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Edward Lee interview transcript, 2018-07-12

 File
Identifier: dcpl_dcohc007_03_tra.pdf

Scope and Contents

Edward Lee discusses his childhood in the Canarsie neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, New York, his desire from a young age to be in the kitchen, entering the foodservice industry at the age of 14 as a busboy, his short stint at Peter Kump's New York Cooking School, opening his first restaurant Clay, the enormous strain of his early success, moving to Louisville, Kentucky to reset personally and professionally, opening Succotash in National Harbor, Maryland then Washington, D.C., his views on foodie culture, his work in mentoring women in the food industry through The LEE Initiate, the differences between life in Louisville, Kentucky and Washington, D.C., Korean culture and patriarchy, and his views on gentrification.

Dates

  • Creation: 2018-07-12

Creator

Biographical / Historical

Edward Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in the Canarsie neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, New York. During his childhood Lee spent time with his grandmother watching her cook, peaking his interest in the culinary arts. He entered the foodservice industry as a busboy at 14 and later worked in the kitchen of the restaurant. He opened Clay, a Korean restaurant, near Chinatown in Manhattan, New York in the 1990s. After the 9/11 terrorist attack Lee moved to Louisville, Kentucky where he opened the restaurants 610 Magnolia, MilkWood, and Whiskey Dry. Lee is the author of a cookbook Smoke & Pickles and a food memoir titled Buttermilk Graffiti. He has made numerous appearances on television shows, including Top Chef, The Mind of a Chef, and Culinary Genius. He opened a southern cuisine restaurant, Succotash, in National Harbor, Maryland and later Penn Quarter, Washington, D.C.

Extent

From the Collection: 1.13 Terabytes

Language of Materials

English

Repository Details

Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository

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