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Corey Lee (chef)

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Corey Lee (born 1977) is a Korean-American chef and restaurateur based in San Francisco. 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.[1][2] In 2019, Benu made its debut on The World's 50 Best Restaurants.[3] Lee is also a two-time James Beard Award winner and a goodwill ambassador to Seoul.[4][5][6]

Early life and career

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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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

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".[10] Benu has maintained three Stars from the Michelin Guide since 2014, and celebrated ten consecutive years of receiving three Stars in 2024.[11][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]

Media and events

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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]

Other projects

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In 2016, Lee opened In Situ inside the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.[31] Its website described 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.”[32] 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).[33][34]

In November 2021, he opened San Ho Won, a “Korean, charcoal BBQ restaurant located in the Mission District of San Francisco.”[35] It too received one Michelin Star within a year of opening.[36] In addition, 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]

In 2024, Lee launched Na Oh in partnership with Hyundai Motor Company at their Innovation Center in Singapore.[39][40] Na Oh collaborated with dozens of master Korean artisans and is a restaurant where diners can experience not only traditional Korean cuisine, but also beautiful Korean craft and design.[41]

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ Repanich, Jeremy (2023-07-24). "Here Are the 6 Restaurants With 3 Michelin Stars in California". Robb Report. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  2. ^ Park, Sukie (27 October 2014). "샌프란시스코 베누 (Benu) 세프 겸 대표 코리 리 (Corey Lee) 프렌치 론 드리 퍼 세 '이어 미술 랭 3 스타 행진". NY Culture Beat. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  3. ^ "The World's 50 Best Restaurants 1-50". The World's 50 Best Restaurants. William Reed Business Media.
  4. ^ Barmann, Jay (2 May 2017). "Benu Chef Corey Lee Wins James Beard Award; SingleThread Wins For Restaurant Design". SFist. Retrieved 11 December 2020.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "SFMOMA Partners with Chef Corey Lee to Create New Restaurant In Situ". SFMOMA. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  6. ^ 정, 지선 (2010-02-05). "서울시, 세계적 셰프 '코리 리' 홍보대사로 위촉". Seoul Culture Today. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  7. ^ Baker, Abbe. "The First Day We Got Our Michelin Stars: Benu's Corey Lee". Michelin Guide. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  8. ^ "BENU – "COREY CUISINE"". wpbstars.com - World's Best Places. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  9. ^ Ulla, Gabe (15 November 2011). "Corey Lee on Benu, Thomas Keller, and the Indefinable". Eater. Vox. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  10. ^ Williams, Gisela (7 January 2011). "10 Restaurants Worth a Plane Ride". The New York Times.
  11. ^ Dixler Canavan, Hillary (30 October 2014). "How Benu's Corey Lee Attained the 'Unattainable' Third Michelin Star". Eater San Francisco. Vox. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  12. ^ Odell, Kat (August 6, 2024). "San Francisco's Benu Celebrates a Decade of Three Michelin Stars". Michelin Guide.
  13. ^ "Benu". AAA. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Benu". Forbes Travel Guide. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  15. ^ "2019 James Beard Award Winners". James Beard Awards. May 6, 2019.
  16. ^ "Menu". Benu. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  17. ^ Bovino, Arthur (3 February 2015). "Madrid Fusión 2015 Day 2: Chinese Turducken, Violin Accompaniments, Corey Lee's Haenyo Inspiration, and the Roca Brothers' Documentary". The Daily Meal. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  18. ^ "Corey Lee, el chef coreano que triunfa en San Francisco". España Gastronomia. Gastronomia. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  19. ^ "Kimchee, oyster, pork belly". Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  20. ^ "Lecture Theme : Creative Code". Global Leaders Forum. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  21. ^ "Corey Lee's whirlwind tour of Asia". Phaidon. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  22. ^ "2017 Science and Cooking Lecture Series offers fresh perspectives on classic cuisine". Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  23. ^ Bole, Kristen (2 April 2012). "Media Advisory: UCSF Hosts Chef Corey Lee in Science of Cooking Program". UCSF. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  24. ^ "Corey Lee". Charlie Rose. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  25. ^ "주방보조에서 스타 셰프가 된 청년, 이동민". YouTube. 26 March 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  26. ^ "[그레이트셰프]코리 리의 요리가 시작되는 곳". Olive. TVING. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  27. ^ "About dream it". Arirang TV. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  28. ^ "[TV조선 스페셜] 맛에 풍덩 빠지다…한식, 세계와 통하다". TV Chosun. 31 July 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  29. ^ "Benu". Phaidon Bookstore. Phaidon. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  30. ^ "Coming Home Again (2020)". Outsider Pictures. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  31. ^ "SFMOMA Partners with Chef Corey Lee to Create New Restaurant In Situ". SFMOMA. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  32. ^ "Visit". In Situ SFMOMA. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  33. ^ Wells, Pete (19 July 2016). "This Is America's Most Original New Restaurant". The New York Times.
  34. ^ "RESTAURANT DESIGN AWARD WINNER ARCHIVE". James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  35. ^ "About". Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  36. ^ Barsamian, Edward (1 December 2022). "Chefs Corey Lee and Jeong-In Hwang Bring the Sizzle at San Ho Won". Michelin Guide.
  37. ^ Repanich, Jeremy (14 June 2022). "The 10 Best New Restaurants in America". Robb Report. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  38. ^ "The Restaurant List 2022". The New York Times. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  39. ^ "New Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore Set to Transform Production, R&D and Customer Experience". Hyundai Newsroom. November 21, 2023.
  40. ^ "Hyundai Motor Group Serves Up Culinary Innovation with Chef Corey Lee as New Restaurant 'Na Oh' Leads Unique Customer Experiences in Singapore". Hyundai Newsroom. June 13, 2024.
  41. ^ Wu, Daven (August 8, 2024). "Inside Na Oh, Hyundai and Corey Lee's experimental Korean restaurant in Singapore". Wallpaper.
  42. ^ "Benu". Michelin Guide. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  43. ^ Repanich, Jeremy (2023-07-24). "Here Are the 6 Restaurants With 3 Michelin Stars in California". Robb Report. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  44. ^ Odell, Kat (August 6, 2024). "San Francisco's Benu Celebrates a Decade of Three Michelin Stars". Michelin Guide.
  45. ^ "San Ho Won". Michelin Guide. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  46. ^ "In Situ". Michelin Guide. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  47. ^ "The Winners of the 2006 James Beard Foundation Awards". Star Chefs. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  48. ^ "2017 James Beard Award Winners". James Beard Awards. May 1, 2017.
  49. ^ "2019 James Beard Award Winners". James Beard Awards. May 6, 2019.
  50. ^ "Best New Chefs 2012". Food & Wine. Meredith Corporation Allrecipes Food Group. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  51. ^ Addison, Bill (13 November 2018). "America's 38 Essential Restaurants". Eater. Vox Media. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  52. ^ "Benu, 2019". Archived from the original on 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  53. ^ "Benu". The World's 50 Best. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  54. ^ Gordinier, Jeff (December 27, 2019). "The 40 Most Important Restaurants of the Decade". Esquire. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  55. ^ "The Most Important Restaurants of the Decade". Food and Wine. December 20, 2019.
  56. ^ Kester, Jennifer (18 February 2020). "Forbes Travel Guide Unveils Its 2020 Star Award Winners". Forbes Travel Guide. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  57. ^ Bauer, Michael (December 26, 2012). "Benu, chef-owner Corey Lee rise to 4-star level". San Francisco Chronicle.
  58. ^ "Benu". AAA. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
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