Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Brooke Williamson has carved out a résumé full of leading roles and professional achievements, such as winning Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season 14, being crowned the first winner of Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions,” and most recently, participated as one of the three titans on the cut-throat competition, “Bobby’s Triple Threat” on Food Network. Beginning her career at the young age of 17, Williamson always wanted to be a chef for as long as she can remember. “I love creating things that make people happy, and I’ve found that food genuinely does that,” she explains.
Williamson began her culinary career as a teacher’s assistant at the Epicurean Institute of Los Angeles, followed by securing her first kitchen position as a pastry assistant at Fenix at the Argyle Hotel, under the tutelage of Michelin-starred Chef Ken Frank. Her undeniable star quality and concentrated creative energy brought her to Chef Michael McCarty’s nationally acclaimed restaurant Michael’s of Santa Monica, where she worked her way up from line cook to being their youngest sous chef. Desiring to travel and experience other restaurants, Williamson later staged at the renowned Daniel restaurant by Chef and Owner Daniel Boulud in New York City. Two years later, Williamson was appointed her first executive chef position at the notable Los Angeles restaurant Boxer. Following that, she opened the Brentwood eatery Zax as Executive Chef, where she began to develop her signature California-inspired cuisine—infused with local ingredients, global flavors, and centered around the idea that simplicity goes a long way. While at Zax, she also met her business partner Nick Roberts.
The two opened their first independent venture together a couple years later, Amuse Café in Venice, followed by Beechwood restaurant soon after, earning them the title of “Rising Star Chefs” from StarChefs in 2004. In 2014, the duo debuted their unique, beloved four-in-one-concept, Playa Provisions, featuring a grab-and-go marketplace, King Beach; an artisanal ice cream shop, Small Batch; a seafood dining spot, Dockside; and an intimate whiskey bar, Grain. Their other Southern California restaurant ventures—Hudson House in Redondo Beach, The Tripel in Playa del Rey, and Da Kikokiko in Playa Vista—unfortunately fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, and closed in 2020.
When not in the restaurant kitchen, Brooke can often be found on network television. Williamson won Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season 14 in Charleston in March 2017 and a few years prior was a runner-up on “Top Chef” Season 10 in Seattle, which catapulted her career. She’s also participated on other national shows like Bravo’s “Top Chef Duels,” Esquire network’s “Knife Fight” (where she took home the win), and Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games” and “BBQ Brawl” as a recurring judge. Most recently in 2022, Brooke was the West Coast captain on Food Network’s “Beachside Brawl,” and she also participated as one of the three titans on the first season of “Bobby’s Triple Threat” on Food Network (alongside Tiffany Derry and Michael Voltaggio).
During her day-to-day operations, she works alongside Roberts creating new menus and running the front and back of house of Playa Provisions; takes her talents on the road to local and national food events and festivals such as Coachella, The Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Bottlerock Napa, Outstanding in the Field, Bourbon & Beyond, and more; and regularly participates in philanthropic efforts with No Kid Hungry.
When she finds time outside of cooking, Brooke stays active by running, bike riding, and spending time with her son, Hudson.