How to Be a Great Guest with Top Chef's Gail Simmons

How to Be a Great Guest with Top Chef's Gail Simmons

November 6, 2026 · 57 min

It's officially the season of invitations, and if your first feeling about the next holiday text is a tiny bit of dread, Gail Simmons wrote a book for you. Gail has been at the Top Chef judges' table since the very first season (20 years and 23 seasons!), and she noticed that for all the books on hosting, almost nobody teaches us how to be a good guest. So she wrote Guesting. Jen and Gail talk about why the judges never get to know the chefs, the food-loving parents who raised her to be curious about the world, the blunt advice that sent her to culinary school, and the signature-gift habit she picked up from food critic Jeffrey Steingarten. Plus: the uninvited guest who walked off with the centerpieces, why the Irish goodbye is actually fine, the "Jewish Canadian goodbye," and how to ask for leftovers like a pro. This is a conversation about reciprocity, gratitude, and building the connected world we're all hoping for.Thought-provoking Quotes:"I realized that we all guest in the world a lot more than we actually host." - Gail Simmons"This isn't Emily Post. This is how to contribute to our communities a little better." - Gail Simmons"We're voting on vibes, and you guys are voting on food." - Jen Hatmaker"Hosts don't host to get gifts... they host to host." - Gail Simmons"Dress, act, put out in the world for the experience you want to receive." - Gail Simmons"It's never too late to be grateful." - Gail Simmons"What I want people to say is she is the life of the party." - Gail SimmonsResources Mentioned in This Episode:Guesting by Gail Simmons - https://gailsimmons.com/guestingSigned copies from Books Are Magic - https://www.booksaremagic.netTop Chef on Bravo - https://www.bravotv.com/top-chefGuest's Links:Website - https://gailsimmons.comInstagram - https://instagram.com/gailsimmonseatsTwitter - https://twitter.com/gailsimmonsConnect with Jen!Jen's Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/Jen's Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmakerJen's Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/Jen's Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmakerJen's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmakerThe For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.