Kristen Kish- Top Chef, Apron Squad Member, General Badass
On our never-ending quest to become healthy-ish, we looked far and wide for awesome #GetInTheKitchen chef collaborators. We threw on our aprons, grabbed our knives and crossed our fingers for this week's much anticipated chef.
We have the great pleasure to (re)introduce the lovely Kristen Kish as our next #GetInTheKitchen Chef!
STATS:
Hometown: Born in South Korea, Raised in Kentwood Michigan
Experience: Sensing, Chef de Cuisine at Stir and Menton
Title: Season 10 Top Chef (Second female to win the title)
Current City: Boston
Talking food with Kristen makes one thing clear, she is not one for dogma. When asked about her go-to recipe, Kish relays her preference for culinary experimentation, trial and error, and no recipes. She is working on her latest cookbook (stay tuned), which uses food as a medium to explain her life and experiences.
Much of her Hedley & Bennett challenges are inspired by a similar note. Though spending her professional time in the kitchen, Kish also finds herself cooking at home with loved ones. "You know how they say don't bring your work home? Well.. I'm failing miserably at that. I tend to take over", Kish confides. But, she thoughtfully reflects, "when I actually relax and allow my partner to do some of the work, I find that I kinda like it. Most things taste better when someone else cooks it!"
Home and childhood are also heavy-hitters for Kristen. "When I was first tasked many years ago with coming up with my own style and creating dishes, I didn't know much except for my past". Thus nostalgia became her muse.
Kristen's challenges:
1. Find some time this week to get in the kitchen, and cook with your loved ones. It is just that simple.
2. Create a dish associated with a memory, whether it be your childhood, a meaningful celebration, or dish you experienced in your travels.
"Having something beautiful to write in keeps beautiful thoughts coming"
MORE DETAILS:
Each weekly challenge is independent from previous weeks- so if you are new, jump on the Apron Squad wagon and start cooking up a storm!
Prizes are awarded each week based upon:
1. Following @hedleyandbennett and @kristenlkish on Instagram
2. Posting creative pictures of the weekly challenges and tagging Kristen, Hedley & Bennett and #GetIntheKitchen on Instagram
THIS WEEK'S PRIZE: A signed leather kitchen notebook inspired by Kish's very own and a couple of culinary surprise gifts from Hedley & Bennett (to be announced later in the week!)
Make Sure to Follow Kristen to see how he handles the challenges throughout this week.
Contest Runs through Sunday the 21st at 10 PM PST.
Limited to continental US *excluding Alaska and Hawaii
Please allow 5-10 business days for shipping processing
Submit entries for all 3 weekly challenges by Sunday at 10pm Pacific Standard Time (PST).
Winners announced the following Monday by 3pm PST here on the blog.