Tristen Epps Biography – Tristen Epps Wiki
Tristen Epps is a Houston, Texas resident and the Chef and Owner at Epps & Flows Culinary. He is a contestant on season 22 of the reality cooking show Top Chef dubbed Top Chef: Destination Canada.
Tristen Epps earned his bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts and Food & Beverage Industry Management from Johnson and Wales in Charlotte, North Carolina. He then undertook an intense three-year apprenticeship at The Greenbrier, a historic luxury hotel, where he trained under AFC-certified Master Chef Richard Rosendale.
Following his apprenticeship, he gained experience in restaurants across the U.S. before appearing on ABC’s The Taste in 2014. During the competition, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson became his mentor, eventually inviting him to New York City to work at the renowned Red Rooster in Harlem. Under Samuelsson’s guidance, Epps contributed to culinary projects in locations such as London, Sweden, Bermuda, and the Bahamas.
Chef Epps later took on his first Executive Chef position at Cooks & Captains in Brooklyn, followed by two years in Denver. He then reunited with Samuelsson to become the executive chef of Red Rooster’s Miami location in Overtown, a historically Black neighborhood. Under his leadership, the restaurant received recognition from the Michelin Guide, was listed among Condé Nast Traveler’s Top 12 Best New Restaurants in the World, and was named the Best Restaurant in Miami.
His personal achievements include being named a Rising Star Chef by Star Chefs of America in 2021, one of Miami’s Top 20 Under 40 Most Professional by Brickell Magazine in 2022, and one of Legacy Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Black Professionals in 2023.
Now overseeing the culinary program at South Beach’s Eden Roc Hotel, Epps earned a James Beard Semi-Finalist nomination for Best Chef South in 2024 for his work at Ocean Social by Tristen Epps.
According to his website, Epps is widely respected in the culinary world for his mentorship and ability to foster creativity. He is dedicated to uplifting underrepresented voices in the industry and uses his platform to highlight and modernize Black diaspora food traditions, ensuring that their influence on American cuisine is properly acknowledged.
Tristen Epps Age
He hails from Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Tristen Epps Top Chef
Chef Epps is a contestant on Top Chef : Destination Canada season 22. The reality television cooking show premiers on Thursday, March 13, 2025.
He is competing alongside other 14 chefs who are ; Kat Turner, Anna “Anya” El-Wattar, Paula Endara, Corwin Hemming, Katianna Hong, Lana Lagomarsini, Henry Lu, Vincenzo “Vinny” Loseto, Zubair Mohajir, César Murillo, Massimo Piedimonte, Bailey Sullivan,Shuai Wang and Mimi Weissenborn.
The winner of Top Chef season 22 will receive $250,000 furnished by the Saratoga Brand, a feature in Food and Wine magazine, and an appearance at the annual “Food and Wine Classic” in Aspen.
Tristen Epps Family
The Houton based chef was raised in a single parent military family, where he discovered his love for cooking at an early age.
He traces his interest in cooking back to his childhood, which was spent traveling the globe with his active military mother. Based on his Instagram page, he seems to have a close relationship with his father.
Tristen Epps Ethnicity
He was born of Trinidadian roots.He is of Black ethnicity.
Tristen Epps Instagram
His Instagram handle is @cheftristenepps.
