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Our 10th anniversary |
Featured Chef: David Lee, Executive Chef, Splendido |
 July 20, 2004. For David Lee, cooking is not only a passion; it's an addiction. Combining a love for simplicity and purity with an obsession for foods' natural flavors. David seeks perfection in every dish. His distinctive style of cooking draws the very best of Canadian products, captured and prepared with Classical French techniques. "I've always believed that the best food is prepared with the least complication," he says. "In cooking it's important to let the natural essence come forward as it is also to turn savour the marriage of those flavours. Born in England, David has trained with some of the world's best-known chefs. At age 17, he began his career as first commis at the Hotel Intercontinental in Hyde Park, under the tutelage of German chef Peter Kromberg, famous for his superb Michelin food. He later worked as chef tournant for the French chef Eric Allouch, and then as saucier for the acclaimed Swiss master, Anton Mosimann. Under Mosimann's guidance, David developed a love for Cuisine Naturelle: simple, healthy, flavour food, without the "muting" effects of cream, butter and alcohol. Soon promoted to sous-chef, he worked in Mosimann's private dining club, regularly cooking for London's elite, including Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and the Royal Family. In 1994, David moved to Canada, and at the age of 24, was hired as the chef de cuisine by Marc Thuet, executive chef /owner of Centro Grill & Wine Bar, one of Toronto's most prestigious restaurants. Passionate about staying one step ahead of the latest culinary trends, David continues to visit some of the best kitchens in the world- from Lyon to Hong Kong, New York and San Francisco - for inspiration and collaboration. At Splendido, guests can expect David's signature cuisine prepared with only the finest and freshest ingredients. His seasonal menus will feature the best that Canada has to offer, including foie gras from Quebec, Caribou from the Northwest Territories, salmon and lobster from Atlantic Canada, Alberta beef, wild mushrooms from Cape Breton and, of course, the freshest Ontario produce. " I believe that a chef is only as good as his ingredients, "he says. "It's important to choose the best seasonal product to make the most flavourful, pleasing dishes."
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