Accidentally on Purpose

De: Kristen Kish

Narrado por: Kristen Kish

A tender, cleareyed 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 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.

©2025 Kristen Kish (P)2025 Little, Brown & Company

Reseñas de la Crítica

“I have always known Kristen Kish to be a person of deep emotional strength, intention, and focus. Over the last few years especially, I have come to understand more clearly what drives her. It’s never been about the end result, the lip service or the prospect of quick success. It has always been about the people she loves and what she can learn from her many unexpected adventures. Accidentally on Purpose shares her thrilling, at times heart-wrenching, and wildly serendipitous story, in her own words, for the very first time. Her unprecedented journey—from adoptee in small-town Michigan to household name and culinary icon—will move, humble, and entangle you in her warm, wide-open embrace.”—Gail Simmons, TV Host, Food Expert, and Author of Bringing It Home

"With her humble heart and calm intelligence, Kristen Kish discusses her life and career with candor and wonder, expresses her early sense of fear and shame, and relates points in time that reflect expectation, disappointment, and revelation. Like any great artist, she writes her story so we can know ours a bit better. Accidentally on Purpose is a recollection of what it means to become yourself, believe in your light, and allow life to help you chart your course rather than derail you. Kristen hasn't written a How-To guide. She's written a recipe for a life worth living: with purpose, curiosity, forgiveness, luck, and of course—what every recipe relies on—love."—Stacy London, TV host, designer, stylist, and author

“Kristen has one of those larger-than-life stories to tell, from her childhood to her journey as a rising chef to being known by every single food person in America. It would be a fairytale if it wasn’t all true!”—José Andrés, Chef and Bestselling Author

Truly authentic

Authentic and thoughtful memoir. I learned some things about myself through Kristen Kish. I liked how she talks through both happy and challenging moments and how she learned from them.

Admirable

As a fan of Kristen and top chef this was an absolutely delightful story. A story of becoming your true self and the journey along the way

The tenderness of her humanity

This was an honest, vulnerable memoir that didn’t shy away from messy parts or the happy parts. I absolutely adored it.

Moving and inspiring story!

What a story! A story about life and love and how they can be messy and beautiful, hard and exciting at the same time. Love that this is narrated by Kristen herself, you can really feel her emotion when listening. Would definitely recommend.

The vulnerability, the authenticity & the transparency!

This book was PHENOMENAL!! And I’m so glad Kristen chose to read the book herself! The emotions were present through the entire book! I could NOT stop listening! It was riveting, funny, sad at moments when she detailed her previous issues with substance abuse.

The book was thoughtful and gave me the courage to examine if I’m open to what the universe has for me! Well done!

Amazing story

Kristin has so much more to offer than just recipes. I love the way she described her early life and working to make space for diversity in the kitchen. I will recommend this book to many people.

No story building, plot, or emotional exploration

This is your typical celebrity memoir filled with emotional platitudes and lacking any real story, emotional exploration, and introspection. The author is talking at you and although she tells you an accounting of her life it lacks any real depth. The parental fawning is cringe worthy. Every time she gets close to any real depth about herself she moves on my giving her parents a pass and even states she had the perfect childhood while saying she was depressed and lacked direction which of course had nothing to do with her perfect life in MI. Perhaps fans of hers will appreciate a glimpse into her life but it is neither thought provoking or gripping. This may hold your interest if you can get over the constant gratitude. I think if you want to write a love letter to those you love there are much better ways to go about it. The performance was fine/good. I read a review that said it was like a robotic connect the dots and I basically agree.
If you are looking for meaningful memoirs I suggest sticking to non celebrity ones because they don’t rely on fame and are held to a much higher standard. There are the few odd ones which I’m thankful for, but I don’t think this is one of them.

Enjoyable listen for fans…

…of Kristen Kish and Top Chef fans. Kish has lots of interesting things to say. Unfortunately, many of them she says about 10 to 50 times--e.g., countless repetitions of how her family loves her, how she has social anxiety, and stuff like that. The book needed a serious edit. She also is excessively grateful. I mean, it's nice that she appreciates what she has and she seems like a genuine person, but it was excessive. She does a lot better when she's just describing what's happening--working in kitchens, working on TV, opening a restaurant, meeting her wife... Still, it was a good listen.

As a reader of memoirs (even when I've never heard of the person), the mark of a good memoir is that it doesn't matter that the person is unfamiliar to you. There are plenty that if you're unfamiliar with the author then it's only about the story and the writing. I'm not sure how much appeal this will have to someone who doesn't watch Top Chef and isn't a fan of Kish. There's enough interesting stuff (Korean, adopted by white people, raised in the midwest, queer, cooking, TV) but it's mostly "tell" rather than "show," which weakens the writing.