Esther Choi was a Food Network favorite long before she appeared on TV. She began her Food Network journey working behind the scenes on Iron Chef and our very own Food Network Kitchen. Now, the 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing host is inviting fans into her home kitchen with Cooking With Choi, a series on Food Network's YouTube channel with new episodes dropping Thursdays at 7|6c.

"I grew up watching Food Network," Esther told the Food Network Obsessed podcast, recounting being excited to turn on the TV and watch her favorite hosts cook in their kitchens. "So, to me, a cooking show in that format was the dream — is the dream. That is the dream. And it's really, really how I learned to love food outside of my home kitchen and my grandmother."

Cooking With Choi

The New York-based chef and entrepreneur will break down traditional Korean recipes like kimchi, plus Korean American twists like BEC Tteokbokki (for non-New Yorkers, BEC means "bacon, egg and cheese") in an approachable, personal format that's easy for cooks of all skill levels to follow at home.

The first episode, which you can watch below, features a recipe everyone can get behind: fried chicken.

Esther's recipe blends the best of Korean and Southern styles, and is everything you want in a fried chicken: buttermilk-brined, double-dredged and double-fried whole chicken wings that are "very, very, super crispy," topped with an addictive gochujang (a Korean fermented pepper paste) sauce, and are super fun to eat.

Cooking With Choi is about more than just sharing recipes. You'll also get a glimpse into the mŏkbar chef's life living, working and cooking in New York. One minute you're shopping in K-Town, and the next you're back at Esther's house learning how to say "chicken and beer" in Korean. (It's "chimaek," by the way, and Esther says it's "very important" to follow up a generous bite of the crispy fried chicken with a piece of pickled daikon and an equally generous sip of beer for the optimal Korean fried chicken eating experience.)

You'll also be able to find the recipes featured on Cooking With Choi here on FoodNetwork.com. Several of the recipes on the show she perfected for her upcoming cookbook.

Hand Taste: Cook Like a Korean Grandmother

Like any New Yorker, Esther has been busy. She's also releasing her debut cookbook this fall, Hand Taste: Cook Like a Korean Grandmother. Dropping 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. "Sohn-mat is, I think, the essential component [of what] Korean food is .. and that's how my grandmother taught me how to cook," Esther told Food Network Obsessed. She hopes the cookbook will not only teach you some crave-worthy Korean and Korean American recipes, but also how to trust your gut and cook from the heart.

Follow Esther on social @choibites, plus catch her on Season 3 of 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, premiering Sunday, April 26 at 8|7c.

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