Food Network chef Kardea Brown is a Food Network regular. She's the host of Delicious Miss Brown and has appeared on various other shows on the network.

History and Background

Kardea was born in Charleston, South Carolina. She is of Gullah Geechee descent, a term used to describe descendants of Africans living in the coastal areas of South Carolina and Georgia who have managed to preserve much of their West African language, culture and cuisine. Kardea created the pop-up New Gullah Supper Club, where her menu pays homage to the dishes her grandmother and mother passed down to her.

Kardea spent much of her childhood surrounded by family on Wadmalaw Island, where she ran barefoot in the sand with her cousins and ate fresh okra out of the okra fields, according to an interview with Southern Living. She also learned Gullah Geechee recipes from her mother and grandmother and began cooking in her grandmother's kitchen.

Kardea on Beat Bobby Flay

Kardea first appeared on Beat Bobby Flay during Season 24, which aired in March 2020. She showcased her talent for Southern cooking, and although she didn't win against Flay, the appearance elevated her reputation in the culinary world. She also appeared on Season 34 of the show alongside actor Kevin Pollak.

Kardea's Food Network Shows

Kardea made her Food Network hosting debut with the premiere of Delicious Miss Brown in 2019. On the show, she shares the family events, culture and recipes close to her heart — including Sunday supper after crabbing on the dock, a Lowcountry boil at the beach and shrimp boating to prepare for the ultimate shrimp fest. Kardea also joined Kids Baking Championship as a co-host during Season 13 and has also appeared on Chopped Junior, Cooks vs. Cons, Family Food Showdown and Farmhouse Rules.

West African Influence on Kardea's Cooking

"I know what keeps me going is that this is my purpose," Kardea told Southern Living. "You know, it's the reason why I feel that I'm here because not only am I cooking and doing what I love, I'm also preserving my culture."

"I'm of Gullah Geechee descent which means I'm a part of the African Diaspora … we are all one!" she wrote in a Facebook reel. "Gullah cuisine is very similar to West Indian cuisine … a lot of one pot, seasonal and flavorful cooking!"

Fun Facts About Kardea

• Birthday: November 16
• Zodiac sign: Scorpio
• Current residence: Charleston, South Carolina

What Is Kardea's Family History?

Many of Kardea's family members live in South Carolina. During the trans-Atlantic slave trade, colonial settlers brought enslaved people to work on the lands of the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina, according to WESA, an NPR affiliate station in Pittsburgh.

“Fast forward generations later, my family also are direct descendants of those enslaved people,” she told the station. “It is home to Gullah Geechee people though. That’s why it’s extremely special to me.”

Kardea's Pop-Up Supper Club

In 2015, Kardea started the New Gullah Supper Club. "I traveled across America doing underground pop-up dinners inspired by family recipes," she wrote in a Facebook post. "Guests were transported to the Lowcountry for three hours in the middle of someone’s dining room with complete strangers. It was an experience like none other!"

Kardea's Book

Kardea wrote a cookbook, titled The Way Home, which was published in October 2022 by Amistad/HarperCollins Publishers. It features more than 100 recipes that pay homage to her Gullah Geechee roots. "Shaping a cookbook around [my roots] was so important to me because it is a part of my everyday life,” she told WESA. “It is the fabric of who I am — not only as a chef, but as a person.”

Kardea's second cookbook, Make Do With What You Have, is set to hit shelves on November 11, 2025. It's her second book with Amistad/HarperCollins Publishers.

Kardea's Partnerships

Kardea first partnered with Walmart in 2020 to bring Delicious Eats to freezer sections nationwide. Some of the latest microwaveable dish offerings include chicken and dumplings, smothered chicken and rice, and chicken cajun pasta. "If y'all eat this and say that you don't have no flavor, you lying," she said during an Instagram taste test of her chicken and dumplings frozen entree in September 2024. "Packed with flavor."

Kardea's Wedding

Kardea married Bryon Smith on March 8, 2025, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, People reported. She wore a dress designed by Project Runway alum Laurie Underwood and walked down the aisle to Brian McKnight's "Never Felt This Way."

"Once you love someone to the degree that Bryon and I love one another, I think the idea of marriage, it's just something that we now are very excited about taking on that title," she told People. "I think our love will definitely grow, but it's just the level of responsibility that we are just excited to take on."

The pair first met in 2016 and dated casually. They rekindled their romance in 2020 and got engaged on New Year's Day 2023, according to People. They've largely kept their relationship private, but Bryon appears in Kardea's social media posts from time to time.

Keep Up With Kardea

Find the latest news and updates on Kardea's shows — Delicious Miss Brown and Kids Baking Championship — on FoodNetwork.com. Kardea will be opening a restaurant, Kardea Brown's Southern Kitchen, in Charleston International Airport in 2025, The Post and Courier reported last year. Follow her on Instagram @kardeabrown.