Born and raised in Orange County, CA, Bryan Lee attributes his love for

cooking to his childhood memories of being in the kitchen with his Japanese

grandmother. To this day, her “katei ryori” (homestyle cooking) influences

appear in many dishes Bryan creates.

Bryan first began sharing his cooking with college friends while studying

Cultural Anthropology at American University, but quickly realized his passion

was in the culinary arts. He returned to his SoCal roots, and enrolled in the

Laguna Culinary Arts program where he honed his skills in the classic French

tradition.

Today, Bryan finds inspiration for his cooking in the seasonal ingredients at local

farmers’ markets, and creates dishes from a variety of cuisines ranging from

French and Italian, to the cuisine of his Japanese and Korean heritage.