Kristen Kish was born in Seoul, South Korea, and adopted by a family in Kentwood, Michigan, at the age of four months. She worked as a model in high school.
She attended Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, earning an A.A. in culinary arts.
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 in 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 was invited to participate in the qualifying rounds alongside her close friend from culinary school Stephanie Cmar, being tasked with creating a signature soup that would be judged by Emeril Lagasse. Kish passed the challenge and moved on into the competition proper (Cmar, however, was not so fortunate). From there Kish 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 win her way back into the main competition with five consecutive victories in "Last Chance Kitchen", ultimately making it to the finale with Brooke Williamson. Kish defeated Williamson and 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.

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