Joining the NANRO USA Fellowship, Chef Richard Lee is a San Francisco native and first-generation Chinese-American who spent five years as sous chef at the three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park in New York, sharpening his sense of seasonality and produce. He joined Saison as executive sous chef, then chef de cuisine, and today serves as executive chef and co-owner. Saison holds two Michelin stars, a four-star rating from the San Francisco Chronicle, and places on The World's 50 Best and North America's 50 Best lists, along with membership in Relais & Châteaux and Les Grandes Tables du Monde.
Built around open wood fire, his cooking carries California's seasons and its farmers and fishers directly to the plate. Guided by a commitment to the purity of the ingredient and to constant reinvention, he comes to meet Korea's culinary landscape firsthand as a NANRO USA Fellow.
