Chef Kevin Lee
Words by Emily Schuermann / Photos by Rachel Waters
I’ve always believed food contains some very special powers. Under the right conditions, it can do much more than simply sustain. It can celebrate life’s milestones, calm our thoughts, and comfort our emotions. It can conjure up distant memories and even connect people who once stood as strangers.
And I’ve been studying the phenomenon for a while now. It’s almost like being outside when a storm is building. The tastes, smells, and flavors begin collecting and winding through the kitchen, when at just the right moment, they dependably nestle into the dinner plate of one’s soul. Can you tell I love food?
One windy Oklahoma morning, I entered the “before hours” kitchen of Kevin Lee, chef and owner of Birdies, a modern Korean steakhouse on NW 150th Street in Edmond. For many, he may need no introduction after his stellar performance on The Food Network’s The Tournament of Champions and his 2025 semifinalist nomination for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Southwest. Our conversation was the backdrop to his chopping, stirring, and sautéing. As we talked about his childhood and life among Oklahoma, Korea, and the Pacific Northwest, the smells of garlic, ginger, and soy sauce quickly filled the room.
“How did you choose a life in food?” I asked, while watching him prepare beef bulgogi just for me. His father and grandmother owned highly regarded restaurants in Korea, and his mother’s grandmother was highly regarded within the home kitchen. Chef Lee grew up around people whose love for food matched their ability to create it. A life in food chose him.
Chef Lee went on to describe several key moments in his early career that confirmed and established him as the chef he is today. Starting as a dishwasher, his efficiency, hard work ethic, and skill were quickly realized and he escalated from dishwasher, to line cook, to executive chef in just three years. He refined his skills along the way, receiving his degree from William F. Harrah College of Hospitality at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Possibly the most compelling point in Chef Lee’s professional career was his choice to bring authentic Korean flavors, ingredients, and recipes into his own restaurant. He explains, “Within Korean culture, there’s a tendency to keep our recipes private. Our flavors and spices are different and aggressive, our kitchens are filled with unfamiliar smells and those reasons can create a hesitation in sharing them with people outside of Korean culture.” But as Chef Lee gained more restaurant experience, his colleagues encouraged him to make his Korean recipes the focus of his restaurant menu. The rest is history.
From bulgogi and bibimbap to tteokbokki rice cakes and galbi-marinated Wagyu short rib, Chef Lee’s food is bursting with the exciting, distinctive ingredients of traditional Korean cooking. And once our conversation was over, while feasting on my own bowl of bulgogi, I felt a sense of appreciation for all of the hands that helped Chef Lee develop his passion and skill for a life in food.
