Padma Lakshmi & Susan Rovner Cook Up Competition Series For CBS As Former NBCU Chief Dishes Up First Project Under New Production Banner

EXCLUSIVE: CBS may have found the cooking competition series that it’s been looking for – from Padma Lakshmi and former NBCU content chief Susan Rovner.

The network has struck a development deal with the pair for a new food format that marks the first project to be baked up by Rovner’s new production company Aha Studios.

There are few details about the format itself, but the Paramount-owned network has been looking for its own series to rival the likes of Top Chef and MasterChef.

Amy Reisenbach, President of CBS Entertainment, revealed to Deadline in June that she wanted her network to get into the food space. “We have definitely talked about trying to find our version of a cooking show. I’m personally a big fan of them,” she said.

The new series will come from Lakshmi’s Delicious Entertainment and Rovner’s Aha Studios with both exec producing. Lakshmi will also host the series.

Lakshmi and Rovner worked together when the former was the host and exec producer of Bravo’s Top Chef and Rovner was Chairman of Entertainment Content across NBCUniversal’s Television and Streaming division.

Lakshmi is the creator of Hulu series Taste The Nation, which has run for two seasons, and is best known as host and exec producer of Top Chef, which she worked on for 19 seasons and left last year. Lakshmi drew five Emmy nominations for Outstanding Host for A Reality-Competition Program for her role on Top Chef, which was nominated for 47 Emmys during her tenure. She is also the author of cook books Easy Exotic and Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet as well as kids books Tomatoes for Neela and memoir Love, Loss and What We Ate.

Rovner recently launched Aha Studios, where she is CEO, a production company that works across scripted, unscripted and documentary content. She was Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming from 2020 to 2023, working across NBC, cable networks including Bravo, USA Network and E! and Peacock, where she was responsible for greenlighting series such as Night Court, Ted, Traitors and Poker Face. Before that, she was President of Warner Bros. Television.

Lakshmi is repped by CAA, Yorn, Levine, Barnes, Krintzman, Rubenstein, Kohner, Endlich, Goodell & Gellman and The Initiative Group. Rovner is repped by CAA’s Ben Levine and Felker, Toczek, Suddleson, McGinnis, Ryan LLP.