Chef Celina Tio

Celina Tio, the braided powerhouse featured on Food Network's The Next Iron Chef and Bravo TV's Top Chef Masters, started cooking for family and friends at age eight, having been inspired by re-runs of Julia Child’s TV show. After earning a degree in hotel and restaurant management from Drexel University, Tio gained culinary experience at Philadelphia's Ritz-Carlton hotel and by opening two specialty restaurants at Walt Disney World.

For seven years, Tio headed the kitchen at American Restaurant in Kansas City, earning honors including Best Chef: Midwest in 2007 by the James Beard Foundation. Tio is now chef at her first proprietary restaurant, Julian, a neighborhood gathering spot.