{"id":4353,"date":"2009-06-29T04:06:52","date_gmt":"2009-06-29T04:06:52","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-15T13:37:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T13:37:09","slug":"kelly-choi-pack-your-knives-and-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=4353","title":{"rendered":"Kelly Choi – Pack your knives and go!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cPack Your Knives and Go!\u201d
\nAfter 4 seasons of Top Chef hosted by South Asian Padma Lakshmi, there\u2019s a new Asian host in town who\u2019s been added to the Top Chef brand and is now hosting Bravo\u2019s latest spin-off, Top Chef Masters. She\u2019s Korean American Kelly Choi and if you\u2019re from the New York area, she is certainly a familiar face. <\/p>\n

\u201cPack Your Knives and Go!\u201d<\/b><\/br>
\nAfter 4 seasons of Top Chef hosted by South Asian Padma Lakshmi, there\u2019s a new Asian host in town who\u2019s been added to the Top Chef brand and is now hosting Bravo\u2019s latest spin-off, Top Chef Masters. She\u2019s Korean American Kelly Choi and if you\u2019re from the New York area, she is certainly a familiar face. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/i>
\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"Kelly<\/a><\/div>\n
Kelly Choi on Top Chef Masters<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

ASIANCE: How did you get the job of Top Chef Masters\u2019 host?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> 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, \u201cHi, I work for Bravo, can I fly you out tomorrow to meet for Top Chef?\u201d I said, \u201cYeah!\u201d That was a total dream come true!<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: I remember seeing you on Eat Out New York. Is that still on?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> It\u2019s still on. We do short segments. We\u2019re going to try and go back to do full on half hour episodes but I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Can you give us a favorite restaurant?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> What cuisine? There are too many in the city that I love!<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Japanese?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> My favorite Japanese place is Sushi Seki on 1st Ave and 63rd. He\u2019s Mr. Seki from Sushi of Gari. He broke out into his own place. The greatest thing about that place is it\u2019s 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\u2019s always ridiculously fresh and very innovative too. I love that place. It will definitely cost ya. It\u2019s definitely one of my favorites.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: What about Korean food?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> In Korea (laughs) On 32nd Street is Kunjip. It means \u201cbig house\u201d in Korean. It\u2019s really like your mom cooking. It\u2019s nothing that\u2019s going to blow you away. It\u2019s 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\u2019s definitely a big component there. <\/p>\n

Day to day Korean\u2019s don\u2019t eat barbecue so it\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Is there an ultimate assignment or ultimate job for you?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> It would be to go to El Bulli in Spain to Ferran Adri\u00e0 for 2 weeks to be a fly on the wall while he\u2019s developing and doing R&D and being around his kitchen and his staff. I\u2019d love to be that shadow and see what he\u2019s doing every day all the time. <\/p>\n

\n
\n

\nThat\u2019s why I love being a host on Top Chef Masters. I can really see who these chefs are and what drives them.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Kelly Choi<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

That\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

Plus we\u2019re eating fantastic cuisine. I\u2019m throwing them challenges and seeing how they fair with that, really getting to know them and what charities they represent. It\u2019s a side of them we don\u2019t typically get to see.<\/p>\n

There are so many fantastic chefs in general and it would be good to have enough space to get them all on.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Growing up, did you feel being Asian American hindered you at all?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> No. Why would it? It\u2019s 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\u2019s about the food, but what it does for me is expose me to other cultures and other people and it shows me that we\u2019re really all the same. So it\u2019s totally a plus! I\u2019m all about celebrating who you are as an individual. Whatever that is! There\u2019s room for it all.<\/p>\n

Watch Kelly on Secrets of New York: Execution Rocks<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/param><\/param><\/param><\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Who would you love to interview or feature on any of your shows?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> There are so many people. If I had to pick? I\u2019ll think of the food world. There\u2019s a big sea.
\nThe food world? I haven\u2019t met Ferran Adri\u00e0. 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. <\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to meet Oprah. I\u2019d like to have a glass of wine and some appetizers with her.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: What would you ask her? Do you have anything specific that you\u2019d ask her?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> No she\u2019s 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\u2019d love to meet Bill Clinton. I\u2019d love to meet Obama. I\u2019d love to meet George Clooney. I\u2019d love to meet Jim Carrey. I love his energy. I think Cameron Diaz would be awesome and fun. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Are you dating anyone? How do you manage career and personal life?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> I like somebody and somebody likes me (laughs). I guess I\u2019m lucky in that we\u2019re both really busy. We don\u2019t live in the same city, so it\u2019s kind of okish. It\u2019s hard. I\u2019m a totally workaholic. I love to always be busy, especially when it comes with anything food related. That\u2019s my reason for living. Work hard, play hard. I think that\u2019s why these days, especially, I\u2019m really good at just going home and vegging. I\u2019m totally on or completely off.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Do you do anything else when you\u2019re not working?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> I love going to people\u2019s houses and cook. I have a friend who\u2019s 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\u2019s married with a toddler. We\u2019ll spend Sunday\u2019s together. I\u2019ll send her recipes like, \u201cLet\u2019s try this.\u201d I\u2019m all about hanging out with friends and chilling.
\nI\u2019m 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. <\/p>\n

\n
\n

\nGood food and enjoying food for me, manifests the way I look.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Kelly Choi<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

ASIANCE: Any recent movies you would recommend?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> 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\u2019t wait for that.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: What is your favorite dish?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> It\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Where was your favorite place to travel?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> I love Rome. I\u2019d like to go back and spend more time there. It\u2019s 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\u2019d love to go there. I\u2019ve only been to Argentina. I\u2019d love to go all over there. I\u2019d love to go to Ecuador, Venezuela, and Brazil. I\u2019m dying to go to Morocco. I\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Have you been to India yet?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> No I haven\u2019t. Let\u2019s go!
\nThere\u2019s so many places to go to. I have friends who go to the same places every year. I appreciate that but for me, I\u2019m much more of an adventurer and curious about new places. So I\u2019d like to go to a different place each time. There are just so many places that I just can\u2019t quite understand going to the same place all the time. <\/p>\n

\n
\"Kelly<\/a><\/div>\n
Kelly Choi on set<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

ASIANCE: Do you ever worry about your weight?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> No and I\u2019ll tell you why. I\u2019m 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\u2019t mean you\u2019re going to look a certain way. I think food lovers come in all shapes and sizes, just like anything.<\/p>\n

When you truly enjoy eating and you truly enjoy everything else that we attach to it, such as friends, cultural things, it\u2019s all about making yourself feel good. And that\u2019s how that should be.
\nDon\u2019t get me wrong, part of feeling good is also exercising. It\u2019s very holistic.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Do you practice Yoga?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> Sometimes. I want to do it more. There\u2019s this teacher in NY who I LOVE, but she\u2019s not in New York very much. When she\u2019s here, I do try to go. It goes in phases. When I go, I think, \u201cI have to come more.\u201d It\u2019s such a time commitment. It\u2019s like 1 \u00bd hr but then you can\u2019t eat before. By that time, I\u2019m hungry. (laughs)<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: What about Bikram Yoga?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> Oh no I don\u2019t do Bikram. I don\u2019t want to be around sweaty people. I like Vinyasa. I don\u2019t want to sweat that much. You have to go home after Bikram and take a hot shower. See that\u2019s a whole other hour then. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Was there any awkward or odd moment in your career that you remember? <\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> There are a ton. I like those awkward moments. Those crack me up. I think growing up and I still am, very shy. I\u2019m outgoing on the surface but with more personal things, I\u2019m 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. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Has it ever been on camera?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> Oh my god. All the time. It\u2019s very natural. I don\u2019t care if I look awkward on camera. It\u2019s in those moments where you\u2019re like, \u201cOh wow. They\u2019re human. They\u2019re normal. They\u2019re just like us.\u201d And just like when everyone screws up or is nervous. I like that.<\/p>\n

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?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> When I lived in South Korean, it was right before graduate school. I guess it\u2019s been about 10 years now. I was there for 1 year \u00bd 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\u2019s how it seems. It\u2019s not the most isolated country, definitely one in the world and it breaks my heart that there\u2019s always strife. There\u2019s so many demonstrations and political unrest going on right now. I wish the country would open up more. Anything\u2019s possible but it\u2019s definitely heartbreaking.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s talk about how the political system is ruled by the military anyway. So even if the key figures aren\u2019t there, it won\u2019t be any different. Like I said anything is possible, it doesn\u2019t take a leader to category_ide and make change. It\u2019s heartbreaking. Every once in awhile people ask me where I\u2019m from North or South. I\u2019m hopeful for change.<\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Do you think they\u2019ll be let go?<\/h3>\n

Kelly:<\/b> Let\u2019s say yes. I\u2019m hoping they\u2019re open to dialogue and show a little bit of mercy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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