Accidentally on Purpose
Published on 19. June 2025
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-0-316-58091-5 (ISBN)
Description
TIME's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 | New York Post's 30 Best Books for Spring | Amazon's Best Books of the Month | BookRiot's Best Books of April | Queerty's Spring 2025 LGBTQ+ Books | Town & Country's Must-Read Books of Spring 2025
A tender, clear-eyed memoir, Accidentally on Purpose charts a journey full of purpose, belonging, and real love-a "recipe for a life worth living" (Stacy London).
Kristen Kish never could have imagined people on the street knowing her name-not when she was a carefree softball-tossing kid, in high school working at a pretzel stand, and not even when she finally found her true calling as a chef. In those early days, becoming a chef meant tethering oneself to a restaurant and working in the back of a kitchen, not a television set. But working in the spotlight happened naturally, even if the attention was totally unanticipated. And like most things in Kristen's life, the road was so much more winding and complicated than it may have appeared from the outside.
From growing up as an adoptee in the Midwest, to trying to fit in with all the other girls who were busy dating boys, to coming out and finding love when she least expected it, Kristen learned that, unlike a map, no set of plans or definitions can dictate or explain a life. In fact, accidents happen. Curveballs will come. And even the full-circle moments-like winning Top Chef to becoming its Emmy-nominated host years later-could not have guaranteed these opportunities.
In Accidentally on Purpose, what defines Kristen's story aren't the missteps or even the pleasant surprises that crop up but how she learned to find her voice and use it. Because while accidents may be unexpected, they don't have to be at odds with purpose. And as Kristen approaches life's milestones, big and small, with intention, she realizes at those junctures-the ones beyond the borders of the map, behind-the-scenes, and off camera-are where the decisions and discoveries are made. Where the unexpected meets the intentional. And that's where things get really interesting.
A tender, clear-eyed memoir, Accidentally on Purpose charts a journey full of purpose, belonging, and real love-a "recipe for a life worth living" (Stacy London).
Kristen Kish never could have imagined people on the street knowing her name-not when she was a carefree softball-tossing kid, in high school working at a pretzel stand, and not even when she finally found her true calling as a chef. In those early days, becoming a chef meant tethering oneself to a restaurant and working in the back of a kitchen, not a television set. But working in the spotlight happened naturally, even if the attention was totally unanticipated. And like most things in Kristen's life, the road was so much more winding and complicated than it may have appeared from the outside.
From growing up as an adoptee in the Midwest, to trying to fit in with all the other girls who were busy dating boys, to coming out and finding love when she least expected it, Kristen learned that, unlike a map, no set of plans or definitions can dictate or explain a life. In fact, accidents happen. Curveballs will come. And even the full-circle moments-like winning Top Chef to becoming its Emmy-nominated host years later-could not have guaranteed these opportunities.
In Accidentally on Purpose, what defines Kristen's story aren't the missteps or even the pleasant surprises that crop up but how she learned to find her voice and use it. Because while accidents may be unexpected, they don't have to be at odds with purpose. And as Kristen approaches life's milestones, big and small, with intention, she realizes at those junctures-the ones beyond the borders of the map, behind-the-scenes, and off camera-are where the decisions and discoveries are made. Where the unexpected meets the intentional. And that's where things get really interesting.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 154 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
572 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-316-58091-5 (9780316580915)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Kristen Kish
Accidentally on Purpose
E-Book
04/2025
Little, Brown and Company
€11.99
Available for download
Person
Kristen Kish was born in South Korea and adopted into a family in Michigan. After attending Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, she spent ten years in Boston in several high-profile restaurants. In 2012 Kristen competed on Bravo's Top Chef where she won the coveted title. She co-hosted 36 Hours, a Travel Channel show with the New York Times. In October 2017, Kristen released her first cookbook, Kristen Kish Cooking: Recipes and Techniques and in 2018 she partnered with LINE Hotels to launch her first restaurant, Arlo Grey in Austin, TX. In 2023, Kristen became host of Bravo's Top Chef for its 21st season, a full circle moment, rejoining the Top Chef family a full 10 years later. Kristen is the co-star of Fast Foodies, a co-host of Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend and the host and producer of Restaurants at the End of the World.