Cooking and Chatting with Chef King
Award winning chef MELISSA KING offers audiences an experience they'll never forget. Audiences cook along with Chef King while chatting about the social issues she is passionate about. It is a program that allows guests to create something beautiful and delicious at home while inspiring them to create change and equity in our society and in our communities.
Chef King: My Journey and Work for the LGBTQI Community
In this talk, Chef MELISSA KING shares her story and the work she is doing in support of marginalized communities, including the LGBTQI community of which she is a proud member.
Female Empowerment for Women & Girls
Chef MELISSA KING is a vocal advocate for women and girls and serves as an example of how passion, determination, and a belief in one's own skills are the essential ingredients to female empowerment. She’s delivered talks on the theme of female empowerment to groups such as Lululemon, Girl Venture, Slow Foods x Airbnb, and Amber Collective.
.svg)
Speaker Spotlight: Chef Melissa King offers engaging presentations and an empowering perspective
Beloved Top Chef All-Stars: Los Angeles winner and trailblazing entrepreneur MELISSA KING is making an impact, one menu at a time. The award-winning chef, who has helmed multiple Michelin starred kitchens, offers audiences an unforgettable experience through engaging cooking presentations as well as empowering talks. In sought-after presentations, Chef King (she/they) leads guests through the process of creating something delicious at home while inspiring them to create change and equity in our world. And in sought-after speaking engagements, they share a unique perspective about cultural inclusivity, media representation, social justice, and more. King’s brilliance has been in-demand, from being tapped to curate the menu at the 2022 Met Gala to a special episode of Sesame Street: See Us Coming Together.
King uses her platform to advocate for her communities, amplifying Asian American and LGBTQ+ issues and working with organizations and charities such as Stop AAPI Hate, The Trevor Project, World Central Kitchen, and more. A busy entrepreneur, King launched a company focused on partnerships and culinary experiences, as well as a brand of small-batched sauces called King Sauce, an apparel line, and virtual cooking classes. King is a featured chef in the Williams-Sonoma's Chefs' Collective. They have performed at food & music festivals from Coachella, Outsidelands, BottleRock, and more, and spoken for groups including Google, Facebook, Chase, and Capital One.
Chef Melissa King is best known as the winner of Bravo’s Top Chef All Stars: Los Angeles Season 17 and is also the winner of All Star’s Fan Favorite. She holds the most challenge wins than any other competitor in the history of Top Chef. She also placed as a finalist on Top Chef: Boston Season 12. She has a unique cooking style that combines modern Californian cooking with Asian flavors.
King has been recognized as “one of the best female chefs in San Francisco” and “40 under 40: Rising Star”. She’s the co-host of James Beard nominated holiday special “Taste Buds: Chefsgiving”.
King started cooking at the age of six. After completing a B.A. in Cognitive Science at the UC Irvine, King attended the Culinary Institute of America graduating at the top of her class. She is also a certified level 1 sommelier.
With over 15 years in the industry, Chef King has helmed several Michelin starred kitchens in San Francisco (Campton Place, Luce, The Ritz Carlton Dining Room) under acclaimed names such as Dominique Crenn and Ron Siegel. She has cooked for notable figures such as Oprah Winfrey and Al Gore.
With a passion for partnerships, King is the creator of exclusive ice creams sold exclusively at Whole Foods Market with Humphry Slocombe — Hong Kong Milk Tea, Golden Milk & Gingerbread, Yuzu Cream, Coconut Shoyu Caramel, Mango Mojito, and plant-based Almond Chocolate Crunch. She’s the face of IBM Research’s 5 in 5 Series. She’s internationally consulted for Elle Café Aoyama, Elle Magazine’s fine dining restaurant in the fashion district of Tokyo.
As a proud Asian-American, queer woman, King has a passion for supporting the community — working with non-profit organizations and LGBTQI charities such as The Human Rights Campaign, The Trevor Project, Black Visions Collective, Asian Americans For Equality, and more. She was honored as a Celebrity Grand Marshal for San Francisco Pride and has modeled for Levi's Strauss Co. in a global campaign advocating for the LGBTQ community.
Along with being a chef, television personality, and brand partner, King actively participates in speaking panels supporting women’s empowerment, sustainability, food education, and entrepreneurship. She performs at food & music festivals nationwide from Coachella, Outsidelands, BottleRock, Clusterfest, Pebble Beach F&W Festival, & the Napa Valley Film Festival.
Chef King currently owns a company focused on partnerships and culinary experiences. She is the creator of King Sauce, a small batched sauce line available in her online shop.
My Speaker List
