Accidentally on Purpose

For a limited time we have copies signed by Kristen Kish.

The host of Top Chef and herself the chef of the restaurant Arlo Grey in Austin, Texas, Kristen Kish took an unexpected path to culinary renown. Adopted from South Korea as an infant, she was raised in Michigan by loving parents who regularly served meatloaf and chicken tenders; her first job was in a shopping mall pretzel shop. Culinary school only appeared on her radar after she dropped out of college. 

From her first day in knife skills class onward, Kish found a passion which would take her across the country and increasingly into the public eye. There were odd detours, false starts, and unwelcome surprises, but always a trajectory which became more pronounced as she learned to value her drive and instincts.

For people contemplating a culinary career of their own, Kish’s story can be very validating, demonstrating all that is possible without childhood summers spent in France, an aunt who runs a Michelin-starred restaurant, or parents who started a hedge fund.

Hardcover.