Christopher Lee Biography

Chef Christopher Lee is known for his New American cuisine. Christopher Lee was born in Huntington, New York, on Long Island's North Shore. Lee earned his culinary education at the California Culinary Academy and went on to work at a number of restaurants in New York City and San Francisco, including Restaurant Daniel, Jean Georges, and The Fifth Floor, under Chef Daniel Boulud. Chef Lee's career got off when he accepted a position as sous chef at New York's Oceana, where he worked under chef Cornelius Gallagher. The New York Times and The New York Post both gave the eatery high marks. Chef Lee was then selected by Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar and Grill for the chef de cuisine role at Stephen Starr's Striped Bass replica in Philadelphia. Lee moved swiftly through the ranks to become an executive chef. Chef Lee returned to New York in August 2006 to assume the Executive Chef post at Gilt, which brought him international fame. Crain's New York Business awarded the restaurant four stars, and Gilt achieved its first Michelin 2-star rating under Chef Lee's leadership. Lee accepted Charlie Palmer's invitation to be the chief chef at Aureole in New York in late 2008. He was the driving force behind Aureole's transition from a small Upper Eastside home to a Times Square mega-restaurant. The restaurant launched with three dining rooms, each with a distinct menu and pricing range, but all of them are serviced by the same basement kitchen. A formal dining room with grand tasting menus, a bar/lounge with more relaxed seating and an a la carte menu, and a private dining room were all available. Chef Lee and Charlie Palmer parted ways in December 2010. Chef Lee teamed with Las Chicas Locas, a Chelsea restaurant, to manage culinary operations in March 2010, and elevated his protégé, Kathryn Busch, to Executive Chef. For a year, the two were hired to overhaul the restaurant, menu, and operations. During this period, she also worked at Aureole as a sous cook under Chef Lee. During his tenure at Aureole, Lee and his partner Larry Rizzo founded their own restaurant, Eden South Beach, in Miami Beach, Florida, in October 2010. Eden is a bistro that serves Chef Lee's New American cuisine in a beautiful Garden of Eden bar and lounge in the back of the restaurant space. Chef de Cuisine will be Matthew Duryea, previously of New York. Share our Strength (Miami Chapter), Miami Animal Services, Naples Food and Wine Festival, Miami Zoo, and Funkshion Fashion Week are just a few of the local organizations that Chef Lee has supported. Eden took part in the 2011 South Beach Food and Wine Festival and hosted the Food and Wine Magazine corporate party. Chef Lee teamed up with Larry Rizzo in the middle of 2011 to launch Huntington Social: a Gastropub in his hometown of Huntington, New York, with two additional additions, Kevin McCaughan and Rocky Bruno. The New York Times ranked this eatery as a "Don't Miss," describing it as a "hidden treasure." He's already started contributing to charity through the Huntington Historical Society, and he's planning a September 11 memorial. This venue's design is inspired by a speakeasy from the 1920s, featuring red velvet banquettes and white marble tabletops. Lee has his own consulting company, C.LEE Consulting, which lets him to work with other restaurateurs such as Mark Advent and the Orange County Choppers. Later this year, Lee plans to launch the Hot Meat Truck in New York City, which will serve lunch (2011).

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