Accidentally on Purpose

by Kish, Kristen

• ISBN13: 9780316580915
• ISBN10: 0316580910
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2025-04-22
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Summary

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | TIME's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 | New York Post's 30 Best Books for Spring | Amazon's Best Books of the Month | BookRiot's Best Books of April | Queerty's Spring 2025 LGBTQ+ Books | Town & Country's Must-Read Books of Spring 2025

A tender, clear-eyed memoir, Accidentally on Purpose charts a journey full of purpose, belonging, and real love—a “recipe for a life worth living” (Stacy London).

Kristen Kish never could have imagined people on the street knowing her name—not when she was a carefree softball-tossing kid, in high school working at a pretzel stand, and not even when she finally found her true calling as a chef. In those early days, becoming a chef meant tethering oneself to a restaurant and working in the back of a kitchen, not a television set. But working in the spotlight happened naturally, even if the attention was totally unanticipated.  And like most things in Kristen’s life, the road was so much more winding and complicated than it may have appeared from the outside.
 
From growing up as an adoptee in the Midwest, to trying to fit in with all the other girls who were busy dating boys, to coming out and finding love when she least expected it, Kristen learned that, unlike a map, no set of plans or definitions can dictate or explain a life. In fact, accidents happen. Curveballs will come. And even the full-circle moments—like winning Top Chef to becoming its Emmy-nominated host years later—could not have guaranteed these opportunities.
 
In Accidentally on Purpose, what defines Kristen’s story aren’t the missteps or even the pleasant surprises that crop up but how she learned to find her voice and use it. Because while accidents may be unexpected, they don’t have to be at odds with purpose. And as Kristen approaches life’s milestones, big and small, with intention, she realizes at those junctures—the ones beyond the borders of the map, behind-the-scenes, and off camera—are where the decisions and discoveries are made. Where the unexpected meets the intentional. And that’s where things get really interesting.

Author Biography

Kristen Kish was born in South Korea and adopted into a family in Kentwood, MI. At a young age she showed an affinity for cooking and, prompted by her mother, attended Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago. After culinary school, Kristen spent the next ten years in Boston honing her skills in several high-profile restaurants, ultimately becoming the Chef de Cuisine at a Relais & Chateaux property. From 2012 – 2013, Kristen competed on Bravo’s Top Chef season 10 where she ultimately won the coveted title. From there, she went on to co-host 36 Hours, a Travel Channel show that partnered with the New York Times to bring the hit newspaper column of the same name to television. In October 2017, Kristen released her first cookbook, Kristen Kish Cooking: Recipes and Techniques and in 2018 she partnered with LINE Hotels to launch her first restaurant, Arlo Grey in Austin, TX. The restaurant reflects Kristen’s playful yet refined cuisine, pulling inspiration from her classical training as well as nostalgic dishes that highlights her upbringing and love of travel. In 2023, Kristen became the new host of Bravo’s Top Chef for its 21st season. A true full circle moment, rejoining the Top Chef family on air a full 10 years later. Kristen is the co-star of Fast Foodies (truTV/Food Network), a co-host of Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend (Netflix) and the host and producer of Restaurants at the End of the World (National Geographic/Disney+).