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Chef Chris Lee
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Seared salmon with Asian slaw.
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Gyro salad with Missouri-raised lamb and cucumber yogurt salad.
For some chefs it happens early in their career, for others later on, but at some point most successful culinarians get the urge to quit working for other people and venture out on their own.
For Chris Lee, that time was a few weeks ago.
Less than 90 days after he joined forces with Vito Racanelli, chef/owner of Mad Tomato in Clayton, Lee decided it was time to do something he had wanted to do for over a decade: provide chef-inspired and -created meals, do so at affordable prices, and deliver them to customers’ homes.
After a few short weeks in business, Lee reports that the new endeavor--Chef’s Table STL--is filling the niche he’d hoped it would: to provide healthy, high-quality meals to the homes of busy double (and triple) income families. Lee remarked that in the past, personal chef services were not affordable for the masses, but with Chef’s Table STL, Lee says that’s no longer the case.
A different menu will be published every month, with prices ranging from $5 to $9, and side dishes available at a nominal charge. The July 2014 menu lists three soups, four appetizers, nine entrees, and a matching number of side dishes.
Another advantage is that Chef’s Table STL is a personalized business, so Lee is on-hand to customize and direct additional meal requests--like seasonal, summer salads, for example.
For those unfamiliar with Lee, he’s neither a tub-thumper or self-promoter, but is eminently qualified. He was classically trained at L'Auberge Bretonne and Cafe de France. He was the corporate chef for Cafe Ventana, Sanctuaria, and Hendricks BBQ before becoming the executive banquet chef at River City Casino's recent 8.3 million dollar expansion. He won the Crystal Cajun Cook Off in 2011, won the Stella Artois Taste of STL Chef Battle Royale in both 2012 and 2013, and is listed in Best Chefs America.
Lee took the plunge after being prodded by some of his regular customers. “The idea behind this was to satisfy clients with whom I was already familiar—which it's done after just a few weeks,” the chef noted. “Future menus will evolve depending on the interests of new customers.”
Lee can further ratchet up the experience by cooking meals directly in clients’ homes--and “affordably,” noted the award-winning chef.
Complete details are on Chef’s Table STL’s website and Facebook page.
