Kristen Kish

In 2015 Kish co-hosted the pilot season of 36 Hours, a series on the Travel Channel with Kyle Martino, a TV analyst and former soccer player. The show, an adaptation of the New York Times travel column of the same name, follows Kish and Martino as they spend 36 hours eating, drinking, and exploring a given city.

On March 28, 2014, Kish publicly came out after announcing the one year anniversary of the relationship with her girlfriend at the time, Jacqueline Westbrook, over Instagram.

Kish became an instructor at Stir, a culinary demonstration kitchen in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2012, Kish was promoted to Stir's chef de cuisine by the owner, Barbara Lynch. She was the chef de cuisine at Barbara Lynch's Menton Boston until March 2014. In 2017, she released a book of recipes co-authored with Meredith Erickson, Kristen Kish Cooking: Recipes and Techniques. In May 2018, Kish became chef at her new restaurant Arlo Grey in Austin, Texas.

Kish competed in Bravo's Top Chef in 2012. She made it into the main competition by surviving a soup challenge judged by Emeril Lagasse. She won four elimination challenges, creating dishes as varied as French cuisine and onion rings, before being eliminated during "Restaurant Wars" (episode 11). She was able to cook her way back into the main competition with five wins in "Last Chance Kitchen", making it to the finale with Brooke Williamson. In the finale, Kish was crowned the Top Chef, becoming the first competitor to win after winning "Last Chance Kitchen" and the second female winner in the history of the Top Chef franchise.