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# Melissa King: Steamed White Rice
- URL: https://www.cascadepbs.org/podcasts/your-last-meal/2026/11/melissa-king-steamed-white-rice/
- Published: 2026-11-12T13:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-12T16:16:25.000Z
- Description: James Beard Award winning chef, cookbook author and "Top Chef: All-Stars" winner Melissa King has a fantastic new memoir out called "The Girl Who Became King."
- Author: Rachel Belle
- Tags: Your Last Meal, #podcast, #dovetail_cc583157-f4fd-4dbe-b819-d3f82007d22c

James Beard Award winning chef, cookbook author and "Top Chef: All-Stars" winner Melissa King has a fantastic new memoir out called "[**The Girl Who Became King**](https://www.chefmelissaking.com/books?ref=cascadepbs.org)**.**" 

Melissa tells host Rachel Belle:

- About her childhood obsession with Martin Yan and "Yan Can Cook."
- How being a contestant on "Top Chef" was like going to therapy.
- The story behind her "Top Chef" winning dish, Hong Kong milk tea tiramisu.

Melissa is a fan of the traditional Chinese dish stinky tofu, a flavor and aroma that many Americans aren’t accustomed to. Rachel chats with a southern California restaurant owner who is fighting to keep stinky tofu on his menu after facing multiple fines from the city. [**Sign the stinky tofu petition!** ](https://www.change.org/p/support-cooking-stinky-tofu-in-san-gabriel-california?ref=cascadepbs.org)

- [**Become a Cascade PBS member** ](https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1?ref=cascadepbs.org)and support public media!
- Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV show [***The Nosh with Rachel Belle.***](https://video.cascadepbs.org/show/the-nosh-with-rachel-belle/episodes?ref=cascadepbs.org)
- [**Sign up**](https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133765/subscribe/1?ref=cascadepbs.org) for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
- Follow along on [**Instagram.**](https://www.instagram.com/hellorachelbelle/?hl=en&ref=cascadepbs.org)
- [**Order**](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747086/open-sesame-by-belle-rachel/?ref=cascadepbs.org) Rachel’s cookbook *Open Sesame.*