Candice Kumai is an American author and

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

. Kumai is based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Biography

Kumai was born in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to a Japanese mother and

Polish-American Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...

father. She has one sister. She worked as a model when she was a teenager. Later, she trained as a professional chef in Southern California, cooking on the line at several restaurants. In 2006, Kumai was the youngest chef competing on the first season of ''

Top Chef ''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo in March 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional chefs ...

''. She was the fourth chef to have been eliminated from the competition. Her approach to cooking is based on her Japanese American heritage. Kumai became the host for Lifetime's show, ''Cook Yourself Thin''. Kumai has been involved in 1,000 Days, which is an initiative started by

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

in 2010 to improve nutrition for mothers and children worldwide. In 2014, she became a Kirin brand ambassador. Her series of books in the ''Clean Green'' series have made the bestseller list of the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

. Kumai is also a contributing editor to ''

Shape Magazine ''Shape'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly fitness magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented ...

''.

Education

Kumai is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach where she studied interpersonal and organizational communications.

Books

Television

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kumai, Candice American television chefs American cookbook writers American people of Polish descent American people of Japanese descent American chefs Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American women food writers American women chefs American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American women