Chef christopher lee biography

I was born and raised in Chicago to people who migrated north in 1917.
Christopher Lee is a chef who specializes in New American cuisine.
The restaurant business runs in Christopher Lee's blood: he grew up with a family restaurant on Lexington Avenue and his penchant for cooking shows.

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Interview with Best New Chef Christopher Lee

How he got into the food business: Working at a bakery, illegally, when he was 13. "That's how I caught the bug. I knew I wanted to go to culinary school, but my mother is an educator, so I promised her I'd get a degree. I went to the College of Wooster in Ohio and during spring break, summer break, I'd go home and work with a caterer. I even catered at college — fraternity events and parents'-day weekends. I'd just do crudités, meat platters, dips, Nothing [extraordinary]. But I've wanted to be a Best New Chef since I was 15 years old."

Career turning point: "As soon as I got to San Francisco, food took on shape. You'd see where products came from — I went to oyster farms and dug in the beds, I foraged for mushrooms in the woods. And just the love of food out there was awesome. Young America: Instead of going out and getting wasted, they'd go out and have a dinner party. Fun revolved around food and wine. I loved that."

Most memorable experience: "One time I was messing aro

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Christopher Lee Edit Profile

chef

Christopher Lee, American chef. Achievements include receiving Four Bell review from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Named Best Chef 2005, Philadelphia Magazine; named one of NYC's Rising Stars, StarChefs.com, 2007; recipient Rising Star Chef of the Year award, James Beard Foundation, 2005, Best New Chef award, Food and Wine Magazine, 2006.

Background

Lee, Christopher was born in 1976 in Long Island, New York, United States.

Education

Graduate, California Culinary Academy.

Career

Lee received his culinary education from the California Culinary Academy and later went on to work at many restaurants in New York City and San Francisco, such as Restaurant Daniel, under Chef Daniel Boulud, Jean Georges, and The Fifth Floor. In August 2006, Chef Lee moved back to New York to accept the Executive Chef position at Gilt, which earned him international acclaim. The restaurant received four stars from Crain"s New York Business, and under Chef Lee"s guidance, Gilt also earned its first-e

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Chef Christopher Lee of Huntington Social - Biography

The restaurant business runs in Christopher Lee’s blood: he grew up with a family restaurant on Lexington Avenue and his penchant for cooking shows. He got his first restaurant job at the age of 15, and hasn’t left the industry since.

Lee worked at restaurants through college, then headed to San Francisco, enrolled full-time at the California Culinary Academy, and promptly began working six nights a week, first with Chef Bruce Hill and later as garde manger at The Fifth Floor. After graduating in 2000, Lee spent time at Jean Georges and Daniel in New York, and as chef de cuisine under Neil Gallagher at Oceana, who he credits with opening his mind to flavor theory and introducing him to every fish known to man.

After Oceana, Lee spent two and a half years at Striped Bass in Philadelphia, where he won the restaurant critical acclaim, including a highly coveted four bells review from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Best New American Restaurant 2004 in Travel + Leisure, and a 2006 top US restaurant rating in Gourmet