Kelsey grew up in Bellingham, Washington. She became interested in cooking during high school and went on to attend culinary school at Johnson & Wales University in Providence. She participated in international programs in Paris as well as a wine school in Koblenz, Germany. Upon graduation, Kelsey received the most prestigious scholarship offered at Johnson & Wales through the Kobrand Wine Company's KOPF Foundation. This award allowed her to travel throughout California, Italy and France through the 2007 grape harvest, working in wineries and gaining hands-on understanding of the wine-making process. Kelsey has worked on Ming Tsai's PBS cooking show "Simply Ming" for six seasons. She has bartended in clubs and bars in Providence, Seattle, and Boston for over 6 years and is currently a producer for how2heroes. Outside of her love of food and wine, Kelsey enjoys running, traveling and spending time with her slightly overweight Bichon Frise, Gingersnap.