by First Lady
Jill Biden at the April 2023 State Dinner for President
Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea, alongside White House Executive Chef
Cristeta Comerford (middle) and pastry chef Susie Morrison (far right) (White House photograph by Adam Schultz) Lee began cooking professionally at age 22 in a
French Moroccan restaurant called Chez Es Saada in the
East Village of Manhattan. One summer, he traveled to
France and cooked in several restaurants, after which he spent five years learning
Korean cuisine, as well as the cuisine of other parts of
East Asia and
Southeast Asia. His culinary training has been described as largely experiential rather than formal, drawing from apprenticeships and travel. On a trip to the
Kentucky Derby in 2001, Lee fell in love with
Louisville and
Southern cooking. He moved to the city in 2002 and began working at 610 Magnolia with former chef and owner Eddie Garber. Barely a year after he moved to the city, he became owner of 610 Magnolia. Under Lee’s leadership, the restaurant gained national recognition and has been included in lists of notable Southern fine dining establishments. In 2010, Lee appeared on Season 8 of
Iron Chef America. The next year, in 2011, Lee competed on season 9 of
Top Chef. He won two elimination challenges and finished fifth in the competition. He was also the host chef featured in the third season of
The Mind of a Chef, for which he received a
Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Culinary Host. The series, produced by PBS, was noted for combining travel, philosophy, and cooking techniques. In 2013, Lee published a cookbook,
Smoke and Pickles. It received positive reviews from food journalists and other chefs including
David Chang and
Anthony Bourdain. The next year, in 2014, Lee partnered with
YouthBuild and IDEAS 40203 to create a culinary training program based in the
Smoketown neighborhood of Louisville. The program trained youth who may not be able to afford expensive culinary schools to work in the restaurant industry. In 2015, Lee's trainees launched a pop-up diner called Smoke & Soul. In 2017, Lee was the chef judge for the American adaptation of
Culinary Genius. The same year, Lee founded the LEE Initiative; Lee is an acronym for "Let's Empower Employment." The Initiative identifies issues surrounding diversity in the restaurant industry and creates solutions to help the restaurant community grow. The initiative includes two programs: Smoke and Soul, and Women Chefs in
Kentucky. During the COVID pandemic, the initiative developed the Restaurant Workers Relief Program to support
workers laid off by shutdowns. In 2024, the initiative won a James Beard Humanitarian Award. In 2023, Lee was selected as the guest chef at the April 26
state dinner at the
White House during South Korean president
Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to the United States. The menu incorporated both Korean and American culinary elements and was noted as part of broader diplomatic cultural exchange efforts. In 2024, Lee published his third book,
Bourbon Land, which collects several recipes involving
bourbon and elaborates its history and regional significance. There, he revealed his Korean given name, Kyun, in the finals round after making a dessert inspired by
tteokbokki. In January 2025, Lee was awarded the Stepping Stone Award by the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) for his ambassadorial efforts in spreading awareness of Korean culture. On February 14, 2025, ''Edward Lee's Country Cook'', a South Korean travel and food show hosted by Lee, premiered on tvN. ==Cuisine==