Krista Simmons is a Los Angeles-based culinary host and food journalist. She is the Food Editor at LAist and was a judge on Season 4 of “Top Chef Masters.” Her stories have appeared regularly in the Los Angeles Times, the Today Show, New York Magazine, and Grub Street, among others. She reports on culinary trends for the KTLA Morning News, and does celebrity chef interviews for Young Hollywood.

Simmons first became interested in the fusion of food and travel as a young girl watching shows like “Great Chefs, Great Cities,” “Yan Can Cook,” and “Julia Child & Jacques Pépin Cooking at Home.” She was immediately fascinated by how viewers could explore the world through cuisine, and was hungry to learn more. At every step of her young adulthood, she took jobs in the food and beverage industry — working everywhere from bars to restaurants to wineries.

During her undergrad studies at UC Santa Cruz, Simmons created a pilot for a show on university television called “The Traveling Tastebuds,” which demoed cooking from her time living in Barcelona, traveling to Morocco, and exploring Europe. After graduation, she spent over a year working on organic farms throughout Southeast Asia and Australia in order to gain a further understanding about food production and sustainable farming. She recently attended culinary school to expand on her culinary knowledge.

Today Simmons lives in Los Angeles with her appropriately-named Shiba Inu puppy, Bento. When she’s not busy writing, she enjoys practicing yoga, swimming, and hiking — and of course having a laugh with friends over a glass of wine.