Tanya Holland is a pioneer of the modern soul food cooking movement. Her famed Brown Sugar Kitchen earned multiple Michelin Bib Gourmands. Before competing on the 15th season of Bravo’s Top Chef, Tanya was the host of Food Network’s Melting Pot Soul Kitchen from 2000-2003. She is the author of Tanya Holland’s Calfornia Soul, The Brown Sugar Kitchen Cookbook and New Soul Cooking. Her show Tanya’s Kitchen Table aired on OWN and she hosted 2 seasons of Tanya’s Table Podcast. She created the Red Skillet Kitchen dining concept for Stanford University and is currently Senior Advisor to the Stanford Food Institute. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International and past co-President of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter. She holds a BA in Russian Language and Literature from the University of Virginia and a Grand Diplôme from La Varenne Ècole de Cuisine in France.