The America’s Test Kitchen Cast Members’ Origin Stories

In advance of our 25th season airing on PBS in September, learn each cast member’s origin story, including how many seasons they’ve been on the show, what positions they’ve held at ATK, and what went through their heads the first time they stepped in front of the America’s Test Kitchen cameras.

When he joined the cast: Jack was one of the original cast members when the show debuted. He was the resident ingredient expert, a role he still holds on the show today.

His day job at ATK at the time: As part of the small editorial team that launched Cook’s Illustrated in 1993, Jack was focused on writing and editing for the magazine. In the decades since, he's helped build the company and had a hand in every magazine, book, show, or other creative project that’s come from America's Test Kitchen.

What he remembers about being on his first show: “We filmed a test episode in 1999 and then started shooting broadcast episodes in 2000. At the outset, I had no interest in doing TV. I was a writer and editor and had developed the tasting protocols we used to evaluate everything from olive oil to ice cream at Cook’s Illustrated. But TV? No thanks. 

“But after several seasons, I started to enjoy myself. My ‘how to succeed on TV’ lessons—which I share with newer cast members—are as follows: (1) Focus on a small number of points that will help the viewer. (2) Have at least one unexpected talking point—something the viewer can share with a friend. (3) Smile even if you’re terrified.”

When she joined the cast: Sam joined the cast in season 24, which aired in 2022.

Her day job at the time: Sam was a digital test cook and instructor in the ATK Cooking School. Before that, she developed recipes for ATK’s cookbooks and taught cooking demonstrations on cruise ships.

What she remembers about being on her first show: “I remember being a bundle of nerves! I came out on my first take with a lot of energy. Too much, in fact. But Julia looked at me, smiled, said ‘you got this,’ and the nerves washed away.

“My first recipe was Red Lentil Kibbeh, which was a recipe I developed for The Complete Plant-Based Cookbook. Having made that recipe dozens of times, I was superexcited to kick off my TV debut with a recipe I felt so comfortable with."

When she joined the cast: Julia was an original member of the cast when the show debuted in 1999.

Her day job at the time: Julia was working as a test cook for Cook’s Illustrated magazine. She did the grocery shopping, washed the dishes, and assisted the editors with their recipe projects. Since then, she’s become the co-host of America’s Test Kitchen, developed hundreds of recipes, edited dozens of cookbooks, and filmed many TV shows (including her own, Julia at Home).

What she remembers about being on her first show: “That first season, I was so nervous. But it’s just like anything else—you do it enough and it gets easier. But it took six, seven seasons to become completely comfortable.

“I think I’m probably totally through the woods with nerves. I’ve screwed up enough on camera—I’ve messed up my lines; I’ve had laughing fits where I’m on the floor, bright red; I’ve dumped chocolate and powdered sugar on myself. I’ve made a mess of anything you could possibly make a mess of on camera, and I’m still here and they still put me on. The hardest thing is all these people are watching you, and the room is silent except for you talking. Once you get used to that feeling, it’s easy.”

When she joined the cast: Hannah is a newer addition to the cast, having joined in 2023. 

Her day job at the time: Hannah is an executive editor for ATK Reviews, the team that tests all of the ingredients and equipment you see featured in the show. She’s also the co-host of our popular kitchen equipment-focused YouTube series Gear Heads along with fellow ATK cast member Lisa McManus.

What she remembers about being on her first show: “I come from YouTube where we film with like four of us in a room, very casual. Having so many people on the ATK set was overwhelming, but the crew are all such pros and so nice, by the end of my first day I was having fun.”

When he joined the cast: Keith joined the cast in 2017 with season 17. But he’d been working behind the scenes of the show for years.

His day job at the time: Keith has been developing recipes for Cook’s Illustrated for almost two decades. Before appearing onscreen, he helped run the back kitchen during America’s Test Kitchen filming, which is where a lot of the food you see on the show is prepared.

What he remembers about being on his first show: “The first segment—I did one in the morning and one in the afternoon—was really nerve-racking.

“You practice it, but you don’t really know what to expect. When the host is coming out, and you’re standing there and thinking, ‘What am I going to say first?’ Once you get over that first two or three minutes and you start cooking, everything kind of disappears. It was really kind of strange—you get this tunnel vision in that you’re just cooking and talking to that other person, and then everything else dissolves away. As long as I have the first couple of sentences scripted, as long as I knew what I was going to say, it seemed to be all right.”

When he joined the cast: Joe joined the cast in 2023 with season 23—but he’d made cameos before then as Dan Souza’s silent sidekick in the show’s science segments. (Yes, that’s him trying to run on an oobleck to illustrate how its texture changes depending on the pressure you apply to it.)

His day job at the time: Joe was—and still is—a test cook who creates recipes for ATK’s cookbooks. He also now stars in his own YouTube show, Joe vs. the Test Kitchen.

What he remembers about being on his first show: “I did both my recipes with Julia and I was blown away by her skill and professionalism. Bridget had caught Covid a couple of days before we were due to film our segment, and Julia stepped in and had to do twice as many segments as she’d rehearsed for!”

When she joined the cast: Becky joined the show in 2006. 

Her day job at the time: Becky has been with ATK since 2000 and was the managing editor for Cook’s Illustrated when she joined the cast. During her almost 25 years at ATK, she’s worked on a wide variety of magazine, book, and website projects—and probably developed some of your favorite recipes.

What she remembers about being on her first show: “I debuted with a black bean soup, which I grew up eating and found satisfying and comforting. I was nervous as heck, but once we wrapped, I could finally take a breath, and I was beyond thrilled. As a kid, I idolized Julia Child, so following in her footsteps was a true dream come true.”

When she joined the cast: Antoinette joined the show in 2022 with season 22.

Her day job at the time: Antoinette’s path to the show is a unique one, having earned her role through winning the first season of America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation. (She’s also a social media branding consultant and content creator.)

What she remembers about being on her first show: “My first episode was a whirlwind of emotions. Despite the excitement of being on set, I was grappling with a thrilling secret—I had to keep my Next Gen win under wraps until the show aired.”

When she joined the cast: Lan became a member of the cast in 2018 with season 18. 

Her day job at the time: Lan is a recipe developer and senior editor for Cook’s Illustrated. Known for her precision and impressive fundamentals, she’s also the host of the James Beard Award–nominated YouTube series Techniquely.

What she remembers about being on her first show: Her very first week working at America’s Test Kitchen was during the filming of the show’s season 12: “Everyone told me, ‘When you’re on set, pretend the cameras don’t exist.’ Fast-forward to season 19 and you’d find me trying to calm my nerves by reminding myself that there really were no cameras in front of me!”

When she joined the cast: Bridget was an original cast member when the show debuted in 1999.

Her day job at the time: She had recently started working for Cook’s Illustrated magazine as a test cook, where she grocery shopped, washed dishes, prepped food, and tested other people’s recipes. Over time, she began developing her own recipes and helping lead other projects where she got to flex her teaching skills. She’s now the co-host of America’s Test Kitchen and a lead instructor for ATK’s Online Cooking School.

What she remembers about being on her first show: “A short time after I started working with Cook’s Illustrated, there was talk about turning the test kitchen concept into a TV show, and if you were working in the test kitchen, you were going to be on the show. Talk about a baptism by fire! I was excited, but mostly terrified. That first season of filming is almost a complete blur. I remember panicking before we rolled each morning, then relaxing a bit as I settled into doing what I knew—cooking—on camera. I quickly found out that cooking and talking in front of the camera is harder than it looks.”

When she joined the cast: Lisa became the gadget expert on the show in 2010 with season 10.

Her day job at the time: Lisa is ATK’s foremost equipment expert and executive editor for ATK Reviews, as well as a co-host of the YouTube series Gear Heads with fellow America’s Test Kitchen cast member Hannah Crowley.

What she remembers about being on her first show: Like anyone, Lisa was understandably nervous for her first time filming. But being among the cast and crew in the studio gave her the confidence she needed.

“I remember being wracked with nerves for months ahead of time, but everyone on the crew was so incredibly nice to me that once the cameras rolled, I was OK.”

When she joined the cast: Erin’s first season on America’s Test Kitchen was in 2017. (She’d been a cast member of Cook’s Country before that!)

Her day job at the time: Erin was a test cook for Cook’s Country, developing rigorously tested recipes in the test kitchen. She then spent years as America’s Test Kitchen’s test kitchen director (as important a job as it sounds). Now the director of culinary production, she makes sure everything in the test kitchen runs smoothly.

What she remembers about being on her first show: “Julia was out on maternity leave, and I jumped in to help cover some of her episodes. It was a busy time: I was running the back kitchen and living upstairs from the set kitchen. I was terrified about being on camera and had many late nights practicing my lines and making the recipes, but I was also very excited for this rare opportunity and to take on this new challenge!”

When he joined the cast: Adam was part of the cast when the show debuted in 1999. 

His day job at the time: Adam was the resident equipment reviewer at ATK. “My start in equipment testing was more by circumstance than design. Not long after I started at Cook’s Illustrated, a freelancer who was supposed to test roasting racks bowed out in the eleventh hour. I said I’d like to give it a shot, and the editors were desperate enough to allow it. Apparently it went well, because from that point forward I kept on testing,” he said of his start in equipment reviewing.

What he remembers about being on his first show: While it may have been many years ago now, Adam still has one very clear memory from his first time on set: “Day one . . . the pilot. I believe there were some early-morning shots of bourbon to help calm the nerves.”

When she joined the cast: Elle joined the cast in 2016 with season 16.

Her day job at the time: Elle was one of ATK’s food stylists, tasked with making all of our recipes look as stunning as possible. She still does food styling for our magazines and books, plus she’s authored two of her own with Boards and Food Gifts.

What she remembers about being on her first show: The excitement and intense emotions of her first time filming weren’t easily forgotten for Elle. “I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the opportunity. I cried at my first cast photo shoot!”

When he joined the cast: Dan started offering his science expertise on America’s Test Kitchen in 2016 with season 16. 

His day job at the time: Dan was a senior editor of Cook’s Illustrated magazine when he joined the cast. Since then, he’s flexed his science know-how by editing the New York Times best seller The Science of Good Cooking and serving as the editor in chief of Cook’s Illustrated. He’s now ATK’s chief content officer and the host of the James Beard Award–nominated YouTube series What’s Eating Dan?, where he breaks down the scientific aspects of food and cooking. 

What he remembers about being on his first show: Dan remembers his first episode like it was just yesterday. “My first recipe was my Fresh Pasta Without a Machine. I remember thinking that I would be very nervous, but when I got up there and started making the recipe it was just fun!”

When she joined the cast: Erica joined the show in 2022 with season 22.

Her day job at the time: Erica was—and is—a test cook for Cook’s Illustrated magazine.

What she remembers about being on her first show: “I remember a rush of energy for my first episode. I was so excited to dive right in and enjoy every moment of it and I really did have a lot of fun! I love doing TV and knowing that there’s an audience on the other side of the screen watching. I really do hope that the home audience feels a part of the show and that they have fun with us.”