Esther Choi is an American chef, restaurateur, and television host born on November 20, 1985, in New Jersey. She is the founder of the Korean ramen and comfort food restaurant Mokbar, with locations across New York and Maryland, and a co-owner of the Korean American gastropub Ms. Yoo.
Since April 2024, she has co-hosted the Food Network competition series 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing alongside Michael Symon.
Who is Esther Choi?
Esther Choi is a Korean American chef, entrepreneur, podcaster, and television personality based in New York City.
She built her culinary identity around Korean food and culture, blending traditional techniques from her grandmother’s kitchen with the energy of New York City dining.
Her flagship restaurant, Mokbar, opened in Chelsea Market in 2014 and has since expanded to multiple locations. Her co-owned Korean American gastropub Ms. Yoo followed in 2017.
Beyond her restaurants, Choi has become a recognizable presence on food television. She appeared as a finalist on Netflix’s Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend and began co-hosting the Food Network’s 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing in April 2024.
She also hosted Heat Eaters, a YouTube spinoff of the hit series Hot Ones. That show ran through 2025 and brought her a large online following separate from her restaurant audience.
Early Life of Esther Choi
Esther Choi was born in New Jersey and grew up in Egg Harbor Township, a small town just outside of Atlantic City. Her parents had immigrated to the United States from South Korea, and she grew up with both her parents and her grandparents in the household.
Her family relocated to Korea for three years when she was young, aiming to immerse Esther and her siblings in Korean culture and language. That time abroad deepened her connection to Korean food traditions before she returned to the United States.
Her grandmother played the most formative role in her culinary development. The older woman taught Esther how to cook traditional Korean dishes using whatever ingredients were available, including herbs grown in their own backyard.
Those lessons stayed with her. She has described her grandmother’s cooking philosophy as the foundation for her belief that food is the ultimate expression of a country’s culture.
Her sister Jennifer Choi later became her business partner and now serves as managing partner and controller at Mokbar. Her brother is named Dan Choi.
Esther Choi Age
Esther Choi is 40 years old as of 2026, born on November 20, 1985. Her zodiac sign is Scorpio.
She opened her first restaurant at age 28 and received a Zagat 30 Under 30 recognition in 2015. By 40, she runs multiple restaurant locations and co-hosts a major Food Network series.
Esther Choi Ethnicity and Nationality
Esther Choi holds American nationality and was born in New Jersey to Korean immigrant parents. Her ethnic background is Korean American, and she grew up bilingual with strong ties to both American and Korean culture.
Her family’s three-year stay in Korea during her childhood gave her a direct cultural experience that most Korean Americans raised entirely in the United States do not have. That time shaped how she thinks about food as a cultural expression.
Her culinary work has consistently centered on representing Korean cuisine authentically. She has spoken publicly about being one of the few prominent female Korean American chefs in New York City’s restaurant scene.
Esther Choi Height and Weight
Esther Choi stands at 5 feet 7 inches tall, equal to approximately 1.70 meters or 170 centimeters. Her weight is reported to be around 58 kilograms, which equals roughly 128 pounds.
She maintains an active and energetic presence both in the kitchen and on television sets. Her physicality on screen matches the fast-paced nature of competition cooking formats like 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing.
Esther Choi Education
Esther Choi began her professional culinary education at the age of 14, working part-time in restaurants while still in school. That early hands-on work in kitchens gave her a foundation before she pursued formal training.
She attended Rutgers University in New Jersey before going on to study at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. ICE is one of the most respected culinary schools in the United States, consistently producing chefs who go on to lead major restaurants.
Her training at ICE was followed by positions at two acclaimed New York City restaurants: ilili, a Lebanese restaurant known for its refined technique, and La Esquina, a well-known Mexican venue.
She also worked with Food Network during this formative period, gaining television kitchen experience early in her career.
Esther Choi Career
Esther Choi’s professional career began in New York City restaurants after completing her culinary education and spans over two decades of steady expansion. She moved from line cook positions to restaurant founder to national television host, building each new chapter on the previous one.
Her work centers on making Korean food approachable to American audiences without stripping away its authenticity or depth.
Building Mokbar and Ms. Yoo
In 2014, Esther Choi opened Mokbar in Chelsea Market in lower Manhattan. The restaurant focuses on Korean ramen, dumplings made from her grandmother’s recipe, and Korean comfort food prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients.
Mokbar received immediate recognition. Village Voice named it the 2014 Reader’s Choice Best New Restaurant, and Epoch Taste awarded it Best Kimchi in 2015. Food Republic called Choi a “New Rising Chef” following the opening.
She expanded the Mokbar brand to Brooklyn in February 2017. That location focuses on what she describes as authentic Korean soul food prepared the way it appears in Korea rather than adapted for American palates.
In July 2017, Choi and her partners opened Ms. Yoo on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
The gastropub, named after her grandmother, flips the Mokbar concept: where Mokbar offers Korean food with Western touches, Ms. Yoo presents American bar food infused with Korean flavors.
Zagat named it one of the city’s hottest new restaurants, and Thrillist called it the best place to eat during a Lower East Side bar crawl.
Additional Mokbar locations followed at Midtown Manhattan’s The Hugh and at La Fantome in Riverdale, Maryland. A Newark location is also in development as of 2026.
Television Appearances and Media Work
Choi built a parallel career on television throughout her years as a restaurateur. She appeared multiple times on Beat Bobby Flay and competed on Chopped, both on the Food Network.
She appeared alongside Selena Gomez as a guest chef on HBO’s Selena + Chef. That show introduced her to a much broader mainstream audience beyond food media.
Her highest-profile competition appearance came in 2022, when she served as the sixth and final Challenger Chef on Netflix’s Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend.
She reached the finals in a seafood battle against five Iron Chefs and lost by a single point. No challenger won that season, meaning no Iron Legend title was awarded.
She also appeared on Bobby’s Triple Threat, Throwdown with Michael Symon, Battle of the Brothers, and Cook at All Costs (Netflix, 2022). In 2021, the documentary Her Name Is Chef featured her story as part of an exploration of women’s experiences in the restaurant industry.
She hosted Eater’s Kitchen Gadgets video series, which drew more than 50 million views. That online success helped establish her as a digital media personality alongside her television presence.
Heat Eaters, 24 in 24, and Current Projects
In July 2023, Choi launched Heat Eaters on YouTube, a spinoff of First We Feast’s Hot Ones series.
As host, she traveled New York City and beyond to try the world’s spiciest dishes, bringing along celebrity guests including K-pop groups Stray Kids and Jeon Somi, and TV personality Babish. The show ran through four seasons and concluded in July 2025.
She also hosted two podcasts during this period. Her iHeartRadio show “Get Down with K-Town” explored Korean American culture through conversations about food, K-pop, family, and identity. Her Food52 Podcast Network show “Hot Offline” answered questions from home cooks.
In 2020, she launched a partnership with CookUnity, a subscription-based meal prep delivery platform. Her Mokbar meals became available for delivery in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle through that service.
Her biggest career milestone in television came in April 2024 when she began co-hosting 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing on the Food Network alongside Michael Symon.
The competition show features 24 chefs competing in a 24-hour continuous cooking marathon with 24 challenges. Season 2 premiered in April 2025, and Season 3 launched in April 2026. The show marked her first recurring hosting role on a major television network.
Esther Choi Awards and Recognition
Esther Choi received Zagat’s 30 Under 30 recognition in 2015 as an NYC Culinary Rockstar. That honor placed her among the most promising young chefs reshaping New York City dining.
Village Voice named Mokbar its 2014 Reader’s Choice Best New Restaurant. Epoch Taste followed with the Best Kimchi award in 2015, specifically highlighting the dish that draws most directly from her grandmother’s recipe.
Food Republic recognized her as a “New Rising Chef” in the years following Mokbar’s launch. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, which highlighted her role in making Korean food more accessible without sacrificing authenticity.
Her appearance in the 2021 documentary Her Name Is Chef placed her among the women chefs featured for navigating a male-dominated restaurant industry.
Esther Choi Partner
Esther Choi lives in New York City with her partner, Joshua Griffiths. The two have not publicly confirmed a marriage as of 2026.
Together, they welcomed a son named Leonardo in February 2024. The family also shares a King Charles spaniel named Persimmon, known as Persy.
Choi recently renovated a cabin in upstate New York and worked with Kitchen Canvas to design a custom kitchen for the space. She shared the renovation details with followers on social media, including sage cabinetry, brass hardware, and a pot filler.
Esther Choi Children
Esther Choi and Joshua Griffiths welcomed their son Leonardo in February 2024. His arrival coincided with an especially active period in her career, which included launching Heat Eaters, her Food Network co-hosting debut, and the continued expansion of the Mokbar brand.
She has shared moments from motherhood on social media alongside her restaurant and television content.
Esther Choi Net Worth
Esther Choi’s estimated net worth is $5 million as of 2026. Her income comes from multiple streams: her Mokbar restaurant group, her co-ownership of Ms. Yoo, her Food Network hosting contract for 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, her YouTube production work on Heat Eaters, and her CookUnity delivery partnership.
Her restaurant group includes four active Mokbar locations and the Ms. Yoo gastropub in Manhattan, with a fifth Mokbar location in development in Newark.
That portfolio of owned and co-owned venues generates ongoing revenue beyond her media earnings.
Her CookUnity partnership, launched in 2020, extended her brand reach nationally, making her food available for delivery across four major US cities. Brand endorsements and podcast sponsorships have also contributed to her overall earnings.
Esther Choi Social Media
Esther Choi maintains an active presence across social media and her official website, EstherChoi.com. The site serves as her central hub for restaurant bookings, catering inquiries, media work, and updates.
Her YouTube channel, choibites, launched on January 1, 2019, and served as the home for her Heat Eaters series. Earlier content on the channel included the three-part “Life of a Restaurateur” series documenting her day-to-day work beyond the kitchen.
The Bottom Line
Esther Choi opened Mokbar in Chelsea Market in 2014 at age 28, earned a Zagat 30 Under 30 NYC Culinary Rockstar honor in 2015, and by 2024 began co-hosting 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing on Food Network alongside Michael Symon.
Her Netflix appearance on Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend in 2022, where she reached the seafood finals and lost by a single point, remains her highest-profile competition moment.
She grew up in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, the daughter of Korean immigrants, and spent part of her childhood in Korea before returning to the United States to pursue a culinary education at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.
Her grandmother’s cooking, particularly her dumpling recipe still served at Mokbar, informs everything she makes.
As of summer 2026, she co-hosts Season 3 of 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing on Food Network and continues to oversee her growing Mokbar restaurant group.
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