Mei Lin (chef)

Last updated

Mei Lin
Born
Guangdong, China
Occupation(s)Chef, television personality
Culinary career
Current restaurants
    • Nightshade, Los Angeles (2019-2022)
    • Daybird, Los Angeles (2021–present)

Mei Lin is a Chinese-born American chef and television personality, best known as the winner of the twelfth season of the Bravo television network's reality television series, Top Chef. [1] After winning Top Chef in 2014, Lin worked as a personal chef for Oprah Winfrey [2] [3] before going on to open her first restaurant, Nightshade in Los Angeles in 2019. [4] She became engaged to her fiancé Andrew Skala on January 14, 2023. [5] On April 9, 2023, Lin won the fourth season of Food Network's Tournament of Champions . [6]

Contents

Early life and education

Lin was born in Guangdong, China before moving to Dearborn, Michigan at three months old. [7] She attended Fordson High School and attended Schoolcraft College. [8]

Career

After receiving her certification from Schoolcraft College, Lin worked as a cook for the Detroit Lions. [9] Following her time with the Lions, Lin was part of the opening team for chef Michael Symon's Roast in Downtown Detroit, before working at Wolfgang Puck's Las Vegas location of Spago. [10] Following her tenure at Spago, Lin joined the opening team for Top Chef Michael Voltaggio's ink. in Los Angeles, where she worked as a sous chef until her appearance on Top Chef. [11] After winning Top Chef, Lin worked as a personal chef for Oprah Winfrey and contributed recipes to Winfrey's cookbook, Food, Health & Happiness. [2]

In 2019, Lin opened her first restaurant, Nightshade, in the Los Angeles Arts District on January 2, 2019. [12]

In 2020, Nightshade was named a James Beard Foundation Award finalist for Best New Restaurant. [13]

Nightshade officially closed in 2020 due to COVID-19. [14]

In March of 2021, following delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lin opened her second restaurant Daybird in Los Angeles. [15] Lin describes it as the first fast-casual Sichuan hot chicken restaurant in the United States. [16]

Top Chef: Boston

Lin competed in the twelfth season of Bravo's Top Chef in 2014. In the series finale, filmed on-location in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, Lin faced off against challenger Gregory Gourdet. Lin's fourth course, strawberry lime curd with toasted yogurt, milk crumble and yogurt-lime ice, was particularly noteworthy. During the judges table segment, judge Tom Colicchio hailed it as "the best dessert I have ever had on Top Chef, period, and one of the best desserts I've had in my life."[ citation needed ] Colicchio's fellow Top Chef judge Hugh Acheson echoed his sentiments, calling the dish "blow-you-away amazing" and declaring Lin "a chef's chef." [17]

Tournament of Champions

Lin competed in the fourth season of Food Network's Tournament of Champions in 2023, winning the tournament. After an initial round where her dish scored 84, Lin went on to garner judges' scores of 90 points or more in the final four rounds of the contest. In the final round, she defeated Season 2 Champion Maneet Chauhan by a score of 91-89. [18] Lin's four dishes that garnered 90 points or greater from the judges represented four of the top six scores in the competition. [19]

Awards and honours

James Beard Foundation awards

Reality show cooking competition wins

Other awards and honors

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rector, Sylvia. "Dearborn's Mei Lin is the new Top Chef". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Elliott, Farley (March 8, 2017). "Where in the world is Mei Lin?". Eater LA . Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  3. ↑ Maley, Trish (March 11, 2017). "Griffith resident wins chance to dine with Oprah at retreat". The Times of Northwest Indiana . Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  4. ↑ "You Can Finally Book a Table at Top Chef Winner Mei Lin's Nightshade". Food & Wine . Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Mei is engaged". Instagram. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Dearborn native Mei Lin wins Food Network's 'Tournament of Champions' competition". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  7. ↑ mknott (August 14, 2018). "Mei Lin". Savor Detroit. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  8. ↑ Rector, Sylvia. "Dearborn's Mei Lin is the new Top Chef". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Mei Lin". Milky. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  10. ↑ Canavan, Hillary Dixler (March 26, 2018). "'Top Chef' Winner Mei Lin Is Ready to Rock LA With Her First Restaurant". Eater . Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  11. ↑ Odell, Kat (May 7, 2014). "Meet Eater Young Guns Semi-Finalist Mei Lin of ink". Eater . Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  12. ↑ Kang, Matthew (December 20, 2018). "Inside Nightshade, Mei Lin's Dream Los Angeles Restaurant". Eater.
  13. ↑ "The 2020 James Beard Award Nominees | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. May 4, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  14. ↑ McCarron, Meghan (March 27, 2020). "Closing Time". Eater.
  15. ↑ Kang, Matthew (March 11, 2021). "Mei Lin's Super Crunchy Fried Chicken Sandwich Spot Daybird Opens in Silver Lake". Eater.
  16. ↑ "Daybird LA official website".
  17. ↑ "Hugh: Mei's a Chef's Chef". Bravo. February 11, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  18. ↑ Andy Dehnart (April 10, 2023). "Who won Tournament of Champions 4? Was there another upset?". Reality Blurred. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  19. ↑ Matt. "Tournament of Champions Season 4 Winner" . Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  20. ↑ "The 2020 James Beard Award Semifinalists". James Beard Foundation. February 26, 2020.
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