Meet Lee Anne Wong

The sold-out dining room at The Lively fell quiet as Chef Lee Anne Wong stood up to introduce her first course. “This is my first time in Idaho,” she said, “so I’m bringing you all a taste of Hawaii!” The crowd applauded and dug into her saimin salad, a riff on the popular Hawaiian noodle dish, elevated with Kurobuta pork and a carefully prepared 63c egg. 

Chef Wong went back to the kitchen to continue prepping the next course. She moved like a force of nature directing the kitchen team and plating with speed and precision. Anyone who has watched Lee Anne Wong on “Top Chef” or “Tournament of Champions” knows that she possesses world class culinary creativity and skill. 

Chef Wong was the featured chef at Foodfort during the Treefort Music Festival in March 2025, where Treefort attendees experienced her delicious cuisine and dynamic personality in person at one of three events throughout the festival. 

“Food and music are the two best reasons to come together,” she said, “so I decided to come to Boise and enjoy both.”

Chef Wong’s talent in the kitchen was forged over decades. Her first teacher was her mother, a self-taught home cook of Chinese descent. Chef Wong’s formal culinary journey began as a student at the International Culinary Center (ICC), formerly known as the French Culinary Institute in NYC. After graduation, she trained at Marcus Samuelsson’s Aquavit, was a key contributor for the opening of Jean Georges Vongerichten’s Chinese concept, Restaurant 66, and later served as the executive chef of event operations at ICC. 

During her time at ICC, Chef Wong was tapped to be part of the inaugural season of “Top Chef.” Following season one, she was hired as the “Top Chef” supervising culinary director, a difficult job she held for six seasons. “I did everything, from casting to securing sponsorships. Every day I would sit with a team of producers, and they’d be like, these are the challenges we’re thinking about, these are the locations that have been secured. And I’d say yes, no, the chefs will hate this, or this isn’t possible,” Chef Wong said with a laugh.

She left the world of television to open Koko Head Café in Honolulu, Hawaii, which specializes in island-style brunch dishes. The concept was a big hit with Japanese tourists and locals alike. 

Looking for a fine dining opportunity, Chef Wong opened Papa’aina in the historic Pioneer Inn on Maui in 2017. The menu was almost exclusively locally sourced ingredients, a challenge for the island-based restaurant. Chef Wong’s efforts were recognized by the James Beard Foundation in 2022 when she was nominated as a semi-finalist for Best Chef: Pacific Northwest. 

She was dealt a blow when the Maui fire of 2023 destroyed Papa’aina along with most of the homes and businesses in the surrounding area. Chef Wong threw herself into relief efforts, starting with her employees. It took her over ten days to locate everyone on her team. After that time, she used her presence and reputation to help her community to drive relief efforts and fundraising.

In 2023, Chef Wong opened a second Koko Head Café in Tokyo and a third restaurant in Osaka in 2024, which requires periodic visits to Japan. Last year, she spent time competing on Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions.” “Sure, I was intrigued at the $250,000 prize purse, but it’s nice to keep a foot in the TV world,” she said, “and that randomizer is no joke!”

Spoiler: Chef Wong made it to the “Great 8” but was defeated by Chef Joe Sasto.

She took Boise by storm. At a sit down dinner hosted by The Lively, Chef Wong dazzled the crowd with her famous dumplings. At Street Eats held at Zoo Boise, and impressed curious cooks at a live demonstration hosted by The Avery. Each event was packed, and her broad culinary style was on display. 

Her classic French training was evident in the technique and flavors at her showcase dinner, her famous skill with Chinese dumplings and Asian flavors showed through at Street Eats, and her mastery of Hawaiian ingredients was demonstrated with her kanpachi and pineapple breakdown. Chef Wong is comfortable using her full culinary tool kit when creating a dish or building a menu.

She met numerous Boise chefs at Street Eats and managed to visit quite a few. Chef Wong dined at The Avery, Ansot’s, Terroir, House of the Little Pig, Janjou Patisserie, and crushed a late night smashburger at The Shrine Social Club. 

“Boise restaurants have a lot to offer,” she shared. “Chefs here are up against the same issues independent restaurants are having everywhere and they’re doing a great job. I’d love for them to come visit us and experience our aloha spirit.”