Colicchio did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Officials from “Top Chef” production company NBC Universal and Magical Elves praised and thanked Lakshmi. “We will miss her as an executive producer and on the jury, but we will always be grateful for her steadfast commitment to connecting our chefs and Bravo’s audience alike,” Casey Grilli and Joe Sharon, co-chief executives of Magical Elves, said in a statement.
Lakshmi, 52, an Indian-born model, author and activist, has been hailed for becoming the undisputed face of the franchise, infusing the reality show with grace and humor.
Last month, Lakshmi’s other TV show “Taste the Nation” aired its second season on Hulu. In it, she travels to America to explore what it means to cook and eat in America.
Last month too, he featured in it Game Illustrated Swimsuit Problem, posing in a gold coin bikini. “This is me,” she wrote alongside a video of the photo shoot Posted on Instagram. “If you gave me all the money in the world I would never go back to my 20s.”
Her first cookbook, “Easy Exotic” was published in 1999. Since then, he has published several books, including “Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet”; a memoir, “Love, Loss and What We Ate”; “The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs” reference guide; and the children’s book “Tomatoes for Neela”.
Brett Anderson Contributed report.
