Kelly Mi Li on Leaving L.A., Reality TV and Forging a New Empire (Exclusive)
The entrepreneur rose to fame as an executive producer and star of the Netflix reality show that showcased affluent Asians in Southern California. The series ran for three seasons from 2021-2022.
Kelly, 39, has left Los Angeles to focus on raising her family — including daughter Mili, who is about to turn 2. The entrepreneur tells PEOPLE exclusively that she now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her partner, William, Milli and her mother Emily.
"My mom now lives with us," Kelly explains. "I was really scared because I moved away from home when I was 18 years old, but it's honestly been one of the best things ever. She's so helpful. My daughter is so attached to her."
Related: Kelly Mi Li Shares Motherhood Update, Admits Feeling 'Guilt' Being Away from Daughter (Exclusive)
Kelly says their household speaks "80% Mandarin and 20% English."
"My partner, William, speaks English mostly to her," she adds. "Me and my mom and her nanny speak mostly Mandarin to her. We wanted to let her learn Mandarin first."
Kelly tells PEOPLE that William is her "soulmate" and they're in no rush to get married.
"When I was younger, I always was like, 'What's next? What's next?' Now, I'm just enjoying the present. We're gonna be together for the rest of my life. He's my soulmate; we've known that since day one. And so we're not really in a rush. I think [marriage] is just a piece of paper for me. So we get there when we get there."
Kelly says they made the move for William's work in local law enforcement and his work in particular with the Chinese community. But she still makes the hour flight down to L.A. to work on another show.
While her reality TV days may be behind her, Kelly's back in front of the camera for a cooking talk show cleverly named Stir the Pot.
Each week, Kelly welcomes guests as they prepare hot pot, an Asian cooking method where diners dip uncooked meat, seafood or vegetables into boiling broth to quickly blanch them before eating. It's a leisurely process that allows for lots of conversation.
"It's always very communal for family," Kelly says of hot pot gatherings. "Food is very special because it brings people together, brings cultures together."
Related: Bling Empire's Christine Chiu Details 'Sudden and Dramatic' Loss of '99%' of Her Hair
This week's guest is actress Lindsay Price and recent Bachelorette Jenn Tran join Kelly for the season 1 finale on Friday, March 28. (A second season has already been greenlit).
Watch a sneak peek of Jenn and Kelly discussing her run on The Bachelorette and Dancing Wiith the Stars below:
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The show not only dishes up gossip and hot food, but it's also a showcase for Kelly's chili oil line Hot Jiang.
"I love it really, really spicy," Kelly says of her hot pot broth, but says her family incorporates a split, yin-yang-style pot. "Then we normally have a mild one, especially now with the baby, she since can't do spicy." Kelly says her favorite hot pot ingredients are beef, lamb, seaweed knots and noodles, which are added towards the end to soak up all the previously flavors.
Stir the Pot airs every Friday night at 8 p.m. CT on ChimeTV available through the Charter SPECTRUM TV® SELECT PLAN or streaming anytime on the GoldenTV app.
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