Esther Choi

All About Esther Choi

She's a chef, restauranteer and Food Network host.

Esther Choi Bio

Award-winning Esther Choi is a Korean-American chef, restaurateur, podcaster, television host and mother. Along with appearances on Bobby’s Triple Threat, Beat Bobby Flay and Chopped, Esther currently co-hosts 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing with Michael Symon. She also hosts a Food Network YouTube series, Cooking With Choi.

Esther began her professional education at the early age of 14. Her formal training as a chef began at New York City’s Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), followed by various positions at New York City’s renowned ilili and La Esquina.

Inspired by the age-old technique of her Korean grandmother’s cooking, Chef Esther believes that food is the ultimate expression of a country’s culture. With a personal passion for introducing New Yorkers to the flavors of Korean culture, Chef Esther’s cooking combines traditional and modern influences with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

The industrious, multitalented chef has her hands in several contemporary Korean restaurants and bars in and around New York City, New Jersey and Las Vegas. Esther opened her first establishment, mŏkbar, in Chelsea Market. The eatery specializes in everyday Korean fare, including classic dumplings, ramen, rice bowls and kimchi. Since its opening, Esther has opened additional mŏkbar locations in Brooklyn, Midtown, Newark, New Jersey, and Las Vegas. Esther is a chef and partner at bi-level supper club Ms. Yoo. The playful establishment, named after Choi’s influential grandmother Jungok Yoo, offers decadent bar bites like shrimp burgers, street tacos, and pork belly buns and specialty cocktails infused with Korean flavors, like plum, ginger and gochugaru. GAHM 감 is Esther’s creative outlet and culinary refuge in the heart of Brooklyn. The inviting restaurant features a meticulously curated menu inspired by her formative life experiences, brimming with authentic Korean flavors. Ö BAR is a modern Korean bar located in The Hugh, a culinary collective in Midtown East. The menu includes Esther’s celebrated kimchi and other easy eats like edamame, crispy Brussels sprouts and flavor-packed kimbap rolls.

Esther is releasing her debut cookbook, Hand Taste: Cook Like a Korean Grandmother, on October 27, 2026. The book describes the magic touch of sohn-mat, which means "hand taste" in Korean, a skill Esther picked up from her halmoni — her grandmother. She hopes the cookbook will not only teach you some crave-worthy Korean and Korean American recipes, but also teach you how to trust your gut and cook from the heart.

Esther lives in a newly renovated New York City apartment with her partner, Joshua Griffiths, and their son, Leonardo, and their dog, Persimmon.