With the recent announcement that the first episode of Top Chef season 21, featuring Kaleena Bliss as a contestant, will air on March 20, craze and support for the chef rises.
She specifies how her journey to Top Chef was unpredictable. She recalls, “No way am I going to get picked, I’m just doing this for fun.” Yet she underwent rigorous interviews and became a part of the Top Chef crew this summer.
Kaleena Bliss, a Pacific Northwest native, spent a decade in the Seattle food scene starting in 2013 before landing on the role of Executive Chef at Chicago Athletic Association in 2023.
According to Kaleena Bliss, she never wanted to pull up stakes from Seattle. She says, “I was pretty sure there was nothing that would ever pull me away from Seattle, and I’m very open about the fact that I’ll move back one day. But life takes you on crazy journeys.”
Today, the chef still holds the position at the Chicago Athletic Association, overseeing the praised Cindy’s Restaurant while preparing to appear on the Top Chef.
Likewise, Chicagoans might love to follow up Top Chef, as another local, Alisha Elenz, will join Kaleena Bliss.
Key Takeaways
- Kaleena Bliss is originally from the Pacific Northwest and takes Seattle as her home.
- The chef is a Bravo’s Top Chef contestant, premiering on March 20.
- She has not revealed the names of her parents and siblings.
Top Chef Kaleena Bliss is a closed book when it comes to her parents, family, and partner
Kaleena Bliss was already paving her way to becoming a star chef. At 16, she decided to complete her Bachelor’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
Her determination came during high school when she said, “I don’t know why but I always knew that I was going to be a chef.” She always answered her friends getting ready for college by saying, “Oh, I’m just going to culinary school.”
She also had her parents by her side. They watched PBS and Food Network cooking shows, mainly Iron Chef, which motivated her to enter the food world.
However, she never mentions them or posts about them on her Instagram. Instead, it is filled with recipes and achievements.
Her Instagram moments reached the representatives of Chopped as they enjoyed the cuisines displayed by Kaleena Bliss, inspired by her Northwest roots. She says, “We’re so lucky to have the forest, the mountains, and the Sound nearby. We have an arsenal of ingredients to choose from…”
She also recalls her days when she won on Chopped: Casino Royale, as she had to work with ingredients she had never cooked, a Rattlesnake.
Thankfully, Kaleena Bliss’s days of watching food shows with her parents helped her tackle the situation.
Her Instagram also reveals that Kaleena Bliss is with her partner, Garrett Clayton, and they have been together for over a decade.
Kaleena Bliss has been in the food world for over 18 years and continues to thrive further by presenting her cuisines, no matter where she lives or cooks.
She is proud of her PNW roots and says, “Even though I’m in Chicago and with the timing of it all, I’m being represented as a Chicago chef [on ‘Top Chef’]. In the interviews I make it clear Seattle is my home. I’m from Washington. I’m a Pacific Northwest chef at heart.”
FAQs
How old is the chef Kaleena Bliss?
Sources mention Kaleena Bliss as 36 years old as of 2024. However, the exact date of birth is difficult to estimate as she has not revealed it to the public.
Is Kaleena Bliss a Korean?
Kaleena Bliss has never mentioned her ethnicity belonging to Korea, as her interviews always point to her PNW roots.
Who are Kaleena Bliss’s parents?
Kaleena Bliss’s parents’ exact name and occupation is a mystery as she has never mentioned them.
