Susur Lee facts for kids

Susur Lee (Chinese: 李國緯; born December 1958) is a famous Canadian chef. He lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is well-known for being a lead chef on Iron Chef Canada. He also owns several restaurants and shares cooking videos on YouTube and TikTok.

Early life

Susur Lee was born in Hong Kong. He was the youngest of six children in his family. He started learning to cook at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. This was his first step to becoming a chef.

Cooking career

Susur Lee worked hard to become an executive chef at many restaurants. An executive chef is the head chef in a kitchen. Later, he started his own businesses. His cooking style is called fusion cuisine. This means he mixes different cooking traditions and flavors.

He is very famous for his "Singapore Slaw." This is his special version of a salad called Lo Hei. People traditionally eat Lo Hei during the Lunar New Year.

TV shows and appearances

Susur Lee was a finalist on the TV show Top Chef: Masters. He tied for second place in the second season. He has also been a guest on many other cooking shows. He was the second Canadian chef to appear on the Food Network's Iron Chef America.

His career includes cooking at many places in Toronto. He also judges cooking events. He has appeared on many food and wine TV shows. He owns and manages popular restaurants in Canada, the United States, and Singapore. His first restaurant, Lotus, opened in Toronto in 1987. Today, he runs the Susur Lee Restaurant Group.

Awards and recognition

Susur Lee has won many awards for his cooking. These include the CAA Five Diamond Award. He also received the American Academy of Hospitality Services' 5 Diamond Award. This award named him one of the "World's Best Chefs."

Food & Wine magazine named him one of the "Ten Chefs of the Millennium." In 2017, he received "Canada's Best 100 Lifetime Achievement Award." In 2015, he was also honored as one of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants. This award was given by Canadian Immigrant Magazine.

Personal life

Susur Lee met his first wife, Marilou Covey, while working at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. They moved to Canada in 1978 and got married that same year.

In 1991, Susur married Brenda Bent. They have three children together: Kai, Levi, and Jet.

Current restaurants

Susur Lee owns and operates several restaurants today:

• Lee, Toronto (opened 2004)
• Tung Lok Heen (formerly Chinois), Singapore (opened 2010)
• Lee Kitchen, Toronto Pearson International Airport (opened 2015)
• Kid Lee, Toronto (opened 2018, closed 2020)

Book

Susur Lee co-wrote a book called A Culinary Life. He wrote it with Canadian Chef Jacob Richler. The book was published by Ten Speed Press.

TV appearances

Susur Lee has appeared on many television shows:

• Iron Chef Canada - Iron Chef
• Chopped Canada - guest judge
• Canada Crew
• Top Chef Canada - guest judge
• Top Chef - guest judge
• Top Chef Masters - finalist (runner-up)
• At the Table With... - a show about his career
• East Meets West - guest judge
• Food Jammers - guest appearance
• Iron Chef America - tied with chef Bobby Flay
• Opening Soon - about his Lee Restaurant
• Restaurant Makeover - Dhaba Indian Excellence
• Simply Ming - guest chef
• This Is Daniel Cook
• Bizarre Foods America
• MasterChef Asia - judge
• Wall of Chefs - judge

See also

In Spanish: Susur Lee para niños