TULUM FOOD, SPIRITS & WINE FESTIVAL

As Culinary Director of Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant, Christopher Lee oversees the culinary program for the group of tapas-inspired restaurants, assisting in elevating core offerings that have made the brand successful. He also mentors the culinary team on the business side of being a chef, as well as recruiting and training new talent across Barcelona’s numerous locations across the U.S.

 

Prior to joining Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant in 2015, Lee served as executive chef of The Forge in Miami Beach, Florida. His culinary experience also encompasses time in some of New York’s top restaurants, including Daniel, Jean-Georges and Oceana. He initially attracted national attention as the opening Executive Chef at Striped Bass in Philadelphia, winning both the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef in 2006, and Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chef 2006. He returned to New York to become executive chef at Gilt, earning the restaurant its first-ever Michelin two-star rating, then took the position of executive chef at Charlie Palmer’s Aureole, which also received a Michelin star under his guidance.