Lee is the chef/owner of 610 Magnolia, MilkWood and Whiskey Dry in Louisville, Ky., and the culinary director for Succotash in Penn Quarter and at National Harbor. He is a six-time finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for best chef: Southeast. In 2018, Food & Wine Magazine name 610 Magnolia one of the country’s most important restaurants of the past 40 years. The Michelin Guide DC awarded Succotash a Bib Gourmand in 2019.
Lee appears frequently on television and has been nominated for a daytime Emmy for his role as host of "Mind of a Chef" on PBS. He is also the author of "Smoke & Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen".