Kristen Kish is a renowned American chef and TV personality. She was born in Seoul, South Korea. She was adopted as an infant by an American family. She worked as a model in high school and briefly studied business and economics in college before attending Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago to study culinary arts. 

Kish began her culinary career working in various restaurants in Boston and Chicago. She gained national recognition in 2013 when she competed on and won Top Chef Season 10, becoming the show’s second female champion. Following her victory, she expanded her career into media, publishing a cookbook and appearing on various food and travel programs.

Kish made her hosting debut in 2015, when she co-hosted 36 Hours with Kyle Martino on the Travel Channel. Since then, she has hosted other programs, including Netflix’s Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, TruTV’s Fast Foodies, and National Geographic’s Restaurants at the End of the World. In 2023, she was announced as the new host of Top Chef,  taking over from Padma Lakshmi. 

Kristen Kish publicly came out as a lesbian in 2014.  She is married to Bianca Dusic, a former hospitality executive turned transformation coach. The couple met in 2018 while Dusic was overseeing the food and beverage program for the opening of Kish’s restaurant, Arlo Grey.