Kristen Kish Explained

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.

Early life and education

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.

Career

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.

Top Chef

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]

36 Hours

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]

Fast Foodies

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]

Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend

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]

Restaurants at the End of the World

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]

Personal life

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]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Kahn, Joseph P., "A top chef in town, and she’s just 29: How Kristen Kish made the leap from line-cook to ‘Top Chef’ to rising star of Boston’s culinary scene", Boston Globe, September 14, 2013
  2. mlive.com, 'Top Chef: Seattle': Meet Kristen Kish, Kentwood native competing on upcoming season of Bravo reality show November 5, 2012. Accessed March 7, 2013.
  3. News: A Woman's Place Is Running the Kitchen . New York Times. Marnie. Hanel. 28 March 2014.
  4. Book: Kish. Kristen. Erickson. Meredith . Kristen Kish Cooking: Recipes and Techniques. 2017. Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale. 978-0-553-45977-7.
  5. Web site: 2020-08-31 . How 'Top Chef' winner Kristen Kish broke free from the culinary world's boys' club . 2023-05-24 . NBC News . en.
  6. Web site: Maas . Jennifer . July 11, 2023 . ‘Top Chef’ Winner Kristen Kish to Replace Host Padma Lakshmi in Wisconsin-Set Season 21 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230711195446/https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/new-top-chef-host-kristen-kish-season-21-wisconsin-padma-lakshmi-1235666966/ . July 11, 2023 . July 11, 2023 . Variety.
  7. News: About the Hosts: Kristen Kish. 2015-11-26.
  8. News: Fast Foodies: three Top Chef alumni, one celebrity, a lot of spicy merrymaking. 2021-03-18.
  9. Web site: Lambe . Stacy . Kristen Kish on Reviving 'Iron Chef' and Why She Prefers Hosting Over Competing (Exclusive) . Entertainment Tonight . 18 June 2022.
  10. Web site: Restaurants at the End of the World. National Geographic . 11 April 2023.
  11. News: The Surprise Way This 'Top Chef' Winner Came Out . Huffington Post . 1 April 2014.
  12. kristenlkish . B2__rI0jKH6 . 29 September 2019 . She said YES . 23 February 2021.
  13. Web site: Callahan . Chrissy . 'Top Chef' winner Kristen Kish just tied the knot with Bianca Dusic . . 20 April 2021.