Corey Lee (born 1977) is a Korean-American chef and restaurateur based in San Francisco. [1] In 2014, his flagship restaurant, Benu, became the first in San Francisco to receive three stars from the Michelin Guide, making Lee the first Korean chef to garner that accolade. [2] [3] In 2019, Benu made its debut on The World's 50 Best Restaurants. [4] Lee is also a two-time James Beard Award winner, a former Food & Wine Best New Chef, and a Goodwill Ambassador to Seoul. [5] [6] [7]
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Lee moved to the U.S. with his family in 1982. At age 17, he began his career in restaurants at Blue Ribbon Sushi in New York. [8] He then went on to work and stage at fine dining institutions such as Pied à Terre, The Restaurant Marco Pierre White, Lucas Carton, Guy Savoy, Daniel, and Lespinasse. [9] In 2001, he began what would be his nine-year working relationship with Thomas Keller at The French Laundry. During that time, he also spent a year opening Per Se in New York City, returning to The French Laundry as head chef. [10]
In 2010, Lee opened Benu in San Francisco and within 6 months was included in The New York Times list of "10 Restaurants Worth a Plane Ride". [11] Benu has maintained three stars from the Michelin Guide since 2014. [12] It has also won the AAA Five Diamond Award, 5 stars from the Forbes Travel Guide, and a James Beard Award for Best Wine Program. [13] [14] [15] Benu’s fixed menu incorporates ingredients and techniques from many different cuisines, including Korean and Cantonese. [16]
Lee has presented at several international culinary events such as Madrid Fusion, Gastronomika, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Global Leaders Forum, and Seoul Gourmet. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] He has also given guest lectures at Harvard University and UCSF. [22] [23] His television appearances include Charlie Rose and Korean documentaries produced by KBS, Olive TV, Arirang, and TV Chosun. [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]
In 2015, he authored Benu–a collection of recipes and essays that explores the restaurant's food, influences, and collaborators–with forewords by Thomas Keller and David Chang, published by Phaidon and designed by Julia Hasting. [29]
Lee also acted as food consultant for the film Coming Home Again , directed by Wayne Wang and based on The New Yorker short story by Chang-Rae Lee. [30]
Drawing on his training in traditional French cooking, Lee opened the bistro Monsieur Benjamin in 2014. [31] In 2016, he opened In Situ inside the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. [32] Its website describes it as an exhibition restaurant that “[brings] together a revolving collection of culinary influencers, innovators, and icons to make their contributions accessible for greater public engagement.” [33] Hailed as “America’s Most Original New Restaurant” by The New York Times , it earned one Michelin star and won the 2018 James Beard Award for Best Restaurant Design (76 Seats and Over). [34] [35] In November 2021, he opened SAN HO WON, a “Korean, charcoal BBQ restaurant located in the Mission District of San Francisco.” [36] It was named #1 Best New Restaurant in America by Robb Report and included in The New York Times 2022 list of their 50 favorite restaurants in America. [37] [38]
Benu is a three-Michelin star New American restaurant located in the SoMa district of downtown San Francisco opened in 2010 by chef Corey Lee, the former Chef de cuisine at the French Laundry. Benu made the list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2019.
The French Laundry is a three-Michelin-star French and Californian cuisine restaurant located in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. Sally Schmitt opened The French Laundry in 1978 and designed her menus around local, seasonal ingredients; she was a visionary chef and pioneer of California cuisine. Since 1994, the chef and owner of The French Laundry is Thomas Keller. The restaurant building dates from 1900 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Momofuku is a culinary brand established by chef David Chang in 2004 with the opening of Momofuku Noodle Bar. It includes restaurants in New York City, Toronto (defunct), Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, a bakery established by pastry chef Christina Tosi, a bar (Nikai), and a quarterly magazine. The restaurants are notable for their innovative take on cuisine while supporting local, sustainable and responsible farmers and food purveyors.
David Kinch is an American chef and restaurateur. He owned and operated Manresa, a restaurant in Los Gatos, California, which was awarded three Michelin stars in 2016. Kinch's California cuisine has strong French, Catalan and Japanese influences. Kinch opened a second restaurant in Los Gatos, called The Bywater, on January 12, 2016.
Eleven Madison Park is a fine dining restaurant located inside the Metropolitan Life North Building at 11 Madison Avenue in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City. Owned by chef Daniel Humm's Make it Nice group, it has held 3 Michelin stars since 2012, and was ranked first among The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2017.
Daniel Humm is a Swiss plant-based chef and owner of Eleven Madison Park.
Melissa Perello is an American chef, she is best known for holding a Michelin star at her restaurant Frances in San Francisco. She had previously won a star at restaurant Fifth Floor, and has won awards from both Chronicles and Food & Wine magazines.
Christopher Kostow is the executive chef at The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley, California. Under Chef Kostow, The restaurant was awarded three stars from the Michelin Guide in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2013, Chef Kostow was awarded the James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef: West".
Saison is a San Francisco restaurant that earned the highest rating of three stars from the Michelin Guide in 2014. It is located in the SoMa district. The founder is Beverage Director and Winemaker for Saison Winery, Mark Bright. The Executive Chef is Richard Lee.
Grace was a restaurant in the West Loop neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It had been ranked 3 stars by the Michelin Guide each year since 2015. Before closing on December 20, 2017, Alinea and Grace were the only Chicago restaurants with three Michelin stars.
Quince is a restaurant in the Jackson Square neighborhood in San Francisco, California. Opened in 2003 by chef Michael Tusk and his wife, Lindsay, in Pacific Heights, the restaurant moved to their current location in Jackson Square, which is next door to sister restaurant, Cotogna. The Tusks partner with Fresh Run Farms of Bolinas, CA in sourcing exclusive produce for a $275 per diner tasting menu in the California tradition. The restaurant also features a global selection of caviar.
Dominique Crenn is a French chef. As of 2016, she was the only female chef in the United States to attain three Michelin stars, for her restaurant Atelier Crenn, in San Francisco. Crenn has been featured in several Food Network and other television shows.
In Situ was a restaurant located inside the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The concept was conceived by Corey Lee (chef), who is also the owner and chef of the nearby 3-Michelin-star-rated Benu.
Coi was a restaurant in San Francisco, California. It served a nightly tasting menu for $250 per diner featuring seafood of the California coast. In 2017, it was awarded three Michelin stars under executive chef Matthew Kirkley.
COTE Korean Steakhouse is owned and operated by Simon Kim, a Korean-American restaurateur. The first location was opened in the Flatiron District of New York City in 2017 and has been awarded one Michelin star and several accolades from the James Beard Foundation. COTE is the only Michelin-starred Korean barbecue restaurant in the world. COTE's second location opened in Miami Design District in February, 2021.
State Bird Provisions is a San Francisco restaurant founded by chef-owners Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski.
Kasama is a Filipino restaurant in Chicago, Illinois. The restaurant has received a Michelin star, making it the world's first Filipino restaurant to earn one.
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