Richard Lee
Affiliation
Saison
Wood-fire cooking with seasonal Northern California ingredients
i. Biography
Richard Lee is the Executive Chef at Saison, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco, where he took over leadership from Joshua Skenes and has maintained its status as a top global dining destination through wood-fire cooking and seasonal ingredients. A San Francisco native and first-generation Chinese-American, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 2009 and advanced through prestigious kitchens including Eleven Madison Park as sous chef. Under his direction, Saison has been ranked on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, including No. 21 in North America 2025, and continues to innovate with open-hearth techniques blending his heritage.
The Archive
Selected Works & Focus Areas
Focus 01
Wood-fire cooking with seasonal Northern California ingredients
Focus 02
Integration of Chinese-American heritage in fine dining
Focus 03
Leadership maintaining Saison's three Michelin stars