Young Chef on the Rise Receives Awards for Culinary Greatness

At 30 years old, Christopher Lee, Former Executive Chef of the landmark seafood restaurant Striped Bass in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is making his mark in the culinary world, emerging as a master of New American cuisine.

At the 2005 James Beard Awards, Chef Lee was awarded the highly regarded Gallo Sonoma “Rising Star Chef of the Year” Award. The award is given to a chef, age 30 or younger, who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to make a significant industry impact in years to come. Chef Lee is nominated for the foundation’s Mid-Atlantic Chef honor for 2006.

Chef Lee, who was also named “Best Chef 2005” by Philadelphia Magazine, has received rave reviews for the stellar cuisine at Striped Bass, including a highly coveted and extremely infrequent Four Bell review from Philadelphia Inquirer’s Craig LaBan. In his review, LaBan wrote, “Since Lee officially ascended to the executive chef throne, he continues to produce more clever creations that balance complexity, technical prowess and pristine seafood.” Travel + Leisure included Striped Bass in its “Best New American Restaurants 2004” issue and Gourmet selected it as one of the country’s top restaurants.

Lee, who honed his culinary talent in some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants, including New York City’s Oceana, Restaurant Daniel, Jean Georges, and San Francisco’s Fifth Floor, began his career when he was fourteen, working first as a busboy, and later garde manger, at a small bistro near his childhood home in Long Island, NY. He says his father is a great cook and while growing up he often helped out in the kitchen at home. He believes he inherited his father’s culinary inclinations.

After a few years in the trenches as a catering chef, Lee enrolled in the prestigious California Culinary Academy and relocated to San Francisco, CA. While completing his studies he worked in the kitchen at Waterfront, where he dabbled in Italian, Asian and seafood fusion.

Eventually Lee moved back east to accept the position of sous chef, working under Cornelius Gallagher, which he claims was the definitive turning point in his career, at New York’s premier seafood restaurant, Oceana. There, Lee was integral in redefining the restaurant’s approach to the elegant dining experience. The New York Times gave Oceana a glowing three-star review, and The New York Post proclaimed it, “The city’s best seafood restaurant.”