In the Kitchen with Dan Lee
It’s in the dressing, not the dress code
Cast your mind back to 2021. The world was still in a foggy post Covid-19 state and slowly making its way to something akin to normal. As television became more watched than ever before, cooking shows were a form of escape where viewers could dream about being able to sit in a restaurant again. Masterchef: The Professionals is quite simply the best of the best when it comes to cooking shows, taking talented and accomplished chefs from around the country and pitting them against one another, in a series of competitive and increasingly more gruelling tasks.
It was with Masterchef: The Professionals in 2021 that UK audiences got to know chef Dan Lee. He came to be on the show after spending time with a close friend “who had always been in my ear and boosting my confidence. She had been talking up one of the chefs on the show, and I thought that I was just as good so when an advert popped up on my social feed, it felt like I had to give it a try. I applied for it on a hangover and very much forgot all about it when I got a call from the production team. There were a few interviews and designing of dishes and before I knew it I was on the show.” A natural in front of the camera, Dan seriously impressed judges Gregg Wallace, Monica Galetti and Marcus Wareing.
Dan Lee photographed by Nicholas Andrews exclusively for The Rakish Gent Issue 4
It was not all plain sailing. Whilst Dan would go on to win the 2021 series of the show, and hold that trophy up high, he suffered setbacks and was not all that confident at the start. “I felt like it didn’t start that well with a bangers and mash invention test where the sausages burst. The randomness of the challenges and the invention tests were difficult. I was really comfortable cooking my own dishes. I’d definitely say that my confidence grew as the competition continued.” That was clear to see for the viewers and judges as the dishes became ever more impressive over time. Dan really shone in the street food challenge with his Thai dish, in the Chef’s Table round in which he served a trio of dim sum (turnip cake, chicken feet with fermented black bean sauce and prawn and pork dumpling with apple). For the menu that would see him go on to win the show, he was inspired by his time in Singapore with a Singapore chilli crab on toast and bao bun, Singapore chicken and rice main course and for desert - smoked hay treacle tart with pickled ginger and clotted cream ice-cream. It was described as “an absolutely sensational plate of food” by Marcus Wareing.
Dan had not originally planned on being a chef, and it was a passion for travel and finding a way to be able to do that, that led to the career. “I lasted three months at sixth form and it really wasn’t for me. I was studying all academic subjects (German, Ancient History, Business and Geography). I was a bit lost, working in a supermarket and hanging around on the streets. I saw a Careers Advisor who talked me into going to an Open Day at a local college. There was a really simple pasta dish to make, and I immediately loved how hands on the experience had been.” That hands-on experience, would led to “spending time going around restaurants in Birmingham, knocking on doors and being an extra pair of hands in a kitchen, getting some great experience. After the two years of training I booked a one way flight to New Zealand and started to get stuck in.” Travel to New Zealand and transformative time spent in Singapore led to his ethos as a chef, which he describes simply as “bringing people together through food. One of the most common ways to greet someone in China is “have you eaten today?” Which just shows how important food is to different cultures around the world. The moment you mention food to people, I feel like you can learn so much about them and culture.” It makes perfect sense that his dishes are a bold reflection of his heritage and travels.
Following the success of Masterchef: The Professionals, Dan has high hopes that his own restaurant space will “feel like the most comfortable restaurant that you will ever go in, where the food quality is as good as any fine dining restaurant. I like the idea of small plates and large plates being mixed together. I’d like it to be open, and end for me to talk to customers whilst cooking and serving the food.” He is also the ambassador “for an app called Cheffie London (@cheffie_london) on which you can download the app, book a date and chef and they come to your house and cook for you. Private cheffing is become really popular which is one of the reasons that this app came about. It’s good for chefs too as you can state your availability. For chefs that work in restaurants and that need a little extra income, it can work really well.”
Alongside that, he is staying true to his Midlands routes with a four month stint (from June - October 2023) at Hockley Social Club where the vibe is very much about “accessible food. At the moment with the cost of living crisis I want people to feel like they can still come out and have a great night out, enjoy good food and it not have to cost the earth. I want to bring all of my knowledge, and create great street food with the same love that I would put into a fine dining restaurant.”
Dan Lee photographed by Nicholas Andrews exclusively for The Rakish Gent Issue 4