Katianna Hong remembers watching the newly emerging Food Network from her childhood home in Clifton Park, long before celebrity chefs would become household names and competition shows would capture the nation’s attention. The idea that she might one day be in such a competition was not even a whisper—yet. Back then, she was just a kid who was interested in food.
Born in South Korea and adopted by Clifton Park parents when she was 3 months old, Katianna says that, for her, food has always been a matter of connecting with her identity. It’s what first drew her in, and it’s the intention she’s carried with her all the way to Bravo’s Top Chef: Destination Canada this spring.
“I remember growing up on my dad’s side, and his mother—my Jewish grandmother—making homemade matzo ball soup,” says Hong of her earliest memories of food. “I did spend some time going to a Korean culture camp. That’s not super exciting for a kid, but I did love the fact that they had a cooking class and taught us how to make mandu and kimchi.”
Hong also recalls trips to the Korean market, where she would gather ingredients to play around with at home. These first instincts for culinary curiosity and creativity paved the way for all that would come.
A 2002 graduate of Albany Academy (she worked at Halfmoon’s Country Drive-In as a teenager), Hong went on to study at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and the University of Nevada’s School of Hospitality in Las Vegas. From there, she landed a job at the two-star Michelin restaurant Melisse in Santa Monica, CA, learning under acclaimed chef Josiah Citrin. It was at Melisse that Katianna met her culinary partner and husband, John Hong, with whom she now owns and operates Yangban—the Los Angeles restaurant known for its “genre-defying” approach to modern Korean American fare.
Those who have tuned in to Season 22 of Top Chef this spring have seen firsthand how Katianna draws from her roots—and imagination—to reinvent cuisine and create innovative dishes in the kitchen: like the time she used nori, sesame, and kimchi to create a Jamaican Patty during a Quickfire challenge (and scored a well-deserved win), or her unique take on a Korean cold noodle dish that included licorice candy (for which she racked up another win).
“The thing I love about cooking competitions, and Top Chef in particular, is how being on the show allows you to have a broader audience,” she says. “A lot of my story is about being Korean American and about being adopted and cooking a cuisine that’s authentic to me, even though it’s not authentic Korean and it’s not necessarily just American, either.”
For Hong, sharing a cuisine that is authentic to her is about more than just self-expression. It’s a way to connect with others and let food be a conversation. “I know that there are people who probably feel the same way,” she says, “and who use food as a way to discover their identity or something about their heritage.”
Despite the show’s competitive nature—and the hyper-precision focus it takes to perform at that level—Hong says this sense of community and sharing was the spirit of the show behind the scenes. “I was very surprised how quickly we all became friends and how we all celebrated each other’s heritages, backgrounds, and styles of cuisine, and encouraged each other’s individuality,” she says of her fellow contestants. “The friendships and the inspiration from working with all the other chefs was a huge takeaway.”
For Hong, whose daily life consists of balancing both motherhood and owning a restaurant, this season of Top Chef—which was filmed in several locations throughout Canada including Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Canmore, and Prince Edward Island—was also an opportunity to replenish her own cup of inspiration and reconnect with the sense of discovery that travel brings.
“I realized there are other parts to my story and other things that I would like to explore,” she says. Yes, she was born in Korea and raised in America, but as both a person and a chef, Hong has come to realize that she’s much more than where she comes from. “Top Chef re-inspired me to broaden that narrative of identity even a little farther and incorporate more places I’ve worked and traveled,” she continues. “I came back really inspired.”
What does that newfound inspiration mean for the future menu at Yangban, which at press time was closed for renovations? Hong isn’t exactly sure just yet. “Hopefully,” she says, “we’ll have some things to share about that soon.”
But one thing is for certain: In Katianna’s kitchen, nothing is ever static. Like a rich conversation around the dinner table with family and friends, there are always stories to be told and connections to be shared. There are seats at the table for where we’ve been and seats at the table for where we’re going.
