Starr hires high-profile chef as culinary director
Alex Lee, who with his team won four stars from the New York Times while he was Restaurant Daniel’s first chef de cuisine, will oversee the kitchens and chefs at Starr's 34 East Coast restaurants. He will not relocate to Starr's home base in Philadelphia.
Stephen Starr has snagged a chef's chef as his culinary director.
Alex Lee, who with his team won four stars from the New York Times while he was Restaurant Daniel's first chef de cuisine, will oversee the kitchens and chefs at Starr's 34 East Coast restaurants. He will live in Philadelphia part time, Starr said.
Lee told the New York Times that he had left Daniel in 2004 for a simpler life away from Manhattan: "I wanted something different, but above all to be able to spend more time with my kids."
The simpler life was executive chef at Glen Oaks country club on his native Long Island. (See this marvelous Lucky Peach profile from 2014.)
Starr said in an interview that when he mentioned Lee's name to other chefs, "it was clear that he is one of their heroes and icons. I've never met anyone with the depth of knowledge that he has. It's fascinating what he knows - specific ethnic dishes from everywhere. ... I'm hoping he inspires all of my chefs."
Lee's initial assignment will be in SoHo, where Starr and chef Daniel Rose are about six weeks from opening Le Coucou. Lee then will turn his attention to Parc in Philadelphia.
Lee, 52, worked with Alain Ducasse at Louie XV in Monte Carlo; with Nadia Santini at Dal Pescatore, Lombardy; and with Juan Mari at Arzak, San Sebastian, as well as in kitchens in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Morocco, Mexico, and Chile, according to his bio.