The Girl Who Became King

Melissa King is an award-winning chef, author, curator, and television personality. She is the winner and fan favorite of Top Chef All-Stars (Season 17) and holds the record for the most challenge wins in the show’s history. She is the host of National Geographic’s Tasting Wild and appears as a judge on culinary programs including Top Chef, America’s Test Kitchen, and Pamela Anderson’s Cooking with Love. Raised in California, she has redefined modern Asian cuisine inspired by her Shanghainese-Cantonese heritage and the produce-driven spirit of the West Coast, which is highlighted in her cookbook, Cook Like a King: Recipes from my California Chinese Kitchen. As a proud queer Chinese American, she champions inclusion and representation by partnering with organization like Stop AAPI Hate, World Central Kitchen, and No Kid Hungry.