expectation that I’m placing on myself, that I am anticipating that other people will have.
But this was nerves on top.
This weight on my shoulder that I very much placed there myself felt heavier.
How do I like to combat that?
I did several sessions of hypnotherapy.
My wife actually turned me on to it.
But over the years I’ve gotten to learn the impact and how powerful it can be.
EatingWell:Outside of theTop Chefstudio, what was the best thing you ate while in Wisconsin?
Kish:Theres a few standout meals for sure.
But Wisconsin has this really great Serbian restaurant.
It’s called Three Brothers, it’s been around for a long time.
The family story is incredibly important and really impactful.
so getting to know them after having tried the food, it was really outstanding.
So to have one of the best Milwaukee restaurants be of Serbian cuisine, that was pretty awesome.
EatingWell:Whats your self-care routine while filming?
Ive stocked the mini fridge with what I need.
I love junk food, but I stock my room with a lot of healthier things.
Lots of nuts, beef jerky, hard-boiled eggs, juices and lots of coffee.
Every morning I have a routine no matter what time I start.
I’m very much an introvert.
That recharge happens for me in the morning so I have that quiet time.
EatingWell:In your opinion, what’s the most underrated spice?
Kish:There’s so many great spices in the world.
In terms of underrated, it often is some of the simpler ones that everyone has.
For example, black pepper.
I love black pepper, but toasted black pepper I find is underrated.
You get whole peppercorns, you toast them dry in a pan until they become really nutty and fragrant.
And then you put them in your pepper grinder.
It’s so good, I love it.
It just adds a little bit of something.
Why aren’t we toasting all peppercorns?
EatingWell:Do you have any favorite forms of exercise or movement in your day?
Kish:I have realized that working out combats a lot of my own anxiety.
When I went to Milwaukee, I found a personal trainer.
So I found a trainer with the complete goal of putting muscle on my body.
When I was not able to go to him, I’d maybe go for a walk or run.
We probably should have done it a little bit more.
Ill run for 30 minutes just to get the day moving.
But with the personal trainer, we’re completely focused on heavy lifting and actually putting muscle on.
I needed structure in my day that wasn’t just work.
EatingWell:Do you have a current favorite pair of running shoes?
Kish:Honestly I am currently wearing a pair of Nike Zooms.
But $40, how wild is that?
How do you not buy these?
So yes, those are the ones I’m wearing.
EatingWell:Any food hot takes?
I also don’t love smoked salmon.
I’ve learned that I’m very particular, but I cook with black truffles sometimes.
But for me, it completely ruins the dish sometimes.
And smoked salmon, I can’t physically get it down my throat.
