Tiffani Faison facts for kids
Tiffani Faison, Top Chef All-Stars
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| Born | Bremerhaven, Germany |
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| Education | Cambridge Culinary Institute |
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Current restaurant(s)
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Previous restaurant(s)
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Television show(s)
Top Chef: San Francisco
Top Chef: All-Stars Top Chef Duels Chopped Tournament of Champions |
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Tiffani Faison is a famous American celebrity chef and restaurateur. She is based in Boston, Massachusetts. Tiffani has been a judge on the Food Network TV show Chopped. She has also been a finalist four times for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Northeast.
In 2022, she won Season 3 of Tournament of Champions. Boston Magazine also named her Boston's Best Chef that same year. Tiffani Faison was one of the first finalists on the Bravo reality show Top Chef. She finished in second place during that first season.
Her company, Big Heart Hospitality, has owned several popular restaurants. These include Sweet Cheeks Q, Orfano, Fool's Errands, Bubble Bath, Tenderoni's, Dive Bar, and Tiger Mama.
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Early Career and Training
Tiffani Faison studied at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts from 2002 to 2003. Before she appeared on Top Chef, she worked as a chef de partie. This means she was in charge of a specific section of the kitchen. She worked for famous chef Daniel Boulud at his restaurant in Wynn Las Vegas. She also worked at Tao Asian Bistro in The Venetian.
After Top Chef aired in 2006, Faison cooked at the Straight Wharf restaurant in Nantucket, Massachusetts. In 2007, she became the executive chef at Riche in New Orleans, Louisiana. An executive chef is the head chef in a restaurant. In May 2007, Faison helped host a cooking cruise around the Greek Isles. She later returned to Boston. There, she was the Executive Chef at Rocca Kitchen & Bar until it closed in 2010.
Television Appearances
Tiffani Faison became well-known after she was a runner-up on the first season of Top Chef. She then took part in a special cooking competition called 4 Star All Stars. This show matched contestants from season one against contestants from season two. Faison's team won the competition. They received a $20,000 donation for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity. This episode was shown on Bravo in June 2007.
Faison also won $20,000 in the Top Chef Holiday Special in December 2007. She returned as a contestant on season 8 of Top Chef. In 2014, Faison was a runner-up in the Top Chef Duels competition.
Since 2020, Faison has been a judge on the show Chopped. She also competed in a special Chopped: Grudge Match and finished second.
In 2021, Faison competed in Food Network's Tournament of Champions. She returned in 2022 and won Season 3 of the show. She beat Brooke Williamson in the final round. Tiffani Faison has also appeared as a culinary guest on other TV shows. These include NBC TODAY, CBS: This Morning, and America's Test Kitchen.
Chef and Restaurant Owner
Tiffani Faison owns and is the head chef of Sweet Cheeks Q. This restaurant serves Texas-style barbecue in Boston's Fenway area. It opened in late 2011 and was her first restaurant. Sweet Cheeks Q has been called Boston's Best Barbecue by many news outlets. Forbes magazine even said its biscuits were "the best in the world."
In December 2015, she opened Tiger Mama in Fenway. This restaurant focused on Southeast Asian food. Tiger Mama closed in October 2021. Faison wanted to open a new restaurant in the same spot. Tenderoni's, a pizza place, opened there in November 2022. It closed permanently in June 2024.
In February 2018, Faison opened her third Fenway restaurant, Fool's Errands. This was described as an "Adult Snack Bar." Her Italian-American restaurant, Orfano, opened in August 2019. The Boston Globe gave it a three-star review. Orfano closed in June 2022. In 2022, Faison opened three more places: Tenderoni's, Dive Bar, and Bubble Bath. These are all located inside High Street Place, a food hall in Downtown Boston.
Restaurants
Current Restaurants
- Sweet Cheeks Q (2011–present), Boston, Massachusetts
- Fool's Errands (February 2018–present), Boston, Massachusetts
- Bubble Bath (March 2022–present), inside High Street Place, Boston, Massachusetts
- Tenderoni's (March 2022–present), inside High Street Place, Boston, Massachusetts
- Dive Bar (March 2022–present), inside High Street Place, Boston, Massachusetts
Past Restaurants
- Tiger Mama (December 2015–October 2021), Boston, Massachusetts
- Orfano (August 2019–June 2022), Boston, Massachusetts
- Tenderoni's Fenway (November 2022–June 2024), Boston, Massachusetts
Community Involvement
Tiffani Faison was born in Bremerhaven, Germany. Her father was in the United States military there. Her family moved often during her childhood. By high school, they settled in Santa Rosa, California.
In high school, Faison started volunteering for groups that helped with HIV/AIDS. She is currently on the Board of Directors for Women Chefs & Restaurateurs. She also serves on The Boston Alliance of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Youth.
In September 2019, she was chosen to be part of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Restaurant Promotion Commission. This was because of her dedication to the state's restaurant business.
Awards and Honors
- James Beard Foundation, Nominee, Best Chef: Northeast (2022)
- James Beard Foundation, Nominee, Best Chef: Northeast (2020)
- James Beard Foundation, Nominee, Best Chef: Northeast (2019)
- James Beard Foundation, Nominee, Best Chef: Northeast (2018)
- Boston Magazine, Best Chef: Boston (2016)
