Lee Anne Wong
She's a New York-born, Hawaii-based chef, restaurateur, author and Food Network competitor.
Lee Anne Wong Bio
Born and raised in upstate New York, Chinese American chef Lee Anne Wong is proud to call Hawaii her own for more than a decade. The James Beard Award semifinalist channels her new home’s heritage in each dish she cooks, including as a competitor on Bravo's Top Chef, Iron Chef America, Chopped, Alex vs. America, Guy's Grocery Games, Tournament of Champions, TOC: All-Star Christmas and 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing. Lee Anne's also lent her expertise as a judge on Chopped, Alex vs. America, Guy's Grocery Games, and Flavortown Food Fight and as the host of the Cooking Channel's Unique Eats and her own Food Network special, Food Crawl With Lee Anne Wong.
Lee Anne started working in restaurants when she was 15, though she wouldn’t discover her passion for cooking until a few years later. While she moved to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology, she later transferred to the then-French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Center). Lee Anne trained under Marcus Samuelsson at his Midtown Manhattan restaurant Aquavit and Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Restaurant 66 in Tribeca. She then decided to give back to the institute that started it all for her as an executive chef of event operations at FCI. During that time, Lee Anne competed on the first season of Bravo’s Top Chef, which led to a gig behind the camera as a supervising culinary producer.
She ultimately settled in Hawaii after visiting it during her time on the Top Chef team. Her passion for the Aloha State even resulted in a position with Hawaiian Airlines as a guest and then executive chef. Lee Anne has continued to compete on various shows, host and judge, all while opening up three successful restaurants, two of them in her favorite place. Sadly, the one that earned her a James Beard Award semifinalist nom was lost to the Maui wildfires, but that only strengthened her love for Hawaii and its people.
Lee Anne loves spending time on the island with her husband, Lyle, and their son, Rye.
The Latest From Lee Anne
'Alex vs. America': All the States She's Battled So Far 37 Photos
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli’s ultracompetitive road atlas has entries from all over the country, and she’s adding stars to her culinar …
Interview: Chef Lee Anne Wong Is the Last Chef Standing on '24 in 24' Season 3 22 Photos
Our Season 3 champion is dishing all the behind-the-scenes moments from the competition.
All About Lee Anne Wong May 31, 2026
Say "aloha" to the chef and author who showcases the beauty of Hawaii in all she cooks.
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