Celina Tio is an American chef. She has appeared on several Food Network television series and she owns The Belfry restaurant in Kansas City.[2]

Celina Tio
Born1970 or 1971 (age 53–54)[1]
EducationDrexel University
Children1[1]
Culinary career
Current restaurant(s)
    • The Belfry
Previous restaurant(s)
    • Collection
    • Julian
    • The American Restaurant
Award(s) won

Career

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Celina Tio trained at Drexel University.[3] Her first culinary work was in the kitchen of a Bennigan's Irish pub-themed casual dining restaurant, after convincing the manager to take her on.[1] She then began working at the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia. By the time she was 23, she was executive chef at the grill room within the hotel. She then moved to Florida, where she opened the Mediterranean restaurant Spoodles, the French restaurant Citricos, and the Northern Italian restaurant Palo for Walt Disney World. She then moved to Missouri, to work as executive chef at the American Restaurant in Kansas City. While there, she was named Best Chef by Chef magazine in 2005 and won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Mid-West Chef in 2007.[3][4]

She subsequently left to open her own restaurant, Julian in Brookside, Kansas City, in 2009. While at Julian, Tio appeared on several television cooking series such as Top Chef Masters, Iron Chef America and The Next Iron Chef. Julian was a change in cuisine for Tio, with a more relaxed menu instead of the fine dining she served while at the American Restaurant.[4] She opened a second restaurant, called Collection, in 2013, and a further restaurant entitled The Belfry, during the following year.[5]

After eight years, Tio decided not to renew the lease for Julian in 2017, saying "I’ve been very fortunate that Julian has been and remains successful and am super grateful for all the continued support of my guests over the years. But I feel like the time is right to move on and give another local restaurateur an opportunity to thrive in Brookside".[4]

Personal life

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Regarding her ethnicity, Tio has described herself as "half-Chinese".[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Top Chef Celina Tio cracks the glass ceiling for culinary excellence". KCTV. Gray Corporation. February 6, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  2. ^ "Savor the Sound features celebrity chef Celina Tio". FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  3. ^ a b "Celina Tio". Food Network. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Vergara, Jenny (May 18, 2017). "Celina Tio's First Restaurant, Julian, to Close in July". Feast. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  5. ^ Smith, Joyce (January 16, 2014). "James Beard Award-winning chef Celina Tio opens the Belfry". Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  6. ^ "Symon vs. Tio". Iron Chef America. January 27, 2013. Event occurs at 5:07. Food Network. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
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