Kelly Choi – Pack your knives and go!

“Pack Your Knives and Go!”
After 4 seasons of Top Chef hosted by South Asian Padma Lakshmi, there’s a new Asian host in town who’s been added to the Top Chef brand and is now hosting Bravo’s latest spin-off, Top Chef Masters. She’s Korean American Kelly Choi and if you’re from the New York area, she is certainly a familiar face.

“Pack Your Knives and Go!”

After 4 seasons of Top Chef hosted by South Asian Padma Lakshmi, there’s a new Asian host in town who’s been added to the Top Chef brand and is now hosting Bravo’s latest spin-off, Top Chef Masters. She’s Korean American Kelly Choi and if you’re from the New York area, she is certainly a familiar face.

Kelly Choi is a multiple Emmy-nominated television personality on NYC TV, one of the the broadcast stations of NYC Media Group, the television, radio and media network owned by the City of New York.

Born as Young Choi in Seoul, she was a pre-schooler when she moved to the United States with her family. Growing up in Virginia, Choi received her undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary, and her Master’s from Columbia University in New York. Before her graduate studies, Choi, who stands at 5 ft 10 in. (1.77m) tall, was a model with Ford Models and also worked as a VJ for MTV Korea.

Choi made the transition to New York area television by creating and hosting Freckles, a local entertainment and lifestyle program carried by the cable channel Plum TV, which is seen in affluent vacation communities. In this case, The Hamptons in Long Island’s Suffolk County. She was lured into the highly competitive New York City media market by one of the station’s co-founders, Arick Wierson, as he eyed Choi for the starring role in a series then still in development, Secrets of New York – which would eventually go on to become the all-time most Emmy-award winning television series in New York and as viewed as the platform that launched Choi’s career.

Choi produced and hosted the initial season of the Secrets of New York, sometimes referred to as the “lost season” as its format was dramatically changed in Season Two, when the show’s Executive Producer, Arick Wierson, brought on veteran TV producer/director Harry Hunkele to helm the series. Choi has gone on to host three additional seasons which are nationally distributed by PBS. Choi also created and produces Eat Out NY, another NYC TV program in which she stars as the host / category_ide to the city’s restaurants. She has also appeared in numerous other specials and programs at NYC TV such as hosting the Beard Awards, the Oscars of the restaurant world, as well as various other fashion and food-driven programs.

Choi also has appeared on the TV category_ide Channel as an entertainment reporter. She has also been a guest on the Martha Stewart Show, and has also appeared as a judge on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America.

ASIANCE: How did you get the job of Top Chef Masters’ host?

Kelly: Bravo called me one day out of the blue. They had seen my show in New York. I produce and host a restaurant show that I created here. One of the executives just said, “Hi, I work for Bravo, can I fly you out tomorrow to meet for Top Chef?” I said, “Yeah!” That was a total dream come true!

ASIANCE: I remember seeing you on Eat Out New York. Is that still on?

Kelly: It’s still on. We do short segments. We’re going to try and go back to do full on half hour episodes but I’m not sure of the budgetary constraints and challenges. We had a lot of freelance editors and camera people that needed to be cut down. Because we are a city-owned agency, our first and foremost responsibility is to Mayor Bloomberg. A lot of resources were going there. I still pick a restaurant every week and we feature that and run it once a week at the very least.

ASIANCE: Can you give us a favorite restaurant?

Kelly: What cuisine? There are too many in the city that I love!

ASIANCE: Japanese?

Kelly: My favorite Japanese place is Sushi Seki on 1st Ave and 63rd. He’s Mr. Seki from Sushi of Gari. He broke out into his own place. The greatest thing about that place is it’s open really late but the best thing is you go up to the bar in front of Mr. Seki, do omakase and let him wow you! It’s always ridiculously fresh and very innovative too. I love that place. It will definitely cost ya. It’s definitely one of my favorites.

ASIANCE: What about Korean food?

Kelly: In Korea (laughs) On 32nd Street is Kunjip. It means “big house” in Korean. It’s really like your mom cooking. It’s nothing that’s going to blow you away. It’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary but it has all the basics. It has barbecue chew. I think when westerners think about Korean food, they think about barbecue and it’s definitely a big component there.

Day to day Korean’s don’t eat barbecue so it’s more like a place to go out with your friends. It reminds me of home cooking with my mom and dad when I was little.

ASIANCE: Is there an ultimate assignment or ultimate job for you?

Kelly: It would be to go to El Bulli in Spain to Ferran Adrià for 2 weeks to be a fly on the wall while he’s developing and doing R&D and being around his kitchen and his staff. I’d love to be that shadow and see what he’s doing every day all the time.

That’s why I love being a host on Top Chef Masters. I can really see who these chefs are and what drives them. I love being around the chefs and their energy and being able to try and comment on it. I could do that all the time. I learned a lot from it.

Plus we’re eating fantastic cuisine. I’m throwing them challenges and seeing how they fair with that, really getting to know them and what charities they represent. It’s a side of them we don’t typically get to see.

There are so many fantastic chefs in general and it would be good to have enough space to get them all on.

ASIANCE: Growing up, did you feel being Asian American hindered you at all?

Kelly: No. Why would it? It’s a great thing. I always thought it was a plus that I could have the best of both. Being born in Seoul and knowing that culture and cuisine to being in America. I appreciate all foods from all cultures. Ultimately my love for food, of course it’s about the food, but what it does for me is expose me to other cultures and other people and it shows me that we’re really all the same. So it’s totally a plus! I’m all about celebrating who you are as an individual. Whatever that is! There’s room for it all.

Watch Kelly on Secrets of New York: Execution Rocks

ASIANCE: Who would you love to interview or feature on any of your shows?

Kelly: There are so many people. If I had to pick? I’ll think of the food world. There’s a big sea.
The food world? I haven’t met Ferran Adrià. I would love to have a dinner with him and be taken to his favorite restaurants. He did that once with a journalist. It was so fantastic.

I’d like to meet Oprah. I’d like to have a glass of wine and some appetizers with her.

ASIANCE: What would you ask her? Do you have anything specific that you’d ask her?

Kelly: No she’s just so organic and normal that I would just hang out with her. I would love to chill out with her. Like my ideal dinner, I would love to have her. I’d love to meet Bill Clinton. I’d love to meet Obama. I’d love to meet George Clooney. I’d love to meet Jim Carrey. I love his energy. I think Cameron Diaz would be awesome and fun.

ASIANCE: Are you dating anyone? How do you manage career and personal life?

Kelly: I like somebody and somebody likes me (laughs). I guess I’m lucky in that we’re both really busy. We don’t live in the same city, so it’s kind of okish. It’s hard. I’m a totally workaholic. I love to always be busy, especially when it comes with anything food related. That’s my reason for living. Work hard, play hard. I think that’s why these days, especially, I’m really good at just going home and vegging. I’m totally on or completely off.

ASIANCE: Do you do anything else when you’re not working?

Kelly: I love going to people’s houses and cook. I have a friend who’s Malaysian and she has this beautiful apartment with a huge kitchen. My kitchen is super teeny, tiny. I cook there and I always make breakfast. We do a thing at her house on Sundays. She’s married with a toddler. We’ll spend Sunday’s together. I’ll send her recipes like, “Let’s try this.” I’m all about hanging out with friends and chilling.
I’m also a huge movie person. I love seeing them in the theater. I love walking around New York. I can live anywhere but I love walking around the city.

ASIANCE: Any recent movies you would recommend?

Kelly: I saw Taken with Liam Neeson. My favorite genre is action. I loved Gladiator, Lord of the Rings series, Godfather 2. I saw Terminator Salvation, which was good but not as good as I wanted. I heard Departures was good. Oh public Enemies July 1st. Can’t wait for that.

ASIANCE: What is your favorite dish?

Kelly: It’s impossible to say one. Eggs are my favorite dish ever. So I could eat any sort of egg dish, any time, particularly soft scrambled eggs. I love Korean food of course. I love Kimchi. I love noodles. I love Chop Cha. I love this one thing called Jjajangmyun. It’s like a black bean sauce and pork fat that you put over thick rice noodles. I love that. I like simple food that taste good. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It could be a tuna fish sandwich. It could be a porterhouse. It could be a simple burger. It could be spaghetti. It could be Mediterranean food. I love Mediterranean food. I love Japanese. I love Vietnamese. I love Thai. I love Malaysian.

ASIANCE: Where was your favorite place to travel?

Kelly: I love Rome. I’d like to go back and spend more time there. It’s definitely one of my favorite cities. I love the architecture. I love Italian people, the passion that they live with. I love South America. I’d love to go there. I’ve only been to Argentina. I’d love to go all over there. I’d love to go to Ecuador, Venezuela, and Brazil. I’m dying to go to Morocco. I’d go to Morocco to see the markets and the huge spice markets and the bizarre and the rich colors that you see in the Middle East. I love Middle Eastern cuisine as well.

ASIANCE: Have you been to India yet?

Kelly: No I haven’t. Let’s go!
There’s so many places to go to. I have friends who go to the same places every year. I appreciate that but for me, I’m much more of an adventurer and curious about new places. So I’d like to go to a different place each time. There are just so many places that I just can’t quite understand going to the same place all the time.

ASIANCE: Do you ever worry about your weight?

Kelly: No and I’ll tell you why. I’m a huge food lover. I think about it all the time. I love walking through markets. I look up recipes online. I look at menus. I relish that. Good food and enjoying food for me, manifests the way I look. Enjoying food and loving it. It doesn’t mean you’re going to look a certain way. I think food lovers come in all shapes and sizes, just like anything.

When you truly enjoy eating and you truly enjoy everything else that we attach to it, such as friends, cultural things, it’s all about making yourself feel good. And that’s how that should be.
Don’t get me wrong, part of feeling good is also exercising. It’s very holistic.

ASIANCE: Do you practice Yoga?

Kelly: Sometimes. I want to do it more. There’s this teacher in NY who I LOVE, but she’s not in New York very much. When she’s here, I do try to go. It goes in phases. When I go, I think, “I have to come more.” It’s such a time commitment. It’s like 1 ½ hr but then you can’t eat before. By that time, I’m hungry. (laughs)

ASIANCE: What about Bikram Yoga?

Kelly: Oh no I don’t do Bikram. I don’t want to be around sweaty people. I like Vinyasa. I don’t want to sweat that much. You have to go home after Bikram and take a hot shower. See that’s a whole other hour then.

ASIANCE: Was there any awkward or odd moment in your career that you remember?

Kelly: There are a ton. I like those awkward moments. Those crack me up. I think growing up and I still am, very shy. I’m outgoing on the surface but with more personal things, I’m kind of a shy person. I grew up very shy. I very much remember moments of feeling awkward. I was always sort of outside of the box. I feel like that now. But I like it. I like feeling weird and nuts and awkward. You get to learn about yourself and human nature. I feel myself fascinated by simple silly things, what people maybe think of me all the time. I like feeling weird, awkward, bizarre and off-balance.

ASIANCE: Has it ever been on camera?

Kelly: Oh my god. All the time. It’s very natural. I don’t care if I look awkward on camera. It’s in those moments where you’re like, “Oh wow. They’re human. They’re normal. They’re just like us.” And just like when everyone screws up or is nervous. I like that.

ASIANCE: What is your take on the situation right now in Korea with Euna Lee and Laura Ling, being that you are a journalist and Korean?

Kelly: When I lived in South Korean, it was right before graduate school. I guess it’s been about 10 years now. I was there for 1 year ½ for work. I feel very much that South Koreans would love a unified Korea. It would make the country stronger. Because of the leader and the way the regime has been, they are so sheltered. That’s how it seems. It’s not the most isolated country, definitely one in the world and it breaks my heart that there’s always strife. There’s so many demonstrations and political unrest going on right now. I wish the country would open up more. Anything’s possible but it’s definitely heartbreaking.

There’s talk about how the political system is ruled by the military anyway. So even if the key figures aren’t there, it won’t be any different. Like I said anything is possible, it doesn’t take a leader to category_ide and make change. It’s heartbreaking. Every once in awhile people ask me where I’m from North or South. I’m hopeful for change.

ASIANCE: Do you think they’ll be let go?

Kelly: Let’s say yes. I’m hoping they’re open to dialogue and show a little bit of mercy.