Shirley Chung | |
---|---|
Born |
Beijing, China |
Culinary career | |
Current restaurant(s)
| |
Television show(s) |
Shirley Chung is a Chinese-American chef known for appearances on Top Chef: New Orleans, Top Chef: Charleston and Food Network's Tournament of Champions.
Chung was born in Beijing, China and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 17 years old. [1] She was introduced to international cuisine as a child by her grandmother Liang Si Yi, who worked as a director for the Red Cross. [2] Chung worked for several years in Silicon Valley, after graduating with a degree in business administration. [3] She eventually left the tech industry to attend culinary school. [4]
Trained in classic French and Italian cuisine, Chung has since worked and opened restaurants for chefs including José Andrés, Thomas Keller and Guy Savoy. [5] [2] In 2014 she opened Twenty Eight with Stacie Tran, acting as partner chef at the Irvine, California restaurant. [5]
Chung opened her first restaurant, Ms. Chi Cafe, in Culver City in 2018. [6] She spoke openly about her experiences with anti-Asian racism following the onset of the COVID-19 in order to draw attention to the impact of hate-motivated behavior on Asian Pacific American owned businesses. [1]
In addition to working in restaurants, Chung has appeared on numerous cooking-related television shows. She first appeared as a contestant on Top Chef Season 11, where she finished in third place. [7] She returned to the show during Season 14, competing against winner Brooke Williamson in the finals. [8] The pair previously competed against each other as part of Top Chef Duels, where Chung bested Williamson. [9] In 2022, she began participating on Food Network's Tournament of Champions hosted by Guy Fieri. [2]
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)