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When Kristen Kish won Top Chef Season 10, she didn’t expect to ever be back.
Cut to Season 21: the winner returned to her alma mater, this time as host alongside veterans (and friends) Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio. “It felt familiar but also very new at the same time,” Kish says of her return. “It’s as comfortable and familiar as something so uncomfortable and unfamiliar can be.”
But since winning in 2012, “host” isn’t the only title Kish has added to her resumé. “Something I’ve been very passionate about is bridging what I know as me being a Korean American with other companies and people that are Korean American,” Kish tells E! So when she was approached to collaborate on her own line of soju, the answer was an easy yes.
The result is Kish Apéritif. The line features four unique flavors of soju that Kish says “are based on different points of my life and different flavor profiles that I am excited about.”
“Because I was adopted, I’m learning what it means to be Korean to me by way of others” the chef explains. “That’s why being able to partner with a Korean brand and founder was such a special opportunity.”
Kish isn’t done adding to her resume just yet. In April 2025, she’s releasing her debut memoir, Accidentally on Purpose, available for pre-order now.
But in the midst of it all, she’s still very much a chef at heart. We asked the Top Chef host to share the kitchen staples, cooking tools, and hosting must-haves she swears by.
Shop kitchen essentials inspired by her answers below!
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