Chef Melissa King
The Top Chef winner and fan favorite
Chef Melissa King is best known as the winner of Bravo’s Top Chef All-Stars: Los Angeles Season 17 and the winner of All-Star’s Fan Favorite. She was a judge on Top Chef Season 18 and Top Chef Amateurs, and placed as a finalist on Top Chef: Boston Season 12. She holds more challenge wins than any other competitor in the history of Top Chef.
She has been recognized as “one of the best female chefs in San Francisco” and “40 under 40: Rising Star”. She appears in HBO Max’s ‘Sesame Street: See Us Coming Together Special’, celebrating AAPI culture while introducing a new Korean American puppet named Ji Young -- and most recently can be seen as the host of ‘Tasting Wild’, the National Geographic docuseries on Hulu.
King completed a B.A. in Cognitive Science at the UC Irvine and attended the Culinary Institute of America graduating at the top of her class. She is also a certified level 1 sommelier. Her unique style of cooking combines modern California cuisine with Asian flavors.
With over 15 years in the industry, King has helmed several Michelin-starred kitchens in San Francisco (Campton Place, Luce, and The Ritz Carlton Dining Room) under acclaimed names such as Dominique Crenn and Ron Siegel. She has cooked for notable figures such as Oprah Winfrey and Al Gore, and curated the menu for the 2022 Met Gala alongside Anna Wintour.
As a proud Asian-American, queer woman, King has a passion for supporting the community — donating 100% of her $10,000 Fan Favorite prize to Asian Americans For Equality, Asian Youth Center, The Trevor Project, and National Black Justice Coalition. She works with non-profit organizations and LGBTQI charities such as Stop AAPI Hate, The Human Rights Campaign, World Central Kitchen, and more. Through her efforts, she has raised over $40,000 for marginalized communities. She was the honorary chef for the congressional reception at the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting alongside House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. She was chosen as a Celebrity Grand Marshal for San Francisco Pride and Out100 by Out Magazine, recognizing members of the LGBTQ community for their impact around the world. She’s also a featured chef in the Williams-Sonoma’s Chefs’ Collective.
She made her modeling debut in a global campaign for Levi's Strauss Co. advocating for the LGBTQ community and starred in GAP’s 2021 global spring campaign to celebrate diversity and advocacy.
Along with being a chef entrepreneur, television personality, activist, model, and brand partner, she actively participates in speaking panels supporting women’s empowerment, sustainability, food education, and entrepreneurship.
King currently lives in San Francisco and runs a company focused on partnerships and culinary.
