From Top Chef winners to Food Network favorites, these lesbian, queer, and bisexual chefs are behind some of the shows many of us have been watching for years.
There are a handful of shows many of us seem to come back to over and over again. Maybe it’s Top Chef playing while we make dinner, Chopped on a lazy Sunday afternoon, or a beautifully filmed chef series we accidentally binge in a single sitting. Whatever your version is, food television has become one of those comfort genres that feels easy to return to.
As we were putting this list together, we realized just how many incredible queer women are shaping food television right now. From competition winners and Michelin-starred chefs to judges and hosts, these women are behind some of the biggest shows many of us have been watching for years.
What we love most is that there isn’t one path to becoming a recognizable face in food television. Some built their careers through Top Chef, others became Food Network staples, and some have leveraged television appearances into restaurants, cookbooks, and entirely new platforms.
A few of these names will likely already be familiar. Kristen Kish and Melissa King have become stars in their own right, while others may be newer discoveries waiting to happen. Together, though, they represent a pretty incredible group of chefs who are bringing their own stories, perspectives, and personalities to our screens.
So whether you’re looking for a new chef to follow, a new season of Top Chef to start, or simply another queer person doing something incredibly cool, these are 10 chefs we’re excited to keep watching.
Kristen Kish
If there’s one person who feels poised to become the face of modern food television, it’s Kristen Kish.
After winning Top Chef Season 10 in 2013, Kish has built a career that extends far beyond competition cooking. In 2024, she officially stepped into one of the biggest jobs in food television when she took over hosting duties for Top Chef.
Born in South Korea and adopted by an American family in Michigan, Kish has spoken openly about her identity throughout her career while always letting her work take center stage. She’s thoughtful, endlessly talented, and one of those people who somehow manages to make everything she does look effortless.
Watch her on: Top Chef, Restaurants at the End of the World, Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend
Melissa King
Melissa King is one of those people who instantly makes you want to cheer for her.
After first appearing on Top Chef: Boston, she returned years later for Top Chef: All Stars LA and absolutely dominated the competition. She’s creative, effortlessly cool, and somehow manages to stay calm while cooking at a level the rest of us can barely comprehend.
King frequently speaks about both her Chinese American and queer identities and has built a huge following online in the process. If you’re looking for a chef to follow both on and off screen, she’s an easy place to start.
Watch her on: Top Chef: Boston, Top Chef: All Stars LA
Tiffani Faison
If you watch a lot of food television, there’s a very good chance you’ve seen Tiffani Faison somewhere.
After appearing on the very first season of Top Chef, she’s become one of those chefs who seems to be everywhere. Whether she’s judging, competing, or offering brutally honest feedback, Faison always brings a level of confidence that makes her incredibly fun to watch.
She’s also built a restaurant empire in Boston and remains one of the most recognizable personalities to move between Top Chef and Food Network.
Watch her on: Chopped, Guy’s Grocery Games, Tournament of Champions, Top Chef
Maria Mazon
If you watched Top Chef: Portland, there’s a very good chance Maria Mazon was one of your favorites.
The Tucson-based chef quickly became known for her infectious energy, sense of humor, and deep love for Sonoran cuisine. She has a way of making food feel joyful, which honestly feels like part of her superpower.
Mazon has also spoken openly about coming out later in life after previously being married to her son’s father. Today, she proudly talks about being a gay woman, a mom, and a chef, all while continuing to build an incredible career both on and off television.
She’s also just incredibly fun to watch, which, for a food TV list, counts for a lot.
Watch her on: Top Chef: Portland, Chopped
Dominique Crenn
If you’ve spent any time watching chef documentaries or food competition shows, you’ve probably come across Dominique Crenn.
She’s one of the most respected chefs working today and also happens to be the first woman in the United States to earn three Michelin stars.
What we love about Crenn is that she approaches food almost like an art form. Everything feels intentional, thoughtful, and incredibly beautiful.
Watch her on: Chef’s Table and various culinary competition series
Preeti Mistry
Preeti Mistry has built a career that blends cooking, storytelling, and activism in a way that feels uniquely their own.
After appearing on Top Chef, they’ve become one of the most thoughtful voices in the culinary world, frequently speaking about inclusion, identity, and the future of restaurant culture. Their work sits at the intersection of food, race, and queerness, and they regularly use their platform to advocate for more inclusive spaces throughout the industry.
While this list is largely focused on sapphic chefs, we’d be remiss not to include Mistry. They identify as queer and nonbinary and have become an important voice within broader LGBTQ+ food media.
Watch them on: Top Chef
Britt Rescigno
If you’re a regular Food Network watcher, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Britt Rescigno pop up recently.
The New Jersey-born chef has quickly become one of the network’s rising stars, appearing on Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Guy’s Grocery Games, Tournament of Champions, and Alex vs. America. She’s incredibly competitive, but never in a way that feels intimidating. Instead, she brings a confidence and sense of humor that makes her easy to root for.
Outside of television, Rescigno frequently shares her life and work alongside her wife and fellow chef, Kinsey Leodler-Rescigno. She also co-owns Fiamma, a live-fire Italian restaurant in Idaho.
If Kristen Kish and Melissa King are the cool older siblings of food TV, Britt Rescigno feels like someone who’s very much part of the next generation of chefs we’ll be seeing a lot more of.
Watch her on: Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Guy’s Grocery Games, Tournament of Champions, Alex vs. America
Elizabeth Falkner
Longtime food TV fans will probably already know Elizabeth Falkner.
The chef and restaurateur became a familiar face through appearances on Iron Chef America and Top Chef Masters.
Known for pushing culinary boundaries and bringing a playful energy to competition shows, Falkner has been one of the most visible lesbian chefs on television for years.
Watch her on: Iron Chef America, Top Chef Masters
Cat Cora
We’d be remiss not to include Cat Cora.
Long before many of the chefs on this list became household names, Cora was breaking barriers as the first female Iron Chef on Iron Chef America.
She’s built an impressive career that spans restaurants, books, television, and advocacy work, and her impact on food media is impossible to ignore.
Watch her on: Iron Chef America, Around the World in 80 Plates, My Kitchen Rules
Susan Feniger
Susan Feniger has been a familiar face in food television for decades.
Alongside her longtime business partner, she helped introduce global flavors to mainstream American audiences while building a restaurant empire in the process.
Her television career spans multiple decades, and she’s long been an example of what queer visibility in food media can look like.
Watch her on: Too Hot Tamales, Tamales World Tour, and numerous Food Network appearances
One of our favorite things about food television right now is that there isn’t just one type of queer chef to root for. There are competition stars, Michelin-starred chefs, cookbook authors, judges, and hosts all bringing something different to the table.
Some may already be familiar faces, while others might be completely new to you. Either way, we have a feeling a few of these chefs are about to end up on your Instagram feed, your watchlist, or both.
And if putting this list together taught us anything, it’s that we should probably go start another season of Top Chef.
