Brooke Williamson on Cooking, Creativity, and the Power of Food Memories

Brooke Williamson isn’t the kind of chef who chases trends or overthinks her cooking. Her goal is simple: to create food that people will remember.

“I love to provide satisfying experiences for people via food,” she says. “At the end of the day, I want to provide an experience that creates a memory.”

It’s a philosophy that has been with her since childhood. Growing up in Los Angeles, she spent weekend mornings watching Julia Child and Jacques Pépin, mesmerized by the way they talked about food. While her peers were drawn to Hollywood and entertainment, Williamson saw a different creative path—one built around flavors, ingredients, and the emotions they could evoke.

She never considered doing anything else. By the time she was in her late teens, she had skipped culinary school in favor of working under Michelin-starred chef Ken Frank, moving through kitchens with a relentless drive to learn. “I didn’t want to look like an idiot,” she admits. “So I worked my ass off. I studied, practiced, read cookbooks at night. I knew I had to educate myself.”

At just 19 years old, she became sous chef at Michael’s in Santa Monica. By 22, she was an executive chef. And while she was building her résumé, she was also shaping something more important—her own culinary perspective.

"I don’t feel like I do one thing perfectly, but I do a lot of things well."

For years, that sentiment nagged at her—especially as she became a fixture in the public eye, competing on Top Chef, winning Tournament of Champions, and eventually joining Bobby’s Triple Threat as a Food Network titan.

People often asked her: What’s your focus? What kind of chef are you?

Her answer? She isn’t chasing labels. She’s chasing connection.

"I think my food is relatable. And I don’t know if that’s something all chefs want to hear, but I’m fine with it. If I serve a dish that feels familiar, but is done in a way you haven’t seen before—and you remember it forever—that’s what matters to me."

That’s also what led to her first cookbook, Sun-Kissed Cooking: Vegetables Front & Center. The book isn’t a rigid doctrine on plant-based cuisine, nor is it a reflection of a singular style—it’s simply a window into how her brain works, how she builds flavor around seasonality, and how she brings her California upbringing into the kitchen.

That ability to stay open, flexible, and engaged is also what keeps her inspired today. She admits that burnout is real in the restaurant industry—especially when chefs are deeply entrenched in their kitchens, working long hours without new experiences. For Williamson, her post-Top Chef life—traveling for events, working alongside different chefs, exploring new cuisines—has been a vital source of creativity.

"I love the combination of everything I do. Learning, seeing new places, cooking with different people—if I were in the same restaurant kitchen every day, I think I’d struggle with inspiration."

But for all of her travels, television appearances, and career highlights, Williamson’s most important motivation comes from something much closer to home—her son, Hudson.

"My legacy? I don’t think about it in terms of food or restaurants. I think about it in terms of him. He’s seen me work my ass off, and if that’s the one thing he takes away from all of this, then I’ve done my job."

At the heart of everything she does, Williamson returns to what made her fall in love with food in the first place: the ability to create something that brings people joy, lingers in their minds, and stays with them long after the last bite.

Because for her, cooking isn’t just about making great food—it’s about making memories.