Fall 2026

Gail Simmons in conversation with Tom Colicchio

on the Art of Guesting

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An In-Person and Online Event

Scores of culinary voices, from Martha Stewart and Ina Garten to Jake Cohen and a new generation of cooks and authors, have taught us how to set a table, design a menu and pair food and drink to become great hosts. Now, Top Chef judge Gail Simmons is turning the tables on entertaining advice, offering critical guidance on how to be a great guest.

In her new book, Guesting, Simmons presents hospitality as a shared choreography. If hosting is about creating a welcoming space, guesting is about entering it with awareness, generosity and ease. At a time when technology has made connection more fragmented and in-person gatherings more precious, she suggests that showing up well for others is a social skill worth reclaiming.

Drawing on her life as a trusted voice in food and culture and as the perennial Top Chef judge, Simmons offers a witty, practical guide to guest etiquette, including her 13 rules, what thoughtful contributions to bring to gatherings and how to navigate other people’s spaces with confidence and care.

Tom Colicchio is an 8-time James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Crafted Hospitality, whose restaurants include Temple Court in New York and Craftsteak in Las Vegas. After honing his craft at The Quilted Giraffe, Gotham Bar & Grill, and Gramercy Tavern, he opened Craft New York in 2001. As head judge and executive producer of the Emmy-winning Bravo series Top Chef, host of the Citizen Chef podcast, and author of the memoir-cookbook Why I Cook, he is also a leading advocate for a more accessible and equitable food system. He executive produced the documentary A Place at the Table, has worked with Michelle Obama on the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, and is a founding member of the Independent Restaurant Coalition.

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