The Scoop: Chef Chris Lee becomes two-time champ at Taste of St. Louis

{From left, Kore Wilbert and Chris Lee}

While thousands of visitors to Budweiser Taste of St. Louis walked away happy this weekend after sampling dishes from the 45 restaurants on Restaurant Row, another man walked away all smiles – but not because of a full belly. Chef Chris Lee of River City Casino was declared champion of Chef Battle Royale, successfully defending the title that he earned at last year’s culinary competition. Assisting the victory was Lee’s sous chef Kore Wilbert, who works as a member of the culinary team at De Paul Health Center. The three days of heated cooking action brought eight area chefs to the culinary stage at Taste. Lee’s road to victory began when he faced off against Wil Pelly, executive chef at Sanctuaria and Lee’s protege. (Lee departed from In Good Company, the parent company of Sanctuaria and its sister restaurants Café Ventana, Diablito’s Cantina and Hendricks BBQ, in December 2012.) Lee then bested Josh Norris of Triumph Grill in a beef-centric cookoff, taking him to the final round where he went knife-to-knife against Alumni Saint Louis executive chef Eric Brenner. Other chefs participating in Chef Battle Royale included Elizabeth Schuster of Tenacious Eats, Jon Lowe of Océano Bistro, Mike Johnson of Sugarfire Smoke House and Patrick Connolly of Basso.  

{Lee's winning dish}

In the final round, Lee and Brenner were charged with preparing a dish that highlighted lobster, as well as Budweiser beer. Lee’s entry consisted of a lobster burger, a Budweiser milkshake and spiral-cut fries served wrapped in beech wood, the same wood used in the Budweiser beer fermenting process. Contestants in the final round also were required to submit a dessert. Lee’s sweet plate consisted of chocolate hazelnut crunch, chocolate mousse, a graham cracker, Concord grape gelée, meringue cooked in a dehydrator and an artful stroke of raspberry puree. Hungry for more Taste of St. Louis eye candy? Go to our Facebook page.