Corey Lee, chef-owner of three-Michelin-starred restaurant Benu in the US, is nothing short of a culinary superstar.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Lee’s early life was steeped in the country’s rich history and traditions, a heritage that would later inform his distinctive style of cuisine.
Lee and his family moved to the US in the early 1980s. It was here that he began to carve out his path in the culinary world.
“Back then, it was different from the US of today,” Lee tells Options, explaining that, when his family first entered the country, there were not many restaurants serving Korean food. “My family constantly looked for ways to replicate Korean food in the US.”
This quest pushed a young Lee to learn more about Korean culture, sowing the seeds of a lifelong passion for its traditions and food. He shuttled between the US and Korea, picking up the nuances of cuisines in both countries.
He started his culinary career working under renowned chefs, eventually helming the kitchen at Benu in San Francisco, California, where he was able to merge both sides of his heritage.
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Since then, Lee has earned a reputation as one of the most innovative chefs of his generation, offering diners not just a twist on familiar flavours, but also an insight into his experience growing up across two cultures.
Cooking up success
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Benu was launched in the heat of the global financial crisis. Construction began on the San Francisco restaurant in 2009 before its opening a year later.
During this time, the city’s commercial real estate sector was bearish. But this presented an opportunity to Lee: He believed the opening of Benu happened at “the right place and right time”. The construction moved quickly, as no other restaurants were opening; in fact, several were closing down.
Benu was thus able to establish itself as the new kid on the block. It quickly gained fame, with Lee’s menu becoming the talk of the town. “There were no other restaurants opening even after our business stabilised,” says the chef.
“We worked hard and I guess there’s probably some talent there too. But it’s also luck and timing,” Lee reflects. “We were lucky to have good support. From day one, we were able to be on an international level and we’ve been able to sustain that for over a decade.”
Several chefs who have stepped through Benu’s kitchen and honed their skills under Lee have since found success in the culinary world. Among them is chef Anh Sung-jae, who runs three-Michelin-starred Mosu in Seoul. Anh was recently a judge on the viral Netflix reality series Culinary Food Wars.
Lee admits that it is a challenge helping chefs embrace their creativity while getting them to uphold his standards.
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“If you asked me [this question] at different stages in life, I would have a different answer for you,” he says. “Earlier on, I would have had the same standard for everyone across the board. But then again, some chefs become successful through the frontrunner approach, where everyone has to compete to keep up.”
Ultimately, Lee concludes, training requires a varied approach, with no one-size-fits-all solution. As a leader, it is essential to understand each individual’s talents and form a team accordingly, so different skills are well represented.
When Benu first opened, there were no other fine-dining Asian restaurants outside of Asia, says Lee. He recalls that, in his youth, he could not find a high-end restaurant he could relate to, so he had to forge his own path.
The restaurant’s pioneering position in this regard, the chef adds, has opened up more possibilities in the minds of the next generation. “[Benu] has become a platform to show young chefs examples of how they can reimagine dishes that they grew up with, tapping into their own source of creativity.”
Collecting stars
Benu has clinched numerous accolades over the past 15 years, chief among them the three Michelin stars that it has now retained for a decade.
At the start of Lee’s culinary journey, the Michelin guide was available only in Europe. “I was just 17 years old, and since I wanted to take cooking seriously, I went [to Europe], because I couldn’t learn what I wanted to learn in the US.” He spent two years on the continent, working at a number of restaurants there.
A stint in a three-Michelin-starred location was where Lee would learn about the elusive guide. “Once I learned about it, at that point in time, it became for me the ultimate standard for what quality work in the restaurant profession should be,” he says.
After Lee returned to the US, the Michelin guide started to go international, making it possible for him to clinch the coveted stars.
Funnily enough, Lee says that when launching Benu, winning awards was not on the top of his mind. “By that time, I was further along in my career, where my goals were already set in many other ways,” he says. “So, believe me when I say this, I never had this goal in mind to get a star at all.
“When I opened Benu, I had no stress or pressure about it. I think that once you let that guide your career and goals, you’re no longer in control of your own career, because accolades — they can be random and wrong.
“You’re worried about being judged by people you don’t even know, or what the judging process is like. I just don’t think that would make a fulfilling career.”
Authentic flavours
Setting up a restaurant in Singapore was not originally in the cards for Lee. But when Hyundai launched its Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Singapore (HMGICS) in Jurong, the carmaker decided to have a Korean restaurant within the premises.
And not just any old Korean restaurant, either — it wanted to offer visitors an extraordinary experience. It thus decided to collaborate with Lee to create Na Oh.
“Honestly, Singapore was not the first spot we looked at,” says Lee. “There were other places. But I wasn’t familiar with those places and the diners there. I’ve been to Singapore multiple times and the people here are open when it comes to trying different food. So that got me interested.”
Reflecting Lee’s evolving vision, Na Oh’s menu captures the essence of Korea’s rich harvest and celebrates the art of storytelling through food. While Singapore’s tropical weather is largely consistent year-round, the restaurant brings the spirit of seasonal cuisine to diners here by unveiling a new menu every three months.
Each dish served at Na Oh combines Korean-sourced produce with fresh ingredients from HMGICS’ Smart Farm, put together into meticulously crafted sauces and garnishes with modern techniques.
“Guests can look forward to high-quality dishes presented in an approachable manner, making fine dining accessible to a broader audience,” says Lee. Na Oh serves only a tasting menu that costs just $78++ per person.
The way Lee sees it, Na Oh is a space for him to not just celebrate the harvest of Korea’s seasonal ingredients, but also showcase the evolution of Korean cuisine through a modern interpretation.
“With Na Oh, I got to take knowledge that I’ve gained throughout the years and apply techniques and understanding of food that I grew up with. My goal with Na Oh is not to offer a menu that is too esoteric, but one that is approachable and recognisable. I want to celebrate the everyday flavours and dishes in Korean cuisine.”
