Susur Lee is a celebrated chef

Chef

A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...

 based in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. He was born in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, the youngest of six children. He served his culinary apprenticeship at Hong Kong's renowned Peninsula Hotel. He immigrated to Canada in 1978, where he worked his way to executive chef status at a number of restaurants. Lee currently owns one restaurant in Toronto, "Lee" located at 601 King St. West. In 2008 he opened "Shang", located in the Thompson Hotel in the Lower East Side

Lower East Side

The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....

 of New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 (now closed). In 2009 he opened "Zentan", located at the Donovan House

Donovan House

Donovan House is a luxury AAA Four Diamond Award hotel in Washington, D.C., United States. It is located at 1155 14th Street Northwest. The hotel has 193 rooms, an Asian-themed restaurant and 2 bars.The hotel is operated by Thompson Hotels....

 in the Logan Circle area of Washington DC. His eclectic style is described as fusion cuisine

Fusion cuisine

Fusion cuisine combines elements of various culinary traditions while not being categorized per any one particular cuisine style, and can pertain to innovations in many contemporary restaurant cuisines since the 1970s.-Categories and types:...

.

The internationally acclaimed restaurant Susur opened its doors in 2000, and was designed with aid from his wife, Brenda Bent (Lee's first wife Marilou Covey died in the Korean Air Flight 007 disaster in 1983). Recognized by Gourmet

Gourmet (magazine)

Gourmet magazine was a monthly publication of Condé Nast and the first U.S. magazine devoted to food and wine. Founded by Earle R. MacAusland and first published in 1941, Gourmet also covered "good living" on a wider scale....

, Restaurant

Restaurant (magazine)

Restaurant is a British magazine aimed at chefs, restaurant proprietors and other catering professionals that concentrates on the fine dining end of the industry. It produces an annual list of what it considers to be the best 50 restaurants, based on the votes of 600 "chefs, restaurateurs, critics...

 (UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

) and Food & Wine

Food & Wine

Food & Wine is a monthly magazine published by American Express Publishing. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and seasonal/holiday content and has been credited by The New York...

, among others, "Susur" has been on various international Top 50 lists, including Restaurants World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards. Instead of offering a traditional menu, a tasting menu

Tasting menu

Restaurant tasting menus offer small portions of several dishes as a single meal. Some restaurants and chefs specialize in tasting menus, while in other cases, it is a special or a menu option. Tasting menus may be offered to provide a sample of a type of cuisine, or house specialties, or to take...

 is built each day from whatever inspires Lee at the marketplace that morning.

He was the second Canadian chef to appear on the Food Network

Food Network

Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....

's Iron Chef America

Iron Chef America

Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...

 (the first was Rob Feenie

Rob Feenie

Robert Feenie is a Canadian chef based in Vancouver, British Columbia.-Culinary career:His interest in cooking began during a high school exchange program in Europe. He attended Dubrulle Culinary Institute...

) in a battle with Iron Chef Bobby Flay

Bobby Flay

Robert William "Bobby" Flay is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur and reality television personality. He is the owner and executive chef of 12 restaurants: Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, New York City, and the Bahamas ; Bar Americain in New York City and Uncasville, Connecticut; Bobby Flay Steak...

, resulting in a tie. The episode first aired on May 3, 2006. The theme ingredient was bacon

Bacon

Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...

. Lee has also been a guest chef on Ming Tsai's show, East Meets West, on the Food Network.

Lee was a finalist in the second season of the Bravo TV show Top Chef: Masters

Top Chef: Masters (season 2)

The second season of the American reality competition show Top Chef Masters was announced on October 22, 2009. In addition to the announcement, it was announced that Gail Simmons would be added as a critic. The season premiered on April 7, 2010 with 22 world-renowned chefs competing against each...

, finishing in a tie for second behind winner Marcus Samuelsson

Marcus Samuelsson

Marcus Samuelsson is a Swedish chef and co-owner of Aquavit restaurant in New York City and C-House Restaurant, located in the Affinia Hotel in Chicago.-Early life and career:...

. In the first round, he earned the highest score in Top Chef Masters history (19.5 out of 20 stars) for his dish made of roast chicken & farce curry, polenta

Polenta

Polenta is a dish made from boiled cornmeal. The word "polenta" is borrowed from Italian.-Description:Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal , which can be ground coarsely or finely depending on the region and the texture desired.As it is known today, polenta derives from earlier...

 & grits

Grits

Grits are a food of American Indian origin common in the Southern United States and mainly eaten at breakfast. They consist of coarsely ground corn, or sometimes alkali-treated corn . They are also sometimes called sofkee or sofkey from the Muskogee language word...

, tomato jam & chili mint chutney

Chutney

Chutney is a a condiment used in South Asian cuisine that usually contains a spice and vegetable mix.Chutneys are wet or dry, having a coarse to fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. At least several...

. The dish was served to the judges and the cast and crew of Modern Family

Modern Family

Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...

.

Restaurants with which Lee has been affiliated include:

• Chinois at Hotel Michael, Singapore, Singapore (owner & chef) 2010–present
• Zentan at the Donovan House, Washington DC (owner & chef) 2009–present
• Shang, New York (owner & chef) 2008–present
• Madeline's, Toronto (owner & chef) 2008–2010
• Lee, Toronto (owner & chef) 2004–present
• Susur, Toronto (owner & chef) 2000-2008
• Tung Lok Group
• Prague Fine Food Emporium, 1998
• Chinois by Susur Lee, Singapore
• Ritz-Carlton, Singapore (Consulting Chef) 1997
• Kojis Kaizen, Montreal
• Hemispheres, Toronto (Consulting Chef)
• Oceans, 1990
• Lotus, Toronto (owner & chef) 1987-1997
• La Bastille, Toronto (guest chef) 1987
• Lela, Toronto (chef or executive chef)
• Peter Pan, Toronto (chef or executive chef)
• Le Trou Normand, Toronto
• Le Connaisseur, Toronto
• The Westbury Hotel, Toronto (cook)
• Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong (apprentice/commis)

Current

Lee is now based in Toronto, and makes regular visits to his international restaurants. Madeline's has closed, but now serves as the front down and lounge area for Lee

TV appearances

• Top Chef Canada
  Top Chef Canada
  Top Chef Canada is a reality competition show. The first season premiered on April 11, 2011 on Food Network Canada. The first season consisted of 13 episodes, with 16 contestants vying for a grand prize of $100,000 and a GE Monogram kitchen valued at $30,000. Contestants will shop at Loblaws...
  
   - Guest Judge
• Top Chef Masters
  Top Chef Masters
  Top Chef Masters is an American reality competition show currently broadcast on the cable television network Bravo. It is a spinoff of Bravo's hit show Top Chef. In the series, 24 world-renowned chefs compete against each other in weekly challenges...
  
   - Finalist (Runner-up)
• At The Table With... - biography on Susur's career
• East Meets West
  East Meets West (TV Series)
  East Meets West is a popular cooking show on the Food Network hosted by the renowned Chinese American chef Ming Tsai. During the half-hour show, Tsai cooked Asian-European fusion cuisine. East Meets West aired from 1998 to 2003. In 1999, Tsai won the Daytime Emmy award in the category Outstanding...
  
   - Guest chef
• Food Jammers
  Food Jammers
  Food Jammers is a cooking show featuring Micah Donovan, Chris Martin, and Nobu Adilman; three backyard mechanics who make homebrew cooking equipment using junkyard parts, found objects, and locally sourced ingredients...
  
   - guest appearance in "Global Dumpling" episode
• Iron Chef America
  Iron Chef America
  Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
  
   - tied Chef Bobby Flay
  Bobby Flay
  Robert William "Bobby" Flay is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur and reality television personality. He is the owner and executive chef of 12 restaurants: Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, New York City, and the Bahamas ; Bar Americain in New York City and Uncasville, Connecticut; Bobby Flay Steak...
  
   in "Battle Bacon"
• Opening Soon - Lee Restaurant
• Restaurant Makeover
  Restaurant Makeover
  Restaurant Makeover is a closed television series which airs as reruns on the Food Network Canada and HGTV Canada, as well as the Fine Living channel and Food Network in the United States, TVtropolis and in over 16 other countries worldwide. The pilot episode starred designer Robin De Groot and...
  
   - Dhaba Indian Excellence
• Simply Ming
  Simply Ming
  Simply Ming is a television cooking show hosted by chef Ming Tsai, and is produced by WGBH, Boston and Ming East-West, LLC. Simply Ming is presented by American Public Television.-Overview:...
  
   - Guest chef in the "Hoisin Sauce and Pizza Dough" episode
• This is Daniel Cook
  This is Daniel Cook
  This is Daniel Cook is a children's television series created by J.J. Johnson and Blair Powers and produced by Toronto's marblemedia and Sinking Ship Productions in association with Treehouse TV and TVO, and is shown in Canada on Treehouse TV, TVOkids, Access, Knowledge Network, and SCN...
  
  
• Toronto Life
  Toronto Life
  Toronto Life is a monthly Canadian magazine about entertainment, politics and life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Life also publishes a number of annual special interest guides about the city, including Home Decor, Stylebook, Eating & Drinking, Real Estate and Weddings. Established in 1966,...
  
   - Restaurants

External links

• Lee and Lee Lounge - Susur's Toronto restaurants
• Shang - Susur's NYC restaurant
• Zentan - Susur's Washington DC restaurant
• Susur Lee at the Chef and Restaurant Database