Jackson Chef Heads to National Stage for Shot at $1 Million Prize

Hotel Jackson’s executive chef Malyna Si is about to trade the quiet mountains of Wyoming for the bright lights of network television. She’s been selected to compete on Padma Lakshmi’s new celebrity chef competition “America’s Culinary Cup,” where she’ll face off against other James Beard and Michelin-starred chefs for a grand prize of $1 million.

Si’s journey to this moment started far from the kitchen. She was studying sculpture in college when she took a restaurant job to make ends meet—and fell in love. “I really love transforming ingredients from beginning to end,” she said. “It’s instant gratification. You see guests eating your food and they’re smiling and nodding. That’s what I do this for.”

Before coming to Wyoming 18 months ago, Si was the only female chef leading a Michelin-starred restaurant in Florida. At Four Seasons Orlando’s Capa, she worked her way up from cook to executive chef. During her first year at the helm, the restaurant earned its first Michelin star. Now she’s a James Beard semifinalist in the Best Chef Mountain category.

The CBS competition, which premieres March 4 with a 90-minute episode, was intense. Filming stretched over two months with 16-hour days, six days a week. “There’s so much mental strain,” Si said. “Things that coffee can get you through—but there’s nothing that can get you through the uncertainty of it all and the questioning of yourself.”

Still, she describes the cast as unusually supportive. “We’re all still in touch. We talk almost every day.”

Commercials for the show have already started airing during major events like the Grammys and football games. Back home in Jackson, people are stopping Si at the grocery store and the hotel with the same question: Did she win? She can’t say. All she offers is a sly smile and an invitation to watch.

Win or lose, Si sees the platform as a chance to share something deeper. Her mother is Vietnamese and Laotian; her father is Cambodian. She grew up on home-cooked Southeast Asian food, packed in a lunchbox that other kids found “weird.” Now she’s excited to bring those flavors to a national audience. “I’m really hoping people will start asking questions: Where can we find a Cambodian restaurant? How can I access this food?”

At Hotel Jackson, she’s already shaking things up. She spent her days off visiting local ranches and farms, determined to source regionally despite warnings it would be difficult. “Distributors want to be in Jackson,” she said. “They just haven’t had a person willing to do it. I’m that person.”

For Si, food is storytelling. “These people put so much effort into their ranches and farms. It’s my responsibility to share that story. Otherwise, you’re just eating another dish.”

“America’s Culinary Cup” premieres March 4 at 7:30 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+, following Survivor 50