Lee Anne Wong facts for kids

Lee Anne Wong is a well-known American chef. She owns restaurants and creates food for TV shows. You might have seen her on cooking competition shows. She is famous for being on the Top Chef TV series. Lee Anne lived in New York City for a long time. In 2013, she moved to Hawaii. She has also worked behind the scenes on TV shows. For example, she helped produce four seasons of Top Chef.

Lee Anne Wong's Early Life and School

Lee Anne Wong grew up in a small town. It was called Wynantskill, in Rensselaer County, New York. This town is near Albany.

She first went to college to study fashion design. This was at the Fashion Institute of Technology. But she soon changed her mind. She decided to study cooking instead. She then went to The French Culinary Institute. This school is now called the International Culinary Center.

Lee Anne Wong's Exciting Culinary Career

After finishing school, Lee Anne became a top chef. She was the Executive Chef of Event Operations. This job was at The French Culinary Institute. She kept this job even while competing on Top Chef.

From 2010 to 2013, she was also on TV. She appeared on the Cooking Channel's Unique Eats. She was a commentator on the show. Lee Anne also helped with a movie. She was a chef consultant for the 2007 film No Reservations. This movie was a remake of a German film.

In 2011, Lee Anne helped raise money. It was for people affected by the 2011 Japan earthquake. She took part in a special tasting event. Later that year, she was on Iron Chef America. She challenged Iron Chef Marc Forgione. The secret ingredient was Halloween candy! Chef Wong won the challenge.

In 2013, Lee Anne moved to Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. She later lived on Maui for a short time. In 2014, she opened her own restaurant. It's called Koko Head Cafe. It's a very popular spot for brunch. Lee Anne also joined Hawaiian Airlines in 2015. She became their executive chef in 2018. This means she helps create the meals for flights.

Competing on Top Chef TV Series

Lee Anne was one of the first contestants on Top Chef. This was in 2006, on Bravo. She made it to the final four contestants. After competing, she worked behind the scenes. She was a culinary producer for four seasons of Top Chef.

Her job was to find and style ingredients. She also set budgets and time limits. She even wrote a blog about the show for Bravo. She also hosted a webcast called Top Recipe: The Wong Way to Cook. On this show, she taught viewers how to make winning dishes.

In 2018, Lee Anne competed again. This time it was on Top Chef: Colorado. She won a spot through "Last Chance Kitchen." But she had to leave the show early. She got altitude sickness and was pregnant. In 2020, she competed on Top Chef: All-Stars L.A.. She made it to Episode 9 before being eliminated.

In 2023, a sad event happened. Lee Anne's restaurant, Papa’aina, was destroyed. It was in Lāhainā's Pioneer Inn. This happened during a major wildfire. After the fire, Lee Anne helped her community. She worked with World Central Kitchen. They helped people in Maui affected by the fires.

Lee Anne Wong's TV Appearances

Lee Anne Wong has been on many TV shows. Here are some of them:

• 2006, Top Chef: San Francisco, as herself and a contestant
• 2010–2013, Unique Eats, as herself and a host
• 2011, Iron Chef America: The Series, as herself and a contestant. This was in the episode "Forgione vs. Wong: Halloween Candy."
• 2012–2015, Chopped, as herself and a judge
• 2017, Top Chef: Colorado, as herself and a contestant
• 2020, Top Chef: All-Stars L.A., as herself and a contestant
• 2023, Tournament of Champions, as herself and a contestant
• 2024, Tournament of Champions, as herself and a contestant