Before chef Kenny Lee made Seattle his home in 1979, he lived in Cambodia and Thailand, where he grew up surrounded by the diverse flavors of his Chaozhou-Chinese mother’s Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cooking. Out of these rich culinary histories and heritages, Kenny draws out his own brand of pan-Asian cuisine, first introduced to the Pacific Northwest at his two longstanding restaurants, the family-oriented Provinces in Edmonds and the nightlife-oriented Shallots in Belltown.In addition to being at the helm of his own restaurants, Kenny has collaborated as a chef and consulting chef with those seeking to deepen their Asian culinary journeys. His most recent project was opening the Sichuan restaurant Lionhead in August 2015 as chef de cuisine for Jerry Traunfeld (of Seattle’s Poppy, and former Executive Chef of The Herbfarm).
Chef Kenny opened up Reckless Noodle House in 2018, bringing bold flavors and unique cuisine from all over southeast Asia together. As of December 2022, he now brings new flavors to Denver’s vibrant dining scene.
