If you're into "America's Test Kitchen," you probably think of Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison as practically part of your family. But what's the story behind their on-screen chemistry? Are they really close friends like they seem, or is it all just for the cameras?
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00:00If you're into America's Test Kitchen, you probably think of Bridget Lancaster and Julia
00:05Colin Davison as practically part of your family.
00:08But what's the story behind their on-screen chemistry?
00:10Are they really close friends like they seem, or is it all just for the cameras?
00:15First, let's start with a bit of lore about these two chefs.
00:19There's lots to know about Bridget Lancaster, including the fact that she began her career
00:23as a pastry chef.
00:24After she graduated from Ohio State University, she started out as a pastry chef in restaurants
00:29in West Virginia.
00:30She then moved to Boston, where she was both a pastry chef in the theater district and
00:34a store assistant at Williams-Sonoma.
00:37Fun fact, when Lancaster worked for Williams-Sonoma, her store was in charge of procuring and delivering
00:42the kitchen equipment used by chef Julia Child in her shows.
00:46This poor fish should never have left home.
00:50She would even drive it out to Child's house and help set it up.
00:54So not only did Lancaster get a head start in her culinary career from her pastry chef
00:58job, but she also gained valuable insight into how cooking shows work.
01:02Julia Colin Davison, on the other hand, didn't initially pursue a culinary career.
01:07She went to school at the University at Albany, part of the State University of New York system,
01:12where she studied philosophy and psychology.
01:14Then she got a job at a culinary market and felt that she might have found her calling
01:17in the food world.
01:18She subsequently decided to enroll at the Culinary Institute of America, and the rest is history.
01:24Lancaster and Davison met as test cooks for the magazine Cooks Illustrated, the precursor
01:29to America's Test Kitchen.
01:31It was founded by Christopher Kimball and aimed to help home cooks create high-quality
01:35dishes, much like the show would come to.
01:37Naturally, it needed test cooks to perfect the same recipes.
01:40With their culinary backgrounds, Lancaster and Davison were perfect fits.
01:45Lancaster joined the Cooks Illustrated Test Kitchen in 1998, while Davison followed shortly
01:49after in 1999.
01:51The Test Kitchen was very different back then.
01:53There were only two residential ranges, the ovens didn't work very well, and only some
01:57of the burners on the cooktops worked.
01:59It was a far cry from the huge professional setup in the Test Kitchen today.
02:03We'll admit that we don't know much about their relationship back then, but it is confirmed
02:08that they were once two of just three test cooks in the kitchen, so it stands to reason
02:13that they must have worked closely together.
02:15What's more, Davison and Lancaster have teamed up consistently since then, meaning they've
02:19been in close quarters for more than two decades.
02:22We may not know exactly how well they got on back then, but this early time together
02:26clearly laid the foundation for their future relationship.
02:29America's Test Kitchen started as an offshoot of the print magazine Cooks Illustrated.
02:34The magazine already had cooks working in a test kitchen to test and refine recipes,
02:39and show developers wanted to try out this recipe-testing format as a TV show.
02:43Since Julia Colin Davison and Bridget Lancaster were both test cooks for the publication at
02:47that time, they were asked to be on the series.
02:49In fact, they didn't really have much of a choice in the matter.
02:52Back then, their role was to cook food featured on the show, but not just behind the scenes.
02:57They also appeared on camera cooking and explaining the recipes and how they got to their results.
03:02When they started, they had no idea what a phenomenon it would become.
03:05They went into it thinking it was no big deal because nobody would probably see it.
03:09Of course, times have changed.
03:11America's Test Kitchen has moved from its original home in an old broom factory in the
03:16Brookline neighborhood of Boston to a shiny new studio complex in Boston's seaport.
03:21Today, the operation is so big that some staff members use scooters to get around more quickly.
03:26Christopher Kimball was the original host of America's Test Kitchen, but contract disputes
03:31led to his sudden exit.
03:33In the aftermath, rumors began to swirl as to who might take over in the now-vacant hosting
03:37spot.
03:38Not long after, Bridget Lancaster and Julia Colin Davison were announced as the show's
03:42new co-hosts.
03:43And who better to take the helm?
03:46Overall, the pair had been with the show since the very beginning and were already beloved
03:49by viewers.
03:50Mm-hmm, I love tamales.
03:52I do too.
03:54Kimball had already filmed the 2016 season, but by 2017, Davison and Lancaster were running
03:59the show.
04:00While Kimball was known for his snarky style on the show, Davison and Lancaster injected
04:04much fun and laughter into proceedings.
04:07Love or hate the difference, America's Test Kitchen had a new direction.
04:10If you've ever wondered what happens to the food on America's Test Kitchen that's cooked
04:14by Davison, Lancaster, and their co-workers, they all try to avoid food waste.
04:19When food is cooked but isn't eaten on screen, it goes into a fridge all employees can access.
04:24Any ingredients that are opened but aren't used in full are stored carefully and used
04:28again where possible.
04:30Davison and Lancaster are the hosts of America's Test Kitchen, but that's not the only place
04:34they work together.
04:35The pair are also co-hosts of Cook's Country, another show made by the same company but
04:40with a bit more rustic approach.
04:42The sister series often features regional dishes from across the United States and delves
04:46into the personal stories and history behind these recipes.
04:50Like he did for America's Test Kitchen, Christopher Kimball also used to present this show.
04:54He was its face for the first nine seasons of the series, but when he abruptly left America's
04:59Test Kitchen, he also left Cook's Country.
05:02This let Lancaster and Davison move out of the Test Kitchen and bring their signature
05:06chummy dynamic to leading both shows.
05:09Kimball has since created his own show, Milk Street, while other popular cast members have
05:13gone behind the scenes in contrast to Davison and Lancaster.
05:17If there's one thing that viewers love about Davison and Lancaster, it's their incredible
05:21on-screen chemistry.
05:23Kimball had a serious, non-nonsense approach with a dry wit that some people found a little
05:27abrasive.
05:28This stuff is gruel, pallid, tasteless mush.
05:34Davison and Lancaster are quite the opposite.
05:36While they're serious about cooking and provide useful information for home cooks, they also
05:41have tons of fun with it.
05:42As such, their chemistry on America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country is palpable and
05:47includes a great back-and-forth that feels like you're watching a couple of friends having
05:50fun in the kitchen.
05:52Essentially, you are, even if it's also their day job.
05:55The feeling on the show is warm and cooperative, with no air of competition between hosts or
06:00the test cooks.
06:01To many, it appears that they just love food and want to figure out how to perfect recipes.
06:06Ice cream's chillin'.
06:07Mm-hmm.
06:08Time to bake the cake.
06:10According to sources on the show, nothing is scripted.
06:12There are talking points for the host to cover, but no script or teleprompter, meaning what
06:17you see is fairly natural.
06:19You've probably noticed Davison and Lancaster's banter.
06:22It's part of what makes these shows so watchable with them as hosts.
06:25They have some laughs on-screen, too, but these tend to be fairly tame, well-controlled
06:29ones, so you might assume it's part of their shtick.
06:32It turns out their on-screen laughter is about as real as it gets.
06:35Moreover, it gets more intense than anything that makes the cut.
06:39There are bloopers all over the internet showing these two completely losing it during filming.
06:44They get on a roll, making jokes with one another, and before you know it, they're in
06:47fits of giggles.
06:48Back in my day, the margaritas flowed like water.
06:53It probably has a lot to do with the fact that they've known each other forever, having
06:57worked together since the 90s.
06:59That's a lot of time to build up inside jokes and the kind of rapport that leads to spontaneous
07:03laughter.
07:04In an interview with WTTW, Lancaster said,
07:07"...sometimes we forget the camera is rolling.
07:09We have to remember, right, this is not Thelma and Louise."
07:12I like your spin.
07:13You like that?
07:14I do.
07:15I used to DJ."
07:16There are plenty of America's Test Kitchen cookbooks, which naturally tend to feature
07:20recipes that have appeared on the show.
07:23Lancaster and Davison have gone even further by co-writing a recipe book together containing
07:27some of their favorite dishes from America's Test Kitchen.
07:30The book, Cooking at Home with Bridget and Julia, features 150 recipes focusing on the
07:35types of foods the duo likes to cook at home for their families and friends.
07:39It includes personal anecdotes from the pair, allowing you to learn about how their favorite
07:43dishes relate to their travels and home lives.
07:45Although Lancaster and Davison likely wrote their respective parts separately, there still
07:49would have been plenty of collaboration on the project that indicates the two are still
07:53happy to work together and have a good relationship.
07:56After all, you probably wouldn't embark on this kind of project if you weren't fond of
07:59your co-writer.
08:01Since you're watching this video, you're probably wondering if Lancaster and Davison spend time
08:05together outside of work.
08:06We have good news for anyone who's invested in the pair's friendship.
08:10They absolutely do.
08:11In an interview with The Pair for Boston Magazine, Davison spilled the beans on their relationship
08:16outside of work, saying,
08:17"...I'm afraid to say I do hang out with this one a lot.
08:20We travel together a lot, too.
08:21We're together more often than we're not."
08:23So if you've been imagining a world where Lancaster and Davison are always at each other's
08:28going on vacation and having fun together, then evidence indicates that you're probably
08:32on the right track.
08:33You might think that after spending the working week with your colleague, you'd be more than
08:37ready to say goodbye when it's time to sign off.
08:39But that simply doesn't seem to be the case with these two.
08:41They appear to be firm friends who want to spend their downtime together, too.
08:45It seems as though things can turn a little rowdy when Davison and Lancaster get together,
08:50more specifically, when wine enters the mix.
08:53Things liven up a bit.
08:54The pair's on-screen personas certainly make them seem fun-loving, so we can't say that
08:58we're totally surprised.
08:59Boston Magazine asked the two if wine ever entered the picture when they were together.
09:03Davison answered in the affirmative, saying,
09:05"...Oh yeah.
09:06I could show you videos.
09:07I have this particular one of Bridget from when we were on a plane heading out to the
09:10Emmys.
09:11The flight attendant recognized us and just kept slipping us glasses of wine."
09:15It's clear that Lancaster and Davison are friends inside and outside of work who aren't
09:20afraid to throw around compliments and kind words.
09:23In an America's Test Kitchen interview with Lancaster, she remarked that Davison is nothing
09:27less than an amazing chef, and that she found it was humbling to be able to work with her
09:31so closely.
09:32She said,
09:33"...Even though I've known her for almost 20 years, to be able to stand next to her and
09:37share the same company, I mean, pinch me.
09:40It's really incredible."
09:41We think it's safe to say that those aren't the words of a casual friend or co-worker.
09:45Lancaster further talked about how amazing it was to get to work with a friend and mentioned
09:49how they spend time together outside of the Test Kitchen.
09:51As for Davison, she also spoke out about their relationship to America's Test Kitchen,
09:56announcing that it was awesome to get to share more screen time with Lancaster.
09:59She said,
10:00"...We've been friends for so long.
10:01I feel like our lives have been pretty close and intertwined throughout the years.
10:05It felt so natural.
10:06It's easy between the two of us."