Candice Kumai

Candice Kumai is an American author and chef. Kumai is based in New York City.

Biography
Kumai was born in California to a Japanese mother and Polish-American father. She has one sister. She worked as a model when she was a teenager. Later, she trained as a professional chef in Southern California, cooking on the line at several restaurants.

In 2006, Kumai was the youngest chef competing on the first season of Top Chef. She was the fourth chef to have been eliminated from the competition.

Her approach to cooking is based on her Japanese American heritage. Kumai became the host for Lifetime's show, Cook Yourself Thin.

Kumai has been involved in 1,000 Days, which is an initiative started by Hillary Clinton in 2010 to improve nutrition for mothers and children worldwide. In 2014, she became a Kirin brand ambassador.

Her series of books in the Clean Green series have made the bestseller list of the New York Times. Kumai is also a contributing editor to Shape Magazine.

Education
Kumai is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach where she studied interpersonal and organizational communications.