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Kristen Kish

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Kristen Kish
Kristen Kish at Floriditas during Wellington On A Plate 2023
Born (1983-12-01) December 1, 1983 (age 41)[1]
Seoul, South Korea
EducationLe Cordon Bleu College Of Culinary Arts in Chicago (A.A., Culinary Arts, 2005) [1]
Spouse
Bianca Dusic
​
(m. 2021)​
Culinary career
Television show(s)

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, Top Chef: Wisconsin. She is also the host of 36 Hours on Travel Channel, a co-host of Fast Foodies on TruTV, a co-host of Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, and host of National Geographic’s Restaurants at the End of the World.

Early life and education

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Starting in 2021, Kish is one of three chefs featured on TruTV's cooking competition show Fast Foodies, alongside Jeremy Ford (winner of Top Chef: California) and Justin Sutherland (winner of an Iron Chef America episode, participant on Top Chef: Kentucky). 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

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Kish serves as one of the co-presenters, alongside Alton Brown and Chairman Mark Dacascos, on Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, 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

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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

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Hanel, Marnie (28 March 2014). "A Woman's Place Is Running the Kitchen". New York Times.
  4. ^ Kish, Kristen; Erickson, Meredith (2017). Kristen Kish Cooking: Recipes and Techniques. Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale. ISBN 978-0-553-45977-7.
  5. ^ "How 'Top Chef' winner Kristen Kish broke free from the culinary world's boys' club". NBC News. 2020-08-31. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  6. ^ Maas, Jennifer (July 11, 2023). "'Top Chef' Winner Kristen Kish to Replace Host Padma Lakshmi in Wisconsin-Set Season 21". Variety. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "About the Hosts: Kristen Kish". Retrieved 2015-11-26.
  8. ^ "Fast Foodies: three Top Chef alumni, one celebrity, a lot of spicy merrymaking". Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  9. ^ Lambe, Stacy. "Kristen Kish on Reviving 'Iron Chef' and Why She Prefers Hosting Over Competing (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Restaurants at the End of the World". National Geographic. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  11. ^ "The Surprise Way This 'Top Chef' Winner Came Out". Huffington Post. 1 April 2014.
  12. ^ @kristenlkish (29 September 2019). "She said YES". Retrieved 23 February 2021 – via Instagram.
  13. ^ Callahan, Chrissy (19 April 2021). "'Top Chef' winner Kristen Kish just tied the knot with Bianca Dusic". Today. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
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