Cora was born in Jackson, Mississippi, the daughter of Virginia Lee and Spiro Pete Cora. Her father was of Greek descent. Her grandfather and father were both restaurateurs. When she was 15 years old, she brought a business plan to her father and grandfather, knowing they could help her. Her first cookbook, Cat Cora's Kitchen, was inspired by her Greek heritage and Southern roots, and contains numerous recipes that were her family's favorites while growing up.
Career
After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology and Biology from the University of Southern Mississippi, she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Her partnerships with various corporations include: Macy's, when in 2008 they opened Cat Cora's Que, a restaurant in Costa Mesa, California; Disney, when in 2010 they launched a series of webisodes called Muppets Kitchen; a number of airports across the country including George Bush International Airport in Houston and Salt Lake City International Airport, where in 2011 and 2012, Cat Cora's Kitchen and Cat Cora's Gourmet markets were opened. She has also appeared on Simplify Your Life, was a co-host of the Food Network showKitchen Accomplished, and in 2011 she launched her own line of cookware in conjunction with Starfrit, Canada's leading purveyor of food preparation products. In January 2005 Cora co-founded Chefs For Humanity, which describes itself as "a grassroots coalition of chefs and culinary professionals guided by a mission to quickly be able to raise funds and provide resources for important emergency and humanitarian aid, nutritional education, and hunger-related initiatives throughout the world." She has participated in charity wine auctions held by Auction Napa Valley. Cora also made television history in 2005 as the first female Iron Chef, joining Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Masaharu Morimoto on the first season of Food Network's "Iron Chef America", spending 10 seasons on the show. In 2006 she was hired as a paid spokesperson for InSinkErator Evolution series garbage disposals. She is Executive Chef for Bon Appétit magazine and a UNICEF spokesperson. In March 2006, Cora was the Grand Marshal for Hal and Mal's St. Paddy's Parade in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. In the September 2006 issue of FHM, Cora was featured in the cooking section, where she demonstrated various recipes using items purchased from a convenience store. Cat Cora also belongs to Macy's Culinary Councils, along with Tyler Florence, Rick Bayless, and others. She has worked as an entertainer for The Olivia Companies, a travel company catering to the lesbian market. In 2008, she had a voice role for the video game . The eponymous Cat Cora, a new bar and lounge style restaurant, opened at Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport in April 2011. Later in 2011, a Cat Cora's Kitchen was opened in Terminal E of the Bush Intercontinental Airport. Cora also operated Kouzzina by Cat Cora at Disney's Boardwalk Resort at The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Kouzzina closed on September 30, 2014. On July 12, 2015 Cora was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs® Hall of Fame by The American Culinary Federation, becoming the first female chef ever to receive this recognition. Cora opened The Ocean Restaurant at the S.E.A. Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa off Singapore in February 2013. The 63 seat restaurant is inside the world's largest oceanarium and has stunning views of deep-sea wildlife from every table. Cora is currently the co-host of Around the World in 80 Plates, an American reality competition show that premiered on May 9, 2012 on the Bravo cable TV network. Cora co-hosted the 2017 FOX reality cooking series My Kitchen Rules.
