Alabama ‘Top Chef’ winner Kelsey Barnard Clark jailed on DUI after crashing into mailbox

Alabama chef and author Kelsey Barnard Clark is under arrest after police say she crashed her vehicle into a mailbox in a Dothan neighborhood.

Clark, the Season 16 winner of “Top Chef” in 2019, was taken into custody Wednesday night.

Dothan police Lt. Scott Owens said officers responded about 8 p.m. to a report of a crash in the 1300 block of Selkirk Drive.

Officers arrived and conducted field testing on Clark, determining that she was under the influence and not safe to operate a motor vehicle.

Alabama’s Kelsey Barnard Clark looks for ingredients for the final challenge on Season 16 of “Top Chef.” Clark, who competed in the finale in Macau, China, is executive chef and owner of KBC in Dothan. (Bravo photo/Carmo Correia)Carmo Correia/Bravo

Owens did not say if anyone else was in the vehicle with Clark.

She was arrested on a misdemeanor charge.

Clark owns KBC Kitchen, a market, restaurant and catering business in downtown Dothan.

In 2021, she published a collection of recipes and tips called “Southern Grit:100+Down-Home Recipes for the Modern Cook, and later her second book titled “Southern Get Togethers: A Guide to Hosting Unforgettable Gatherings.”

In 2025, she served as a judge on “Next Gen Chef,” a new cooking series on Netflix.