I had the opportunity to sit down with one of LA's top chef's who is in the process of opening 6 restaurants in 2018. In this episode; Chef Phillip Frankland Lee discusses the ONE trait that you need to succeed in this industry, how he was able to open up his first restaurant at such a young age, how he survived the first year of his restaurant without getting paid AND the importance of partnerships.
How To Connect With Chef Phillip:
Instagram: Chef Phillip's Instagram
Scratch|Bar BOH Exchange Program:
https://www.scratchbarla.com/boh-exchange-program.html
Current Restaurant IG Handles:
Chef Phillip's Bio:
Growing up as an avid eater in the valley of Los Angeles, Chef Phillip Frankland Lee first stepped into the culinary world as a young dishwasher. From there, he moved through the ranks of top LA kitchens helmed by Quinn Hatfield and Stefan Richter, as well as stints in Chicago at the acclaimed Alinea and L2O.
Through these exploratory stages, Lee unearthed a style of his own: with his wife and pastry chef, Margarita Kallas-Lee, he opened his scratch-cooking mecca, Scratch|Bar, in Beverly Hills in 2013 and Gadarene Swine, a vegetable-driven concept, a year later. In 2015, Lee moved Scratch|Bar & Kitchen from Beverly Hills to his childhood neighborhood of Encino, bringing home to the valley an entirely personal concept centered around the purity and experience of food.
From playing with vegetables to riffing on classic diner fare, the every day is elegantly transformed in the hands of Lee and a team of chefs who cook, serve, and host each diner in a space built around an open kitchen counter. Over the past few years, Lee and his Scratch Restaurants group have invested in his hometown of Encino with multiple world-class culinary concepts for the neighborhood.
The group opened Woodley Proper - a bar that cooks, Frankland's Crab & Co, a fast seafood shack for dine-in, delivery, and carry-out, as well as Sushi|Bar, an LA-inspired sushi speakeasy serving new wave nigiri. Both Lee and his restaurants have received outstanding accolades including S. Pellegrino’s “Young Chef 2015” finalist, Zagat’s "30 under 30", #97 in Opinionated About Dining’s 2015 Best Restaurants in the U.S., and a coveted spot on Los Angeles Times food critic Jonathan Gold’s “101 Best Restaurants” list. Eater LA has called Sushi|Bar one of "26 Essential Los Angeles Sushi Restaurants," Our Ventura Blvd selected Sushi|Bar as one of "2017’s Best Bites on Ventura Boulevard," Time Out Los Angeles honored the entire tasting menu at Sushi|Bar on their list of "The 75 best dishes and drinks in Los Angeles 2017," and Zagat spotlighted all of Scratch Restaurants projects in their story "Why Los Angeles Is the Most Exciting Food City of 2017."
Lee also holds the Food Network record for most consecutive wins beating out the competition on “Chopped,” “Guy’s Grocery Games,” and “Cutthroat Kitchen,” having previously competed on Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season 13. In the spring of 2018, Scratch Restaurants will bring Frankland's Crab & Co, Margarita's Homemade Iced Cream and two additional concepts to the iconic Montecito Inn
Podchaser is the ultimate destination for podcast data, search, and discovery. Learn More