Lee Anne Wong facts for kids

Lee Anne Wong is a famous American chef. She is also a restaurateur, which means she owns and manages restaurants. You might know her from television, where she has been a culinary producer and a host.

Lee Anne has competed on many cooking shows, especially Top Chef. She used to live in New York City. In 2013, she moved to Hawaii. She has also worked behind the scenes on TV shows, helping to create the cooking challenges for Top Chef for four seasons.

Early Life and Learning

Lee Anne Wong grew up in a small town called Wynantskill. This town is in New York State, near a bigger city called Albany.

She first went to college at the Fashion Institute of Technology. There, she studied how to design clothes. Later, she decided to follow her passion for cooking. She transferred to The French Culinary Institute to learn how to be a professional chef.

Cooking Career and TV Shows

After finishing her studies, Lee Anne became the Executive Chef for events at The French Culinary Institute. This meant she was in charge of all the food for special occasions. She kept this job even while competing on Top Chef.

From 2010 to 2013, Lee Anne was a commentator on the Cooking Channel show Unique Eats. She also helped as a chef consultant for the 2007 movie No Reservations. This film was about a chef's life.

Helping Others Through Food

In 2011, Lee Anne participated in a special event. It was a tasting benefit to raise money for people affected by the big earthquake in Japan that year. She used her cooking skills to help those in need.

She also appeared on Iron Chef America in 2011. In this exciting cooking battle, she challenged Iron Chef Marc Forgione. The secret ingredient was Halloween candy! Lee Anne won the challenge with a very close score.

Moving to Hawaii

Lee Anne Wong moved to Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, in 2013. After a short time on Maui, she opened her own restaurant in 2014. It's called Koko Head Cafe and is a very popular spot for brunch.

In 2015, she joined the culinary team for Hawaiian Airlines. By 2018, she became the executive chef for the airline. This meant she helped create the menus for flights.

Her Time on Top Chef

Lee Anne was one of the last four contestants on the very first season of Top Chef in 2006. This show aired on the Bravo channel.

After competing, she became a culinary producer for the next four seasons of Top Chef. Her job was to get all the ingredients ready for the challenges. She also helped decide the budget, kitchen equipment, and time limits for the chefs. Lee Anne also wrote blogs about the show and hosted a webcast. It was called Top Recipe: The Wong Way to Cook. On this show, she taught viewers how to make winning dishes from the program.

In 2018, Lee Anne competed again on Top Chef: Colorado. She earned her spot through a special "Last Chance Kitchen" feature. She had to leave the competition early because she was pregnant and also felt sick from the high altitude.

She returned to compete on Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. in 2020. She made it far in the competition before being eliminated in Episode 9. In 2023 and 2024, she also competed on Tournament of Champions.

Helping After the Wildfires

In 2023, a big wildfire in Lāhainā, Hawaii, destroyed Lee Anne's restaurant, Papa’aina. It was located at the Pioneer Inn. Even after losing her restaurant, Lee Anne helped her community. She worked with other volunteers and an organization called World Central Kitchen. They helped provide food and support to people in Maui who were affected by the fires.

TV Appearances

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