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 Pete ...

, 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 ...

. He started working in the kitchen there instead, and after three years he moved to London where he worked under

Simon Hopkinson Simon Charles Hopkinson (born 5 June 1954) is an English food writer, critic and former chef. He published his first cookbook, ''Roast Chicken and Other Stories'', in 1994. Early life Hopkinson was born in Greenmount, Bury, in 1954, the son of ...

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 generat ...

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 develop ...

, replacing Jean-Philippe Patruno. Food writer

Matthew Fort Matthew Fort (born 29 January 1947) is a British food writer and critic. Matthew Fort is the son of the Conservative MP Richard Fort, who died when he was 12. His brother is the writer Tom Fort. He attended Eton College, and later Lancaster Un ...

compared Lee to

Jane Grigson Jane Grigson (born Heather Mabel Jane McIntire; 13 March 1928 – 12 March 1990) was an English cookery writer. In the latter part of the 20th century she was the author of the food column for ''The Observer'' and wrote numerous books about Eu ...

and George Perry-Smith, 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. He ...

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 an ...

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, where ...

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

Fergus Henderson Fergus Henderson (born 31 July 1963) is an English chef who founded the restaurant St John (restaurant), St John on St John Street in London. He is often noted for his use of offal and other neglected cuts of meat as a consequence of his philo ...

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''. 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