Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/314991
{ SOMMjournal.com } 77 { 1 } Chef Lee holds a branch of fresh peppercorns sourced from a market in Costa Rica. { 2 } A winter salad of Italian lettuces and citrus. { 3 } Fresh fluke ceviche with shredded horseradish and pimento. { 4 } Housemade cappellini with wild mushrooms, asparagus and artichoke hearts. "It is more balanced here, but there are tough days when it's stressful," he told The SOMM Journal. "In a place like Daniel, you definitely feel like you're under a magnifying glass with everything you do. It's the same here, because for me, it's about performing; I want to make everybody happy . . . and there are so many variables in cooking." Chef Lee has performed small miracles at the club, transforming both the grounds and the kitchen into a showcase of seasonal foods. His garden boasts some 1,000 heritage vegetable and herbs, which find their way onto the plates of diners in surpris- ing ways—a sleight of hand from his Daniel days. Though that kitchen was rigorously French, Lee always found ways to infuse dishes with ethnic ingredients and surprizing pops of spices. "I really enjoy cooking other ethnic cuisines. At Daniel, the puzzle was taking those different ingredients and incorporating them into a logical, refined French dish and [creating] subtle differences like a spice from India or an herb from Thailand." The Glen Oaks menu also reflects Lee's broad palate, even in simple plates. Homemade pasta here is an exquisitely textured vehicle for wild mushrooms and asparagus that make the dish both earthy and bright. A sashimi plate, paired with a South African Chenin Blanc, is somehow presented as both Japanese and Latin cevi- che. Even a deceptively simple salad of winter lettuces bursts with alternating tangy greens and sweet citrus. Growing up in a Chinese family among a greater melting pot of families, Lee, who speaks with a broad Long Island accent, was influenced at an early age by all the grand- mothers he knew in his childhood—his own and those of his friends who were Mexican, Italian, Jewish, Asian and Indian. A great chef, Lee says, isn't necessarily the person who went to culinary school. "A great chef is someone who loves to feed and nurture people," he said. He recalls planting his first tomatoes at age 13 and being inspired by the bounty of that garden to experiment with food. That ignited a life-long passion. "I have a strong relationship with gardening and food and I don't think you can do any better cooking than with things you grew yourself or from a farm," he said. "I love that relationship between growing food and cooking food." Indeed, even living on Manhattan's Upper West Side didn't stop Lee from digging in the dirt. He planted a rooftop herb garden that he used in the Daniel kitchen, where it was also not uncommon for staff members to bring in food items from their homelands or neighborhood markets for him to try. Today, his garden reflects those learnings, and he encourages his staff to plant their own cultivars (he makes them take shifts in the garden anyway, so he figures, why not?) Lee himself cultivates seeds brought home from his travels, whether they're chilies from Costa Rica, kale from Italy or pepper seeds from the Bronx. "If something catches my fancy, I have to see if I can try to grow it," he says. Lee also taps local growers to supply a sundry of earthly goods like French heirloom pumpkins, Swiss chard and horseradish. And, no slave to locavore fashion, he's not afraid to order from afar—cheeses from Europe, fish from Hawaii or lobster from Maine. His philosophy: "If an ingredient is good, I'll buy it." But no matter from where the food is sourced, dinners at Glen Oaks are market- oriented, reflecting what's in season as much as possible. "I feel like I can do my best work when I'm growing things or sourcing from a farm. I have a deep appreciation for people who grow things," he said. "You're working with nature's clock, getting up with the sun and usually your day isn't finished until the sun is down." His kitchen combines many other farther-flung passions: travel, ethnic markets, food history, teaching and learning. After studying history and political science at Hofstra University, Lee threw aside his family's expectation of an Ivy League law career and apprenticed his way through some of Europe's greatest kitchens, always tasting and learning. "I worked and traveled extensively and tried to learn about different flavors, food his- tory and ingredients that are indigenous to certain places only and then incorporate all that into my cooking," he said. His insatiable appetite for knowledge led him to another love: sharing that lore through mentoring. Many Daniel alum credit Lee for his holistic teachings—from respecting food to respecting colleagues. "There are a lot of people who could tell you how difficult I was in the kitchen, but there was always a reason for it," he said. "I think a joy for me is when I can see some- body who has worked very hard and then when you see them be successful. "I'm at stage now where I can see a lot of guys and girls who graduated the ranks of Daniel and they're on to good things and that's really important to me." Somm Journal June/July.indd 77 5/9/14 12:11 PM