Kristen Kish Tells Her Life Story in a New Memoir

In July 2023, Kristen Kish was named the new host and third judge of Top Chef, marking the departure of longtime host Padma Lakshmi. These were big shoes to fill — Lakshmi hosted the show for 17 seasons — and instead of choosing an outside celebrity for the role, Top Chef turned to one of its own: season 10 winner and fan-favorite chef Kish.

It’s safe to say that when Kish competed on the show in 2012, she didn’t anticipate one day becoming its host, but it’s a position she’s filled with talent and ease. This unexpected journey on Top Chef serves as a metaphor for much of her life and career — Kish has zigged when people expected her to zag, demonstrating an ability to adapt to her surroundings, which is reflected in the title of her new memoir, Accidentally on Purpose. 

Although Kish has built her career around cooking, this memoir isn’t just for those tuned into the food world. It’s a reflection on her childhood in the Midwest, her experiences growing up as a Korean adoptee, her love for her wife, and other experiences that will resonate with a wide variety of readers.

Instead of focusing on a singular audience while writing, Kish tells Food & Wine that she wanted to appeal to common experiences and emotions, explaining, “The thing that we humans all have in common, or that's universal, is that we all know what love feels like in some way — platonic or romantic. We know what love is, we know what loss is, challenge, moments of feeling pride, questioning who we are and where we're going. And I think those are universal truths amongst all of us.

“And so my hope is that anyone who chooses to read the book or gifts it to someone in their life, from the moment that it hits someone else's hands… I can't tell you what you're going to get out of it, but I hope that there's something in there that sticks with you, whether that be entertainment or inspiring moments or reflection in your own life.”

But if you’re here to learn how this chef became the culinary talent she is today, you won’t be disappointed. From her job at a pretzel stand to her early experiences in professional kitchens, Accidentally on Purpose charts the unexpected moments and decisions that were crucial in developing Kish's successful career.

Kish’s childhood in the Midwest — Michigan specifically — is far from the only influence on her cooking, but it's one that's still visible in her current culinary perspective. She grew up enjoying comfort foods and continues to embrace them today, while employing impeccable culinary techniques and adapting recipes to express her own point of view.

“When people ask what my food is, sometimes it's a little hard to really pinpoint. It's not one cuisine, it is all of my versions of life learned and my way of, I guess, showing comfort,” she tells Food & Wine. “It's my version of comfort food and I think it's really gone from cerebral cooking to more heartfelt cooking to things that feel slightly more… approachable.” 

Casseroles, jello salads, meatloaf, and pot roast are some of the quintessential comfort foods that Kish was raised on. However, as a Midwesterner, she has a deeper understanding of this region’s cuisine, which many dismiss as uniform or plain. If you’re traveling to the center of the United States and seeking out delicious food, there’s one thing Kish says you need to know. She explains that “When we talk about Midwest food, we're talking about a very large spot in the United States….

“Just like when you talk about what American food is, there are so many nuances and layering factors of different people coming together to define that. Depending on who you ask, Midwest food looks very, very different. I think at the heart of all of our food memories is a sense of place, but [that includes] our family and our upbringing and the culture behind it. And so Midwest cuisine is no different. 

“When I think of the Midwest, and if I [use] the broadest of words to describe it, I would say it's meat and potatoes. I mean, it is just sustenance, it is filling. From there, meat and potatoes can mean a million different things. It could be a beautiful steak and this gorgeous, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, baked potato, or it could be meatloaf and roasted carrots.”

Just like in the South or across the Eastern Seaboard, Midwest cuisine features regional differences that merit learning about and appreciating. In Wisconsin, you should try a local supper club, and it’s likely you won’t find deep-dish pizza as ubiquitous outside of Chicago.

No matter where you go, you’ll likely get a taste of the comfort food that has inspired Kish’s cooking style. Reflecting on her current food style, the Top Chef host details that “I strive to make technically sound food these days, not just good old fashioned comfort food. 

“So the mix of my adult professional life as a chef and what I know and what I've experienced and the things that I just remember eating and how I felt when I ate them as a kid, merging those two things certainly create something brand new.”