Esther Choi has turned down many opportunities when it came to cooking competitions. But when she got the call from Iron Chef — a show she’s been watching since a child — she felt no hesitation.
Get to know this chef better as this Esther Choi Bio proceeds.
Esther Choi Iron Chef: Quest For An Iron Legend
Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, a new iteration of Iron Chef premiered on June 15, 2022, and like the original series it saw seven challengers stepping into the Kitchen Stadium, facing each other in a fiery cooking show off.
Among the competitors, chef Esther Choi seemed the most prepared contestant. According to her, she prepared her entire life for that moment and claimed she had everything it took to be in the kitchen stadium — an extreme amount of passion, competitive spirit, strategy, and concentration.
Also, Esther knew that show wasn’t just about great food. “The will and hunger to be the best!” she had it in her.
“I am humbled and grateful to cook amongst some of the greatest chefs.. and so thankful for my amazing team who cooked beside me to represent our food in the best possible way,” Esther wrote on her IG before the show premiered.
In case you didn’t know, Esther has worked behind the scenes on several seasons of Iron Chef even before she appeared on the show. So, getting a chance to be mentored and work alongside some of the greatest chefs in real-time, she was more than grateful when she got the call.
Joining Esther in the kitchen stadium were chefs — Mason Hereford, Curtis Duffy, Claudette Zepeda, Gregory Gourdet, Mei Lin, and Yia Vang. They faced Iron Chefs Curtis Stone, Gabriela Cámara, Dominique Crenn, Marcus Samuelsson, and Ming Tsai.
Spoilers Alert: While on the show, Esther first competed against Iron Chef Marcus Samuelsson to cook food generally consumed at tailgate parties and won! In the finale, she then went up against all five Iron Chefs and was challenged to cook five seafood dishes. Sadly, she fell short by just one point and wasn’t able to land the title.
Esther Choi Net Worth
Esther Choi flaunted a net worth of above $2.5 million in 2022.
At the time, she was working as a chef at Mokbar (a modern koran restaurant she opened in February 2014) and also as a partner at the Korean gastropub Ms. Yoo.
Mokbar also was Esther’s first restaurant. Reportedly, her Korean eatery was an instant hit, and now she runs four Mokbar franchises.
Prior to this, Esther worked as a chef in restaurants including Korilla BBQ (June 2015 to June 2019), La Esquina (August 2013 to Jan 2014), and Ilili Restaurants (Jan 2010 to Jan 2011).
As for her education, she attended Rutgers University from 2004 to 2008 and later joined the Institute of Culinary Education in 2010 and graduated a year later.
Fun Fact: Esther loves cannabis. She even used THC-infused products in a 2019 episode of Bong Appétit and defeated two other Korean chefs.
Does Esther Choi Have A Partner?
Sadly, we have no Instagram about Esther Choi’s partner. But from the looks of it, she must be single.
Did you know: Back in Jan 2019, Esther was allegedly assaulted by Stephan Park and Paul Lee who was employees at her workplace. For this, Esther sued the attackers for a total of $250,000 in damages.
Esther Choi Age
Esther Choi was 36 years of age when she appeared on Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend in 2022.
But she does look a lot younger though.
Esther Choi Family
Esther Choi is a brilliant chef and she has her family to thank for it; especially her grandma. She is deeply inspired by her grandmother’s age-old cooking technique which has led her to believe that food is the ultimate expression of a country’s culture.
Also, Esther was thankful to her sister Jennifer Choi who helped her as a managing partner as well as a controller at Mokbar.
Talking more about her sister, Jennifer is a Drexel University graduate who was married to Danny Song. Together, they welcomed a child, Liam Theodore Song, on Jane 2, 2022.
Esther also has a brother named Dan Choi.
As for Esther’s parents, Mi and Bok N Choi, the chef shared that it was them who instilled her love for Korean culture in her. But that wasn’t all. She thanked for father for the courage to pursue her dreams while she thanked her mother for her love and faith.
Is Esther Choi On Instagram?
Yes, as of June 2022, Esther flaunted 169K followers over her Instagram @choibites.
Also, here’s her Facebook @esther.choi.108, Twitter @choibites, and Youtube @choibites.
Esther Choi Height
Esther Choi stands tall at a height under 5 feet 2 inches (157 cm).
Related FAQs
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When Is Esther Choi Birthday?
Esther celebrates her birthday on November 20 and is of the Scorpio zodiac.
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Where Is Esther Choi From?
Esther originally holds Asian roots. But as of 2022, she resided in New York, New York.
