Christine Hà facts for kids
Hà in 2021
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| Born | Christine Huyền Trân Hà May 9, 1979 Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
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| Cooking style | Vietnamese, Thai, Asian fusion, Southeast Asian, Southern, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indian |
| Education | University of Texas at Austin University of Houston (MFA) |
| Spouse |
John Suh
(m. 2010) |
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Award(s) won
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Christine Huyền Trân Hà (Vietnamese: Hà Huyền Trân; born May 9, 1979) is an American chef, writer, and TV host. She made history as the first blind person to compete on MasterChef. Even more amazing, she won the show's third season in 2012!
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Christine Hà's Early Life
Christine Hà was born in Los Angeles County, California. Her parents were from Vietnam. They moved to the United States in 1975 after the Vietnam War. Christine lived in Lakewood, California and Long Beach, California when she was little. Later, her family moved to Houston, Texas. When Christine was 14, her mother passed away from lung cancer.
Christine studied business and finance at the University of Texas at Austin. She also earned a special degree in creative writing from the University of Houston.
Living with Vision Loss
Christine has a condition called neuromyelitis optica. This is when her body's defense system attacks her optic nerves and spinal cord. She was diagnosed in 2004. Slowly, she began to lose her eyesight. By 2007, she was almost completely blind. She describes her vision as "looking at a very foggy mirror after a hot shower."
Christine uses special tools to help her. These are called adaptive technologies. They help her manage her social media and daily life. Some tools she uses include VoiceOver and JAWS. These are screen readers that speak what's on a computer screen. She also uses Aira glasses, a portable CCTV, and kitchen tools that give oral readings.
Christine also works as a fiction editor for Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts. Her writing has appeared in several magazines. In 2014, she started hosting a cooking show called Four Senses on AMI-TV.
Christine Hà's Amazing Career
Winning MasterChef USA and Her First Cookbook
Christine had never studied cooking formally. Yet, she competed on the third season of MasterChef. She won seven challenges during the show. She also placed in the top three several times. On September 10, 2012, Christine Hà was announced the winner! She won $250,000, the MasterChef title, a trophy, and a cookbook deal.
Her cookbook is called Recipes from My Home Kitchen: Asian and American Comfort Food. It was released on May 14, 2013.
Hosting TV Shows and Judging Competitions
In 2013, Christine started co-hosting Four Senses in Canada. Her co-host was Carl Heinrich, another cooking show winner. This show is made for people with vision loss. It airs on AMI (Accessible Media, Inc.) TV. The show uses lots of audio descriptions. This means they describe what's happening in the kitchen. They talk about how things feel, smell, or sound.
In 2015, Christine became a judge on MasterChef Vietnam. She had been a guest judge before. She also returned as a guest judge on US MasterChef (season 4). This made her the first former contestant to become a regular judge. She also appeared on MasterChef Celebrity Showdown. There, she cooked with other champions against junior contestants. They won and donated their prize money to charity.
Awards and Global Adventures
In 2014, Christine won the Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award. This award honors people who help improve life for those with vision loss. Famous past winners include musicians Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles.
Christine has also opened small pop-up restaurants around the world. She has traveled to give TED talks. In these talks, she shares her experiences as a blind cook. She also talks about the life lessons she has learned. Christine has also served as a culinary envoy. This means she represents the American Embassy. She has done cultural programs in countries like Jordan, Serbia, and Croatia.
Opening Her Own Restaurants
In 2018, Christine Hà opened a Vietnamese restaurant in Houston, Texas. It's called "The Blind Goat." The name combines her vision loss and her Vietnamese zodiac sign. The Blind Goat received great reviews. It was even named a semi-finalist for Best New Restaurant in America in 2020.
In the same building, she and her husband, John Suh, opened "The Sighted Pig Test Kitchen." This name refers to her husband's Vietnamese zodiac sign. This restaurant focuses on Korean food.
In 2020, Christine teamed up with chef Tony Nguyen. They opened a new restaurant in Houston called Xin Chao. The menu shows off their Vietnamese-American background. They offer modern versions of traditional Vietnamese dishes. They also add flavors from Texas BBQ and Gulf Coast seafood.
