Meet Candiace Dillard Bassett's Husband, Chef, and Manager Chris Bassett
The Real Housewives of Potomac's husband is a talented chef.
Yes, chef! When fans first met chef Chris Bassett during Season 3 of The Real Housewives of Potomac, he was the supportive "susband" (that's soon-to-be husband in Candiace Dillard Bassett-speak) of Potomac's newest Housewife. These days, he's officially Mr. Miss United States 2013 — but still serving up drama all his own.
Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about Chris.
Who is Chris Bassett from RHOP?
According to Chris's Instagram bio, he's a food and beverage consultant, private chef, and "awful golfer." If you're hungry, the kitchen expert is always posting his dishes online (with Candiace's music playing in the background, of course).
"Chris and I really grew up in two different worlds. I'm more like the Huxtables. I was raised in a more affluent, country club situation. And Chris was not. He was definitely not what I saw for myself," Candiace said when introducing her handsome, bald fiancé during Season 3 Episode 2.
In a July 2021 interview for The Daily Dish prior to Season 6 of RHOP, Chris revealed some more facts about himself, including his love for soccer and intense shyness.
"The best thing that I have gotten from the show is the ability to have conversations like this and interact with people," he said. "You know, being behind a bar is one thing, because it's just like an image and I can go home and be done with it, but even now when I do my cooking classes, I tell people when they ask about the show, it's like, yeah, I never would have done a cooking class three years ago, I'd be too shy."
Chris Bassett's Career
A Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef and Level I USAA sommelier, Chris currently puts his expertise into catering and private cooking classes. His first e-book cookbook, "A Few of My Favorite Things," was released in April 2023 and features 12 of his favorite recipes.
According to the 2021 Daily Dish interview, the best thing Chris cooks is "whatever Candiace wants for dinner that night." (Adorable, and likely delicious — the girl's got taste.)
His favorite thing to cook, though, is sauces.
"Like, I'll make a sauce out of anything, because I think the sauce is what really brings the meal together. You can have your protein and your vegetables and your starch, and they're all great on their own, but the sauce is what ties everything together, right?" he said the 2021 interview. "The sauce goes on the protein, but then maybe a little drips into the mashed potatoes, and then you're at the end of your meal using your vegetables to wipe the rest of it on the plate. Sauce! I love sauce."
Outside of the kitchen, Chris has helped manage Candiace's entertainment career and engages in some sports betting.
Chris Bassett's Restaurant
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chris co-owned the barbecue restaurant Myron Mixon's Pitmaster BBQ in Arlington, Virginia. However, he ended up selling his business in August 2020 to focus on catering and cooking classes.
"I didn't know what I was going to do at first, but the catering and the classes really took off and it's been great," he shared in the July 2021 interview, noting that he was enjoying the change that stepping away from restaurant work offered. "It's allowed me to be at home; this was the first year that I was at home for every major holiday and minor holiday, and never had to come home late. And it's been amazing just to be here."
The Beginning of Chris and Candiace's Relationship
"We met at work. We were both, at the time, working at a restaurant in Chinatown in DC. He was a manager. I was just a host. And he decides to ask me, 'So when can I come cook in your kitchen?'" revealed Candiace during Season 3 Episode 2 of RHOP. "He'll deny this, but I know a flirt when I see a flirt."
"He's divorced, and he does have three children by two different women. But we're here. We made it," she said. "The fact that we had a friendship before we became a couple is what helped us."
When did Chris and Candiace get married?
Chris popped the question in May 2017, with Candiace calling the proposal "the ultimate surprise." Almost 100 loved ones were in attendance, having flown in from all over the country.
Candiace and Chris tied the knot in August 2018 with a gorgeous, $200,000 wedding.
Chris and Candiace's Family
Following their vows, Candiace officially became a stepmom to Chris's three children from previous relationships.
"Once I knew that I was in love with Chris, I just loved his kids; it was just sort of automatic. They're an extension of him, and because they're an extension of him, they're an extension of me," the pageant queen told The Daily Dish in May of the same year. "And when — if and when — [I have] a child, I want for my biological children and my 'bonus children' to have a special bond and a relationship, so I feel like it just kind of worked out. It worked out for the best."
Chris and Candiace's IVF Journey
Season 7 of RHOP chronicled a bit of Candiace and Chris's IVF journey. The pair were shown freezing embryos (they got six in total), and shared during the reunion that they'd "made major progress" in their quest for more children.
“It’s definitely a priority [and] we’re getting closer,” Candiace told BravoTV.com in May 2023. “Now it’s just a matter of figuring out when the right time of year would be.”
Chris Bassett's Relationship with Candiace's Mom
Over the years, fans have watched Chris navigate his sometimes difficult relationship with Candiace's mom, Dorothy.
Amid other battles (and some good times, too!), the matriarch wasn't thrilled when her daughter announced Chris would manage her music career as her "husband-ger" in Season 6 Episode 3.
"Good luck with that," Dorothy told her daughter after hearing the news.
Chris Bassett's Relationships with Other RHOP Cast Mambers
Chris became the subject of some Season 7 drama when he failed to apologize for making Gizelle Bryant uncomfortable during the Season 6 reunion and DM'd Candiace's fellow cast member Ashley Darby. But everyone is more or less moving on.
"You know, sometimes an apology to just squash it and move on is a good thing. I just feel this is a situation that where stand by the fact that I did absolutely nothing wrong," said Chris about Gizelle during a Season 7 Episode 17 interview. "I don't need to see her or speak to her ever again."
And, prior to Candiace leaving for Thailand to film Season 3 of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, Candiace and Chris got into the "biggest fight of [their] marriage." Nevertheless, they've made amends.
“We’re fine! Married people fight and you figure it out. We’re fine," Candiace told Andy Cohen during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in April 2023.
