When celebrity chef Graham Elliot was making waves in Chicago’s restaurant scene, there was someone quietly building alongside him. Allie Elliot Bowles, née Alison Mundell. She isn’t just known as the estranged wife of a famous chef, she also built her own identity as an education professional, fitness instructor, and dedicated mother to three boys.
Biography
Allie’s story begins in Beverly, a neighbourhood on Chicago’s South Side known for its strong Irish Catholic community. Born on 8 September 1985, she grew up in a close-knit family with her parents, Jed and Cindy Mundell, and her sister Maureen Preabt (née Mundell).
She attended Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, an all-girls Catholic institution in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood neighbourhood. After graduating in 2004, Allie headed north to Northern Michigan University, where she studied Hospitality Management. During her time there, she wasn’t just focused on academics, she actively participated in the Student Leader Fellowship Programme and worked with the Centre for Student Enrichment.
Allie graduated from Northern Michigan in 2007 with her bachelor’s degree. But her educational journey didn’t stop there. Years later, whilst juggling motherhood and career, she pursued an MBA with a concentration in Marketing from Saint Leo University, completing it in May 2022. That’s quite an achievement when you consider she was raising three boys during this period.
Career
Allie’s career path shows someone who constantly decided to reinvent herself.
She started in hospitality, which makes sense given her degree. From May 2006 to September 2010, Allie worked as Food & Beverage Manager at The Peninsula Chicago, one of the city’s most prestigious hotels. It’s likely she crossed paths with Graham during this time, as both were working in Chicago’s hospitality scene.
After stepping back to focus on her young family, Allie eventually found her way into fitness instruction. She’s been a certified barre instructor at Barre It All Fitness Studio since 2016 and holds RYT-200 certification from Yoga Alliance. She’s also taught at Warrior Mom Yoga and even offered children’s baking classes through Morgan Park Academy.
But her primary career has been in education administration. From April 2017 to January 2024, she served as Admissions Director at Morgan Park Academy, the same school her children attended. In January 2024, she made the move to Marist High School, where she now works as Director of Marketing and Communications.
Allie’s also committed to charitable work, particularly with Smile Train, an organization that provides cleft lip and palate surgery for children worldwide. She serves on their honorary board and received their Volunteer of the Year award in 2019. This cause is deeply personal—one of her sons underwent successful cleft lip surgery, inspiring the family’s involvement.
She even serves on Northern Michigan University’s Alumni Board as chairperson for alumni initiatives, staying connected to her educational roots.
Personal Life
Allie and Graham Elliot Bowles tied the knot on 20 September 2009 in New York. They’d reportedly met around 2006, possibly through their mutual connections in Chicago’s hospitality industry. For several years, they appeared to be living the dream, a power couple balancing Graham’s culinary career with family life.
Children
The couple has three sons, though technically Allie is stepmother to the eldest. Mylo Ignatius Bowles, born around January 2007, is Graham’s son from a previous marriage. After Graham’s first divorce, Mylo’s biological mother relocated to Virginia with him, creating a geographic separation that Graham has publicly expressed regret about.
Conrad Matthias Elliot was born on 18 September 2010. His middle name honours former Trotter’s chef Matthias Merges, a friend of Graham’s. Then came Jedediah Lindsay Elliot on 25 August 2012, weighing 9 pounds 2 ounces. His name carries family significance—”Jed” from Allie’s father and “Lindsay” from Graham’s father’s middle name.
Shortly after birth, Jedediah was hospitalised for six days due to a viral infection, which must’ve been terrifying for new parents.
The family has also hosted a foreign exchange student from China named Liao Yichen.
Separation
Around 2017, fans noticed something was off. Graham stopped appearing in Allie’s social media posts, and vice versa. The photos of happy family outings, the marathon training sessions, the Disney trips, they all vanished from their feeds.
Allie updated her Instagram bio to read “single mama 🐻 | MBA | certified barre instructor | RYT-200.” That pretty much said it all without saying anything official.
Graham moved to Hawaii in 2021 during COVID, living separately from the family. He’s since relocated to Fort Worth, Texas, where he now works as Culinary Director of Far Out Hospitality Group. Meanwhile, Allie has remained in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighbourhood with the children.
Despite widespread assumptions, neither party has publicly confirmed an official divorce. They’ve deliberately kept the details private whilst maintaining what appears to be a functional co-parenting relationship. Both seem focused on providing stability for their sons, even whilst living in different states.
Physical Appearance
Allie stands approximately 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) tall and weighs around 65 kg (143 pounds). She has blonde hair and light-coloured eyes. These details come from celebrity biography websites, though, so take them with a grain of salt as they haven’t been independently verified.
About Graham Elliot
It’s impossible to tell Allie’s story without mentioning Graham, given how intertwined their lives were for over a decade.
Born on 4 January 1977 in Seattle, Graham Elliot Bowles became a culinary phenomenon. At just 27, he became the youngest four-star chef in U.S. history, earning recognition from both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. His flagship restaurant, Graham Elliot, earned two Michelin stars from 2011 to 2013.
He was named to Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs” in 2004 and inducted into the Chicago Chefs Hall of Fame in 2012. Chicago even declared 19 September as “Graham Elliot Day.” Not bad for a kid who started at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Texas and worked his way up through various establishments.
Graham became a household name through television, serving as a judge on MasterChef (Seasons 1-6), MasterChef Junior (Seasons 1-4), and Top Chef (Seasons 14-16). He competed on Iron Chef America and finished second on Top Chef Masters Season 1. Currently, he appears on PBS’s The Great American Recipe and hosts the “Pop Chef” podcast.
But success came with sacrifice. All his Chicago restaurants, Graham Elliot, Graham Elliot Bistro, and Grahamwich, have closed. He’s now based in Texas, overseeing concepts like Le Margot, Cowboy Prime, F1 Smokehouse, and Pacific Table.
Graham’s also been open about his weight loss journey. After bariatric surgery in 2013 where he lost 150 pounds, he revealed in November 2025 that he’d lost an additional 80 pounds. He continues directing Lollapalooza’s culinary operations, a role he’s held since 2009.
