A proud Sooner State son, Korean American chef Kevin Lee is making quite a name for himself as a competitor. He’s known for mixing traditional Korean flavors with American steakhouse classics, all with a modern twist. Named a James Beard Award semifinalist, Kevin has shown off his cooking credentials on Guy’s Grocery Games, Beat Bobby Flay, Wildcard Kitchen, Alex vs. America, Bobby’s Triple Threat, 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, Last Bite Hotel and three seasons of Tournament of Champions.

Follow along to explore Kevin’s past, his culinary competitiveness and what he’s up to now.

History and Background

Born in Norman, Oklahoma, to Korean parents, Kevin grew up bouncing back and forth between Korea, Connecticut, Washington and his home state. In an interview with Kikkoman, he shared that every time his family moved, "the first thing I noticed was how food expressed the spirit of each place."

After graduating from high school, he decided to move to Nevada for college, attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for hospitality management. This is where he fell in love with cooking, all thanks to a required culinary class. Famed Vegas chef Joon Choi became a mentor and helped him immerse himself in Japanese cooking. By age 21, Kevin was the executive chef at Mandalay Bay's Mizuya.

Sin City ultimately wasn't for him, so he decided to move back to Oklahoma and work with French cuisine. After 10 years in a Parisian mindset, Kevin opened a Korean fried chicken restaurant, Birdies, outside Oklahoma City in early 2024, which transitioned into a modern Korean American steakhouse shortly after he competed on Season 5 of Tournament of Champions. Birdies earned him a Best Chef: Southwest semifinalist nom from the James Beard Foundation. MAHT, Kevin's modern American steakhouse, opened in fall 2025 and has had him feeling the city's love.

Family Life

Kevin shared with 405 Magazine that his father earned a PhD in electrical engineering, but he worked as a server at a Chinese restaurant while he was in school. He'd retreat to the kitchen to learn the dishes and cook them at home for Kevin and the fam. When the Lees moved back to Korea, he opened a steakhouse. While Kevin might not have initially intended on following in his father's footsteps, he told Oklahoma Magazine that he feels "like I've done my family proud" with his restaurants.

In 2014, Kevin married Heejin Jang. They have two children: Liliana, born on May 8, 2017, and Kevin Jr., born on December 20, 2018.

Kevin’s Shows

Kevin has made quite a few appearances on Food Network — and he’s not slowing down anytime soon. He won the "Ultimate Beef Battle" on Guy’s Grocery Games, beat Alex Guarnaschelli twice on Alex vs. America and has competed on Bobby’s Triple Threat, Wildcard Kitchen, Beat Bobby Flay, Last Bite Hotel, 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, Tournament of Champions and TOC: All-Star Christmas.

Guy's Grocery Games

In Season 19, Kevin stepped up to the Guy's Grocery Games plate to compete against three other chefs in Guy Fieri’s Ultimate Beef Showdown. He made it all the way to the final round and swept the supermarket, taking home $20,000. Nineteen seasons later, Kevin came back to compete in "Guy’s Game Day Bite Fight." His team might not have won, but he acknowledged that “being back at Guy’s Grocery Games is awesome for me. This is where everything started for me.”

Alex vs. America

In the second episode ever, Kevin went up against Demetrius Brown and Yia Medina to get the chance to beat Alex Guarnaschelli on Alex vs. America. Even though he came in as a runner-up in the first round against Alex, it was a tight race according to judges Michael Voltaggio and Cara Nicoletti. Round 2 saw him shed second place and take home $10,000.

Four seasons later, host Eric Adjepong brought Kevin back to beat Alex with the help of fellow champs Taylor Frankel and Jonathon Sawyer. Taylor took the first round, with the Oklahoma chef coming in second. In a surprise ending, Kevin beat Alex again, becoming the first two-time champ and taking home another $10,000.

Last Bite Hotel

Kevin was chosen as one of eight chefs to stay and serve up sustenance at the Last Bite Hotel. Down to the final three, he was tasked to prepare a three-course feast — with one chef being eliminated after the first course. The judges weren’t as impressed with his dish as they were with those of competitors Brittanny Anderson and Nini Nguyen, and Kevin was sent to the dreaded Room 13. Of the experience, he said, “I feel like I became a better chef.”

Beat Bobby Flay

After beating Alex on her turf, Kevin decided to try his hand at taking down Bobby Flay in his kitchen. In Season 38, he went up against Chris Infinger, a Floridian private chef, to earn the chance to cook against Bobby. And earn it he did. Kevin chose fried chicken and biscuits as his signature dish for the second round, hoping for winner winner chicken dinner. Judges thought that Kevin drove a hard bargain but ultimately awarded the win to Bobby.

24 in 24: Last Chef Standing

Kevin decided to put himself to the ultimate endurance test on 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing. Throughout the competition's highs and lows, he managed to make it to the final shift before being eliminated in the 22nd hour, making him the 20th chef to leave the kitchen.

Wildcard Kitchen

Host Eric Adjepong, who’s also the host of Alex vs. America, decided to raise the stakes on competitor Alex Guarnaschelli by inviting her former competitors and vanquishers Kevin and Arnold Myint to cook against her yet again in Wildcard’s Season 3. Arnold scooped up the pot in the first round, but Alex took the second, knocking Kevin out of the game. While he didn’t play Round 3, he walked away with $500.

Tournament of Champions

Kevin has competed on Seasons 5, 6 and 7 of Tournament of Champions. While the latter is still in progress, he made it to the quarterfinals in 5 and 6. During his first run, he beat Brooke Williamson in an early upset (which would come back to haunt him on Bobby’s Triple Threat). He went on to beat Shirley Chung before being taken out by Antonia Lofaso.

After his stint on this season, Kevin told FoodSided, “For many of us chefs, we really enjoy that challenge. We rise to the occasion when that pressure is on. I really enjoy that aspect of the competition.” His second time in Guy Fieri’s ring saw him besting Casey Thompson and Adam Sobel before a rematch with Antonia. She knocked him out once again, but this time she went on to win the entire season.

TOC VII has seen a similar pattern, with Kevin taking down Adam Greenberg and Britt Rescigno. In a welcome departure from his previous seasons, Kevin beat Joe Sasto in the quarterfinals. He's set to battle it out with Jet Tila for a spot in the semifinals.

Bobby’s Triple Threat

Kevin returned to Bobby Flay’s stomping grounds to take a turn at beating his Titans, Brooke Williamson, Michael Voltaggio and Tiffany Derry. While Michael commented that Kevin had “a lot of range,” Brooke was visibly anxious, reminding her fellow Titans that Kevin had beaten her in the first round on Tournament of Champions Season 5. Judge Lucinda Scala Quinn awarded Kevin 17 points to the Titans’ 11 in the first two rounds against Tiffany and Michael; she was blown away by Brooke’s dish and awarded her 18 points to Kevin’s 11. The final total was 28 to 29 in the Titans’ favor.

Kevin’s Restaurants

Kevin has made a name for himself nationally on Food Network and locally with his two Oklahoma City restaurants. The James Beard Award-nominated chef steaks his culinary claim with Birdies and MAHT. “Birdie’s is,” Kevin told Oklahoma Magazine, “Korean food with an American twist. MAHT is a classic American steakhouse with a Korean twist. Now I get to tell my story from both my cultures.”

Birdies

In early 2024, Kevin opened Birdies as a Korean fried chicken restaurant in Edmond, just outside of Oklahoma City. His skills were recognized by the James Beard Foundation in 2025 as a semifinalist in the Best Chef: Southwest category. After a year and a half in business — working seven days a week to make hundreds of $10 sandwiches — he went on to compete in Tournament of Champions for the first time.

This flipped a switch in Kevin's mind, and he transitioned Birdies into a modern Korean steakhouse. "After competing on that show, it kind of really gave me the confidence to be a chef again," he told the Menu Talk podcast. The restaurant has been going strong since.

MAHT

With a Korean steakhouse under his belt, Kevin decided to pay homage to his American roots in late 2025 with MAHT. Located in Oklahoma City, the unique names come from the Korean word for flavor or taste. Fans of Birdies' menu will find some flavor cohesion across the properties, including nods to Kevin's Korean roots, but MAHT is more focused on the US of A.

Of owning Birdies and MAHT, "This is a dream, this is more than my dream," Kevin told local outlet News 9. "I’m just the lucky guy who happens to be a Korean American chef, and be in a position to really spread my culture and love for my culture."