If youve watched the cooking competition showTop Chefin the past decade, youve probably seen Kristen Kish.

The Korean-born, Michigan-raised chef won her season in Seattle in 2012.

The show is not anything without amazing professional chefs choosing to come and go through the experience.

Q: Did you have any house rules growing up?

My mom instilled in us to strip the bed and make the new bed every Sunday.

So thats probably where my rules come from.

Kristen Kish

Be a good houseguest and a kind human being.

Youve been traveling a lot for work.

In what ways do you create a homey atmosphere in a temporary living situation?

If Im somewhere for like a week or less, I dont really need to settle in that much.

I stock the fridge.

We go to the store and buy everything from sponges to dish soap.

Also, everything gets unpacked.

Also palo santoI burn that in my dressing room.

And I always bring my own slippers to make it feel more comforting.

Q: Lets talk food.

What are some of your pantry staples?

I have stacks and stacks of it.

A thousand percent, no questions asked.

Is it something I occasionally like to do at home?

I think having those things that make life a little easier when you do go and cook.

Not a shortcut, but certainly something that saves time is really important.

Canned artichokes are great.

I have copious amounts of vinegars and oils.

Certainly there are things I probably to need to part with because theyre expired.

Q: Do you have an easy go-to pantry recipe to share?

Ready-made soups is really great.

I created a recipe for Pacific Foods using thecreamy tomato soup.

Like this baked egg dish I created used things up in the refrigerator that needed to be used.

Q: Do you have any cooking rituals?

At home, I love to put on music.

Everything needs to be clean.

Maybe were sensing a theme here.

Clean as you go; things need to be organized.

I prep everything as I would in a restaurant.

It just makes the process more enjoyable.

Q: What does a typical dinner for family and friends at home look like?

I like a box to work within.

We just had friends over, and I was like, What do you want to eat?

And theyre like, Anything you want to do is fine.

I like a little bit of direction because I cook for other people and thats where the joy lies.

When creating a recipe, I really like to try and pull from people that mean something to me.

Something that bridges the gap between past and present.

There’s a recipe I developed for Pacific Foodsacreamy chicken paprikash.

So we brainstormed this idea that bridges her mom and my family together.

We created something new and different that is now our tradition.

From there, we shared leftovers with our neighbor.

When creating a recipe, I really like to try and pull from people that mean something to me.

Something that bridges the gap between past and present.

Q: Who or what inspires your cooking?

The way I describe my food is that its a story of my life.

Q: How do you stay creative when making new dishes?

The beauty is the assumption that I have to have these new dishes, but I dont.

When youre doing your job, you do your job.

And when you let it go, you let it go.

I find that the food trendsthey come and go.

They form the industry.

Im not saying it needs to be something unique thats never been done before.

I like to see the genuine connection of where its from and whose brain it came from.

If you might deliver a story with it, that will make the food taste better.

It just always does, when you get a glimpse into somebody.

Q: What are you reading or watching these days?

Im very much a person that needs to visually watch something.

So I dont read a ton of books.

For me, its hard to track the first page onto the last page.

I get lost in videos.

I watch a lot of 20-minute instructional things on my phone.

I watch a lot of how its made kind of stuff.

Like I watch a lot of woodworking videos.

I dont think Im going to ever know how to do it or get the chance.

I also think I could maybe do it but not well, so Ive become obsessed with the process.

Q: What can we expect from your new hosting journey on Top Chef?

The hosting side comes with a lot more responsibility that I placed on myself.

Its been so lovely to feel supported from every angle.

The process itself has been incredibly enjoyable.

Its been a lot of fun.

When youre a contestant, youre going through it.

Thats been the biggest difference and one of the more exciting differences [with] being the host.