Cat Cora

Cat Cora is a world-renowned chef, author, restaurateur, contributing editor, television host and personality, avid philanthropist, health and fitness expert, lifestyle entrepreneur, and proud mother of six.

Cat's upbringing in Jackson, Mississippi's intimate Greek community had an incalculable influence on her career. Raised by a family for whom cooking and eating were the center of life, meals at the Cora house often combined spices from the South with fresh cheeses and home-cured olives sent by relatives from the island of Skopelos.

The Jackson, Mississippi native, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America and went on to cook at two 3-star Michelin restaurants in France, has been captivating audiences since she made her TV debut in 1999, as co-host of Food Network's Melting Pot with Rocco Di Spirito. Cat Cora is also a woman who holds a series of "firsts" for women in the culinary industry.

In 2005, Cat Cora made television history when she became the first-ever female Iron Chef on Food Network's hit show: Iron Chef America. Since then, she shattered the glass ceiling as one of the first females to dominate the historically male culinary industry.

In 2006, Cat was awarded Bon Appetit Magazine's "Teacher of the Year Award" and was named the Executive Chef of the magazine. Since then, she has blazed her own trail through the culinary world, becoming the first female inducted into The American Academy of Chefs Culinary Hall of Fame. Cat has opened more than 18 restaurants across the United States and globally, highlighting her platform on health, wellness and sustainability. Cora is also a prominent published author of three successful cookbooks, one children's book and, in 2015, her raw and remarkably candid memoir called Cooking as Fast as I Can: A Chef's Story of Food, Family and Forgiveness.

Outside the kitchen, Cat is known for her philanthropy. She is President and Founder of Chefs for Humanity, an organization that originated in response to the 2004 Tsunami disaster. Modeled after Doctors Without Borders, the not-for-profit gathers the culinary community together to raise funds and provide resources for important emergency, educational and hunger-related causes. Recognizing Cat's altruistic determination in the food world, UNICEF named her a nutritional spokesperson to help raise awareness for humanitarian crises around the world.

In 2018, Chef Cat Cora launched her Women's Empowerment Culinary Internship Program to mentor, give back and help women succeed in the culinary arts. President Barack Obama awarded her The President's Volunteer Service Award for helping to address the most pressing needs in her community and our country and The President's Lifetime Achievement Award for building a stronger nation through her volunteer service. Cat resides in the Santa Barbara area with her partner and biggest fans, her six sons.

Read Cat's full bio by checking out her website below.