Jeremy James Lee (born 21 October 1963) is a British chef and chef proprietor at

Quo Vadis ''Quō vādis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you marching?". It is also commonly translated as "Where are you going?" or, poetically, "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Pet ...

, London. He had previously been head chef at the Blueprint Café for eighteen years.

Career

Lee's first job in the hospitality business was as a waiter at the Old Mansion House Hotel in

Auchterhouse Auchterhouse is a village, community, and civil parish in the Scottish council area of Angus, located north west of Dundee, south east of Alyth and south west of Forfar. It lies on the southern edge of the Sidlaw Hills, below Auchterhouse H ...

. He started working in the kitchen there instead, and after three years he moved to London where he worked under Simon Hopkinson at the Bibendum. He then became head chef at the Frith Street Restaurant and Euphorium before joining the

Terence Conran Sir Terence Orby Conran (4 October 1931 – 12 September 2020) was an English designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer. He founded the Design Museum in Shad Thames, London in 1989 The British designer Thomas Heatherwick said that Conran " ...

owned Blueprint Café at the

Design Museum The Design Museum in Kensington, London exhibits product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architectural design. In 2018, the museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum operates as a registered charity, and all funds generate ...

in 1994. He went on to run the kitchen at the Blueprint for the next eighteen years. In January 2012, he took over as head chef at

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

, replacing Jean-Philippe Patruno. Food writer Matthew Fort compared Lee to Jane Grigson and

George Perry-Smith George Perry-Smith (10 October 1922 – 1 October 2003) was a chef and restaurateur, who opened the ''Hole in the Wall'' restaurant in Bath and ran it for 20 years. He introduced into British restaurant culture menus that were radically diffe ...

, and was pleased that he had brought his style of cooking with him from the Blueprint Café to Quo Vadis.

Jay Rayner Jason Matthew Rayner (born 14 September 1966) is an English journalist and food critic. Early life Jason Matthew Rayner was born on 14 September 1966. He is the younger son of Desmond Rayner and journalist Claire Rayner. His family is Jewish. ...

described Lee as "one of those rare phenomena in the London food world: a chap everyone agrees is a good thing." Lee was a finalist in the second series of the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream ...

television series

Great British Menu ''Great British Menu'' is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four-course banquet. Format Series one and two were presented by Jennie Bond, the former BBC Royal correspondent, whe ...

in spring 2007 and presented ''Could You Eat an Elephant?'' alongside Fergus Henderson on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

. Lee later appeared as a first round judge for the Wales contenders in 2013 and again as a first round judge for the Scotland contenders in 2014. In 2017 he was first round judge for the North East region. In late 2018 (Season 13) Lee was first round judge for Northern Ireland. In 2002, he was shortlisted for the Newspaper Cookery Writer award at the Glenfiddich Awards for his work in ''

Guardian Weekend ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the G ...

''. Quo Vadis was awarded the award for Best Kitchen at the ''

Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

'' awards in 2013. In 2022, Lee published his cookery book titled ‘Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many’

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Jeremy Living people People educated at the High School of Dundee Scottish chefs Scottish food writers Scottish television presenters Scottish television chefs 1963 births