Hundreds of club and resort chefs from around the country will listen to Chef Lee deliver an inspiring keynote address at the annual Chef to Chef Conference from March 20-22, 2022.
The 13th Annual Chef to Chef Conference—to be held in Nashville, March 20-22, 2022—will kick off with a presentation by chef, author and philanthropist Edward Lee, a Korean-American who grew up in Brooklyn, trained in New York City kitchens, and has spent the better part of a decade becoming a progressive chef, award-winning author, and owner of restaurants around the country.
Lee is the chef/owner of 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Ky.; and the Culinary Director for Succotash in National Harbor, Md., and Succotash Prime in Penn Quarter, D.C.
In addition to being honored with a Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award in 2021, Lee earned the 2019 James Beard Foundation Award for Writing for his book, Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting Pot Cuisine. Lee has also been a six-time finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast.
Among many accolades, Food & Wine Magazine named 610 Magnolia as one of the country’s most important restaurants of the past 40 years and Succotash was awarded a Bib Gourmand by The Michelin Guide DC. Lee also partnered with Trey Zoller to create a luxury small batch bourbon called Chef’s Collaboration Blend with Jefferson’s Reserve.
Widely acknowledged for his culinary expertise, Lee appears frequently in print and television, and his writing has been featured in The New York Times, Esquire, Food & Wine and more. He was nominated for a daytime Emmy for his role as host of the Emmy-winning series, The Mind of a Chef, on PBS. He also wrote and hosted a feature documentary, Fermented, exploring how the ancient process of fermentation is used in modern cuisine.
Lee’s philanthropic work includes the Lee Diversity Scholarship to support the Southern Foodways Alliance Oral History Workshop. In 2018, he launched The LEE (Let’s Empower Employment) Initiative, which works to bring more diversity and equality to the restaurant industry. As part of the LEE Initiative, he founded the McAtee Community Kitchen, a culinary internship program aimed at empowering and providing a long-term career path for diverse groups of young adults in the restaurant industry.
“We are thrilled and honored that Chef Lee will be joining us in Nashville to kick off this must-attend event for the club and resort chef community,” says Michael Matarazzo, CEC, Executive Chef of Farmington Country Club, Charlottesville, Va., and one of the National Conference Coordinators for the Chef to Chef Conference. “I’m excited to hear Chef Lee speak to the group about the evolution of the food and beverage industry and about how he and his team remain positive and creative.
“My hope is to have this keynote address be inspiring and provide a fresh and optimistic perspective from someone attendees really look up to,” Matarazzo adds.
In addition to Lee, the 2022 Chef to Chef Conference will feature a dynamic lineup of the club and resort industry’s top talent, who will present on topics tailored to their expertise.
Registration for the 2022 Chef to Chef Conference is open at www.cheftochefconference.com. An early-bird discount is available for those registering by December 31st, 2021.