Padma Lakshmi to depart 'Top Chef' after 17 years

June 2 (UPI) -- One of TV's 'top chefs' is leaving the kitchen. Host Padma Lakshmi says Season 20 of the popular Bravo network cooking show Top Chef will be her last. She announced her departure on her Instagram account on Friday.

"After much soul searching, I have made the difficult decision to leave Top Chef," Lakshmi wrote. "Having completed a glorious 20th season as host and executive producer, I am extremely proud to have been part of building such a successful show and of the impact it has had in the worlds of television and food."

The 52-year-old is also the star of the Hulu show Taste the Nation, which she says she wants to focus on along with writing. She is the author of five books including a memoir, Love, Loss and What We Ate, a New York Times bestseller. This year she posed for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Lakshmi is a four-time Emmy nominee for Outstanding Reality Show Host. Lakshmi's announcement comes just before Top Chef's season finale.

"Padma Lakshmi leaves behind an incredible legacy on Bravo's Top Chef," a network spokesperson said in a statement. "Her impact on the Emmy-, James Beard-, and Critics' Choice Award-winning series is undeniable. We are grateful to Padma for being a consummate host, judge, and executive producer, and for bringing her ingenuity and exceptional palate to each episode where she ate every bite of food on the series for over 17 years and 19 seasons. She will always be part of the Top Chef and the NBCUniversal family and has a seat at the judges' table anytime."

Per a February interview with Gotham magazine, Lakshmi is already working on her next cookbook. She reflected on her time with the show and how the crews that work alongside her and the hosts are the engine behind what drives the success of Top Chef.

"From my first season, I remember we were in Malibu, and we did this breakfast challenge-which doesn't seem that hard-except that you have to make it on the beach, open fire," she said. "And I'll never forget the unsung heroes of our show-the crew that you never get to see, the culinary department and then all of the technical crew who had to lay gas lines and dig ditches and then cover them up with sand all before sunrise so that we could get it all fired up in a safe way that looks telegenic."