Title: Manager/chef at Lee's Fresh Sushi and Deli
Age: 24
Who or what was your first cooking influence? Probably my mom. My background is South Korean. It's not Japanese. I remember her cooking every day for the family and I used to help. That's how I got hooked. Traditional Korean dishes like kimchee chicken, kimchee soup -- a spicy cabbage soup. Marinated beef. Short ribs.
What was the first thing you ever cooked or baked? Fried rice. I was probably 5 or 6. I got hungry and I saw my mom making it one day and I tried it myself.
What made you decide to become a chef and when was that? At the restaurant where I worked, the sushi chef always made more (money) than the servers. (And) I thought it was very neat the way they did it -- creating an art with the food.
What was something important that a fellow chef taught you? Clean while you work. Keep it neat. That, and keep your knife sharp.
What is the J.J. Lee style? I like very distinctive taste. I hate the neutral-tasting kind of food. I like to exaggerate food. If it's sweet I like to put a lot of sweet ingredients in there. If I like it hot, I like it hot. Nothing in between 'cause it tastes too plain or tastes too generic.
Describe one of your dishes: I was supposed to make toffee and it went bad. I was making chocolate chip cookies on the side. I put some of the chocolate chips in the toffee and it melted. It turned brown. I put some cinnamon in there and I just kept going. It turned out pretty well. The toffee was on the bottom and the chocolate layer was on top. I didn't even mean to make it like that. I put nuts in there as well. I serve it to my family at Christmas. I try to make some for whoever wants it.
What do you cook or bake at home, if anything? Salad, steaks, traditional Korean dishes, sometimes sushi, spaghetti.
What's your least favorite ingredient? Soy sauce. That just ruins the flavor of what you eat. 'Cause all you taste is saltiness when you put soy sauce on. Strong sauces. Any type of sauce that takes over the flavor of the original food.
-- Michael Donahue: 529-2797
Lee's Fresh Sushi and Deli is in the BP gas station at 6121 Poplar; 681-0111.
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