Candice Kumai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | California |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Author and chef |
Candice Kumai is an American author and chef. Kumai is based in New York City.[1]
Kumai was born in California to a Japanese mother and Polish-American father.[2] She has one sister.[3] She worked as a model[4] when she was a teenager.[5] Later, she trained as a professional chef in Southern California, cooking on the line at several restaurants.[6]
In 2006, Kumai was the youngest chef competing on the first season of Top Chef.[2] She was the fourth chef to have been eliminated from the competition.
Her approach to cooking is based on her Japanese American heritage.[7] Kumai became the host for Lifetime's show, Cook Yourself Thin.[5]
Kumai has been involved in 1,000 Days, which is an initiative started by Hillary Clinton in 2010 to improve nutrition for mothers and children worldwide.[8] In 2014, she became a Kirin brand ambassador.[9]
Her series of books in the Clean Green series have made the bestseller list of the New York Times.[1][6] Kumai is also a contributing editor to Shape Magazine.[10]
Kumai is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach where she studied interpersonal and organizational communications.[11]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Cook Yourself Thin | Co-author |
| 2011 | Pretty Delicious | Author |
| 2012 | Cook Yourself Sexy | Author |
| 2014 | Clean Green Drinks | Author |
| 2015 | Clean Green Eats | Author |
| 2018 | Kintsugi Wellness | Author |
| Year | Title | Role | Episode/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Top Chef | Herself | 5 episodes [2] |
| 2007 | Cook Yourself Thin | Herself | Presenter |
| 2010 - 2012 | Unique Eats | Herself | |
| 2011 | Extreme Chef | Herself | Judge[12] |
| 2011 - 2012 | Iron Chef America | Herself | Judge[13] |
| 2013 | Playing with Fire | Herself[14] | |
| 2020 | Selena + Chef | Herself | Chef |
