Melissa King

Chef Melissa King is one of the most exciting young talents in America’s culinary scene. After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, King trained under several Michelin-star and James Beard-recognized chefs including Dominique Crenn, Craig Stoll, and Ron Siegel. Her culinary prowess led her to earn national recognition as the winner and fan favorite of Bravo's "Top Chef All-Stars: Los Angeles" (Season 17), where she secured more challenge wins than any other competitor in the history of "Top Chef".

King’s hyper-local cooking style combines the Bay Area’s best ingredients with modern techniques and Asian flavors. She has helmed several Michelin-starred kitchens in San Francisco and curated the menu for the 2022 Met Gala alongside Anna Wintour. In addition to founding Co+Lab, an experimental pop-up dinner series, she launched a company focused on partnerships and culinary experiences and created King Sauce, a brand of small-batched sauces. She is the first chef ambassador for Whole Foods Market and has expanded her ice cream collaboration with Humphry Slocombe to include the flavor Yuzu Cream. King has also developed an apparel line and offers virtual cooking classes to reach a broader audience.

In her role as an advocate and public speaker, King has been a strong voice for Asian American and LGBTQ communities, working with organizations such as Stop AAPI Hate and The Trevor Project. She has been featured in IBM's "5 in 5" series, highlighting innovations that will change our lives in the next five years, and has judged culinary talents on "The Julia Child Challenge" on The Food Network. Recognized as "one of the best female chefs in San Francisco" and a "40 under 40: Rising Star" by FSR Magazine, King continues to influence through her speaking engagements and performances at major food and music festivals such as Coachella, Outsidelands, and BottleRock.