Pepe Moncayo Biography
Pepe Moncayo is a chef, restaurateur, and reality TV from Barcelona, Spain. He is widely known for competing on Food Network’s Chopped All-American Showdown, a special series of Food Network’s popular cooking competition show Chopped. Pepe is a chef/partner at Cranes Restaurant, a Spanish-Japanese restaurant in Washington DC. He is also the owner and head Chef at Bam in Singapore, and Jiwa Singapura, which was opened in 2023.
Pepe Moncayo Age | Birthday
Chef Pepe is 43 years old as of 2022. He was born in 1979 in Barcelona, Spain. Pepe has however, not disclosed when he celebrates his birthday
Pepe Moncayo Parents, Nationality and Ethnicity
Chef Pepe was born in Barcelona, Spain to his parents mother and father, who are both Spanish. Unfortunately, Pepe’s mother passed away when he was 13 years old. Pepe learned the basics of Spanish cuisine from his grandmother, who taught him how to make traditional dishes like paella and tortilla. Chef Pepe holds Spanish nationality and belongs to the Caucasian ethnicity.
Pepe Moncayo Height
Chef Pepe stands at a height measurement of 5 feet 9 inches (approximately).
Pepe Moncayo Wife | Children
Chef Pepe is married to his wife Aishah Moncayo, a fellow chef and restaurateur. His wife is the director of service at Jiwa Singapura. They met while working at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Singapore and fell in love. They have children together, including a son who is currently in his teen years.
Pepe Moncayo Education
Chef Pepe at culinary school in Barcelona, but dropped out after six months. He then worked his way from the bottom but advanced quickly, getting recommendations with chefs he worked with.
Pepe Moncayo Job, Restaurants
After gaining culnary skills, chef Pepe worked at several renowned restaurants in Spain, such as El Bulli, Can Fabes. He worked at Michelin star Via Veneto, three Michelin star Can Fabes with superstar Catalan Chef Santi Santamaria.
Additionally, he worked open and worked at restaurant Evo, which after 5 months of operation received the coveted Michelin Star. Chef Pepe opened restaurant Dos Cielos as executive chef.
Moreover, chef Pepe immigrated to the United States with his family in 2018. In April 2019, he opened Cranes, a Michelin star Restaurant. Cranes has received numerals awards since opening including best Fine Dining in a Box by RAMW in 2020, and Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington in 2022.
Additionally, Pepe is the owner of Bam in Singapore and Jiwa Singapura Restaurants.
Pepe Moncayo Chopped: All-American Showdown
Chef Pepe is a cast member of Food Network’s cooking reality series Chopped: All-American Showdown, which premiered on July 18, 2023, at 8 pm ET. He is a chef who is originally from Barcelona, Spain, but now living in Washington, D.C after he immigrated to US.
Chopped: All-American Showdown follows 16 chefs from different regions of the United States who competes for a grand prize of $50,000. Chef Pepe represented the East Coast region, where he faced off against other chefs for the grand prize of $50,000.
Catch “Chopped: All-American Showdown” on Food Network on Tuesdays at 8 PM ET. You can also stream the show on
Chopped: All-American Showdown Cast
The cast members of Chopped: All American Showdown in 2023 are:
- Sara Hauman from Portland, Rashida Holmes from Los Angeles, Min Kim from Las Vegas and Hosea Rosenberg from Boulder; to make the West division team
- Lee Chizmar from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Shenarri Freeman from New York City, Elijah Milligan from Philadelphia, and Pepe Moncayo from Washington, D.C.; to make up the East Division team
- Omar Anani from Detroit, Andy Schumacher from Cedar Rapids, Karyn Tomlinson from St. Paul and Jill Vedaa from Lakewood; to make North division team
- Javier Becerra from Houston, Sara Bradley from Paducah, Kentucky, Scotley Innis from Atlanta and Austin Sumrall from Biloxi, Mississippi, making up the South division
Pepe Moncayo Net worth
Chef Pepe has an estimated net worth of $3 million-$6 million as of 2023. He earns most of his income from his restaurants, TV appearances, and endorsements. Pepe is the owner of Cranes, a Michelin Star Restaurant in Washington, D.C. He is also the owner of Bam in Singapore and Jiwa Singapura Restaurants. Chef Pepe appeared in Food Networks “Chopped: All-American Showdown” in 2023.
Chef Pepe has an Instagram. His Instagram handle is @chefpepemoncayo, with over 1,800 followers as of July 2023. He documents his cuisines on his Instagram page.