The book Kitchen Confidential came out in 2000 and the buzz was already circulating in the foodservice industry on what Anthony Bourdain wrote about the restaurant business. During that time I was living in the Bay Area and cooking in San Francisco. When I heard about it I was excited to pick up a copy […]
Category: Talk Stories
Didnt going into cooking for the fame.
There is a lot of people who fall under the assumption that I got into cooking for fame and that is not the case. I started cooking professionally in the mid-’90s before the whole celebrity chef thing. I got into cooking from the request of my father, who is a chef and restauranteur, now retired. […]
Mis en place is my religion
In French mis en place means ” everything in its place” this is a term I learned in culinary school and working in professional kitchens. It refers as your set up required before executing service. Organization and arrangement are the life line of a professional cook. The mantra of work fast, work clean and work […]
Is ordering a well done steak a crime?
Well, that all depends on the individual who is consuming the steak, right? After asking this question from varies people from a wide spectrum of background I concluded that the answer is, one, personal preference, two, the geographic upbringing of an individual, three, culture or ethnic background of that person and four, the quality of […]
Palate memory and creating dishes
Do you recall the first time you bite into a strawberry? The flavor profile of that strawberry is permanently imprinted in your taste bud. This all begins when you are a child as you consumed different food and its ingredients. You start recognizing the flavor of a single component that is working in synergy with […]
About chef Peter Lee
Cooking and food have always been an integral part of my life. Growing up in Los Angeles my parents owned Chinese restaurants and my father was a master chef in Chinese cuisine. Like most Asian immigrants, the restaurant business was our way into American society and a means of survival for my family. I started […]