KRISTEN KISH, born on this date,  is a Korean-born American chef known for winning the tenth season of Top Chef. She was formerly chef de cuisine at Menton in the Fort Point neighborhood of Boston. She is the host of 36 Hours on Travel Channel and a co-host of Fast Foodies on TruTV as well as co-host of Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend. She also hosts National Geographic’s Restaurants at the End of the World. In July 2023, Kish was named next host of Top Chef after Padma Lakshmi’s decision to step away from the franchise to pursue other efforts.

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 during “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.

In March 2014, Kish publicly came out after announcing the first anniversary of the relationship with her girlfriend at the time, Jacqueline Westbrook, over Instagram. In September 2019, Kish announced her engagement to Bianca Dusic, who is the VP of Food & Beverage for Standard Hotels, in an Instagram post. They married in April 2021.