Baton Rouge chef traded his health care career for cooking—and he is quickly rising up the culinary ranks
This has been a good year for chef Brandon Lee.
In April, the 33-year-old St. Francisville native was named a Best Up and Coming Chef by the New Orleans chapter of the American Culinary Federation at its annual “Best Chefs of Louisiana” event. He’s also preparing for the fall launch of his own restaurant, a lunch spot and bakery in Gonzales.
It’s not bad for a guy without formal training and who entered cooking as a second career. Lee graduated from Southern University a decade ago with a degree in psychology and worked for several years as a substance abuse counselor and home health care administrator. The culinary profession, however, was never far from his mind.
“Cooking was always an escape for me,” says Lee, who most recently served as executive sous chef at Hollywood Casino’s Celebrity Grill until August. “In hindsight, I probably should have just gone to culinary school.”
Lee grew up in a household where cooking was the norm. His father was a caterer (as well as a minister), and Lee understood what it took to put together meals for large groups. He felt comfortable in the kitchen and often helped out.
As executive sous chef, Lee worked in the kitchen at Celebrity Grill at Hollywood Casino.
When he wanted to earn his own money as a teenager, Lee got a job washing dishes at the 19th Hole, the fine dining restaurant at The Bluffs in St. Francisville. He says he loved the atmosphere, and as he scrubbed plates and glasses, he would observe the routine of the cooks on the line.
After a month and a half, a unique opportunity presented itself. A line cook didn’t show up for work.
“I thought, ‘That’s my chance,’” recalls Lee, then age 15.
He volunteered to take the absent employee’s place and showed enough acumen to remain on the line. Over the years, Lee continued to work part-time at the 19th Hole. Even after he went to work in counseling, he would sometimes return to the restaurant between jobs, he says.
“I really learned a lot from (then-executive chef) Buff Thompson,” he says.
After about seven years working in health care, however, he decided it was time for a career change.
Taking a cut in pay, Lee got a job as an $11-an-hour line cook at L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge and over the next couple of years, worked his way up. He had advanced to sous chef at 18 Steak, the casino’s fine dining restaurant, when he left earlier this year.
As executive sous chef at Hollywood Casino, Lee was given more responsibility in the kitchen. He was known there for inventive comfort food, including a popular version of shrimp and grits. The special was one of the Celebrity Grill’s most-ordered items.
“I like to reinterpret existing dishes,” he says.
Lee’s version combines fresh Gulf shrimp with tasso, Andouille, onions and a collection of roasted vegetables, including corn, jalapeños and bell peppers. The shrimp mixture sits atop regular long-cooking breakfast grits that he thickens with mascarpone cheese.
Lee is also close to opening his own restaurant in Gonzales on East Worthey Street, a spot called Sweet and Savory Co. that will specialize in comfort food lunches and fresh baked goods. That’s a lot of work for an executive sous chef who is also a parent to four young kids, but it’s work he loves to do.
“Food is just a passion of mine,” Lee says. “And it’s fun to see it come together after so many years.”
