| Kristen Kish | |
| Birth Date: | 1 December 1983[1] |
| Birth Place: | Seoul, South Korea |
| Education: | Le Cordon Bleu College Of Culinary Arts in Chicago (A.A., Culinary Arts, 2005) |
| Television: | 36 Hours Top Chef Fast Foodies Restaurants at the End of the World |
Kristen Kish (born December 1, 1983) is an American chef known for winning the tenth season of Top Chef. She was formerly chef de cuisine at Menton in Fort Point, Boston. She became the host of Top Chef starting with season 21, . She is also the host of 36 Hours on Travel Channel, a co-host of Fast Foodies on TruTV, a co-host of , and host of National Geographic’s Restaurants at the End of the World.
Kristen Kish was born in Seoul, South Korea, and adopted by a family in Kentwood, Michigan, at the age of four months.[2] She worked as a model in high school.[3] She attended Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, earning an A.A. in culinary arts.
Kish became an instructor at Stir, a culinary demonstration kitchen in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2012, Kish was promoted to Stir's chef de cuisine by the owner, Barbara Lynch. She was the chef de cuisine at Barbara Lynch's Menton in Boston until March 2014.[3] In 2017, she released a book of recipes co-authored with Meredith Erickson, Kristen Kish Cooking: Recipes and Techniques.[4] In May 2018, Kish became chef at her new restaurant Arlo Grey in Austin, Texas.
Kish competed in Bravo's Top Chef in 2012. She was invited to participate in the qualifying rounds alongside her friend from culinary school Stephanie Cmar, being tasked with creating a signature soup that would be judged by Emeril Lagasse. Kish passed the challenge and moved on into the competition proper. From there, Kish won four elimination challenges before being eliminated in "Restaurant Wars" (episode 11). She was able to win her way back into the main competition with five consecutive victories in "Last Chance Kitchen", making it to the finale with Brooke Williamson. Kish defeated Williamson and was crowned the Top Chef, becoming the second female winner in the history of the Top Chef franchise.[5]
On July 11, 2023, Kish was named next host of Top Chef after Padma Lakshmi's decision to step away from the franchise to pursue other efforts.[6]
In 2015, Kish co-hosted the pilot season of 36 Hours, a series on the Travel Channel with Kyle Martino, a TV analyst and former soccer player. The show, an adaptation of the New York Times travel column of the same name, follows Kish and Martino as they spend 36 hours eating, drinking, and exploring a given city.[7]
Starting in 2021, Kish is one of three chefs featured on TruTV's cooking competition show Fast Foodies, alongside Jeremy Ford (winner of ) and Justin Sutherland (winner of an Iron Chef America episode, participant on ). In each episode, a celebrity presents their favorite fast-food item. The chefs then compete in two rounds. First, they try to duplicate the dish as precisely as possible. Second, they re-imagine the item in a haute-cuisine interpretation.[8]
Kish serves as one of the co-presenters, alongside Alton Brown and Chairman Mark Dacascos, on , the 2022 Netflix revival of the Iron Chef franchise. Kish provides running commentary with Brown on the competition and often serves as the show's floor reporter, coming down to the kitchen floor to check with chefs on what they are doing.[9]
In this 2023 National Geographic series, Kish visits restaurants in faraway places where the menu is focused on local ingredients and challenging preparation while showcasing the talents of chefs worldwide.[10]
On March 28, 2014, Kish publicly came out after announcing the first anniversary of the relationship with her girlfriend at the time, Jacqueline Westbrook, over Instagram.[11] On September 29, 2019, Kish announced her engagement to Bianca Dusic, who is the VP of Food & Beverage for Standard Hotels, in an Instagram post.[12] They married on April 18, 2021.[13]