Who Is Kristen Kish’s Wife? All About Bianca Dusic

To the public, Kristen Kish’s most memorable moment might be winning season 10 of Top Chef. However, for the chef and judge, her wedding day is also at the top.

The Seoul-born chef proposed to her now wife, Bianca Dusic, in September 2019, marrying two years later in April 2021. Kish has been open about previously never having had the desire to get married — until she met Dusic.

“I used to never want to get married, because less than 10 years ago, I wasn’t allowed to by way of the Supreme Court,” she explained to Interview Magazine in March 2024. “But I’m now happily married to the greatest human to walk this earth.”

Speaking with The Daily Dish, Kish said she and Dusic like to spend time together and have a good time in any situation.

“There’s nothing that [she] and I can’t have fun doing,” she said, adding that what she values most is “being able to retreat at home with the one person that I want to be with” since her life is jam-packed with travel and being another “version” of herself on camera.

To that end, coming home after a summer of travel while hosting Netflix’s Iron Chef: Quest For An Iron Legend in 2022 meant self-proclaimed “homebody” Kish was happy to soak in some time with Dusic.

“We travel so much and, especially recently, being home feels like a vacation,” she told PEOPLE in September 2022. “Being home is the time when you can actually decompress and just wear sweatpants all day if you want.”

So who is Kristen Kish’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Bianca Dusic and her relationship with the chef.

Dusic was born in Australia

Dusic was born and raised in Australia as a child of immigrant parents, per her bio. In her 20s, she decided to leave her home country to follow her dreams of traveling and exploring the world.

Opening up about her decision to move away, Dusic shared in an October 2022 Instagram post that she felt “restless” and “unfulfilled” while living in Melbourne.

“With little money and some thoughtful (and not so thoughtful) planning, my friend and I left Melbourne in 2006 and I never moved back home!” she wrote in the caption. “I didn’t run away or leave because of someone, I just had a strong pull to go, to find out what I really wanted to do.”

She has worked in the food and beverage industry

While she first started her career in London as a teacher and restaurant worker, Dusic pivoted to full-time work in the hospital industry shortly after.

According to Kish, at the start of their relationship, her wife’s jam-packed schedule left her with little time for travel. Per her LinkedIn, Dusic’s last role in hospitality was as the vice president of food and beverage for Standard International, the group behind The Standard Hotels.

“At the beginning [of my career] it was very, very difficult because [Bianca] had a traditional Monday through Friday job,” Kish told PEOPLE in September 2022. “She was in the corporate food and beverage world, so she had a very, very full schedule — and in some cases, a lot more full than mine.”

Dusic now works in the wellness industry as a hypnotherapist

Now, Dusic is a mindset and transformation coach with her own wellness brand.

According to her Instagram bio, she’s a certified hypnotherapist, breathwork & emotional freedom technique practitioner, past-life regression therapist and holistic health coach. Her company, bWithin, offers group classes and events along with one-on-one private coaching sessions.

“I left behind a job that, to the outside world, seemed ‘safe and secure,’ ” she wrote on her website of why she chose to pivot career paths. “It was the same sense of curiosity that inspired the travels of my younger years, but now I chose a path that could help people, the way others had done for me.”

She and Kish got married in their backyard

Kish proposed to Dusic in September 2019, announcing the news with a since-deleted Instagram post of herself kissing her new fiancée on the head as they sipped their coffees and flashed their engagement rings.

“She said YES to a lifetime of Sunday morning coffee dates and bed head,” Kish wrote in the caption.

Nearly two years later, Kish and Dusic married on April 18, 2021, in their backyard. The intimate ceremony included handwritten vows with the majority of guests attending virtually via a video call.

“WE DID THE DAMN THING,” Kish wrote in the caption of a mirror selfie showcasing both of their outfits — Kish in a black blazer layered over a white shirt and Dusic in a black sleeveless mock-neck dress.

The following day, Kish told Today Food that they had always planned to have their wedding around that time, but opted for something smaller since Dusic’s family was in Australia and couldn’t travel due to the pandemic.

“We decided if getting married was what was most important then that is what we’ll do, just a bit differently,” Kish said. “Ultimately, we had our family (and were) doing what was the most important to us in our home. Small and intimate is our style; this was just even smaller (albeit different), yet more perfect than we could have ever imagined.”

Kish and Dusic styled their home together

In June 2021, Kish and Dusic gave home furnishing brand AllModern a peek inside their beautiful Connecticut home. Balancing two different styles, the couple shared that they compromised on the interior design.

“I’d define my style as non-existent!” the Fast Foodies star said.

“Bianca, on the other hand, is more into texture and pattern,” Kish continued. “I lean towards minimalism (a.k.a. not very homey). We agreed to find a middle ground as our starting point and, over time, we will add more. If I tiptoe into it, it feels less jarring!”

She added that neither she nor Dusic had experience with interior design, so they both found the process novel.

“We both have experience with restaurants — way more than homes — which is a whole other ballgame,” Kish explained. “Bianca has an eye and can see the big picture but I, on the other hand, need to back into it. Bianca has been very patient with me!”

She is Kish’s biggest fan

While Dusic tends to keep her life private, she’s been vocal in her pride for her wife. In 2023, Kish was announced as the new host of Top Chef after Padma Lakshmi announced she was stepping down.

Ahead of the season 21 premiere, which would mark Kish’s first time in the role, Dusic wrote a sweet tribute to Kish in an Instagram post.

“I’m so proud of you for not letting fear guide your decision making,” she captioned a photo of Kish posing on the Top Chef set. “You’ve always committed to things 110% even when doing something outside of your comfort zone.”

She continued, “I know how much pressure you put on yourself but you channeled the nerves into excitement and that simple shift changed everything. My greatest joy is watching you grow and shine.”