David Lee in chef whites and a striped apron

About

About David Lee

“Even after more than forty years in the kitchen I still love every moment of cooking, food and wine.”

Good food should be something that we should all be able to celebrate. Even after all these years in the kitchen there is still a world of great food and wine to enjoy with clients, friends and family.

This website serves many purposes, from an introduction to new clients, to recipes and ideas for dishes to cook at home, and interesting reviews, travels and opinions in my food and wine blog. I hope that there is something for everyone.

So let’s eat.

40+ yearsas a professional chef
Since 2011owner of Sydney Private Chef
Chef’s hatGood Food Guide, early 2000s
Bowral Private Chefopened as the business grew

About Chef David Lee

Sydney Private Chef

David is the owner of Sydney Private Chef, a company which aims to create amazing food and experiences for all manner of clients across Sydney, Australia and beyond.

Since setting up Sydney Private Chef in 2011, while working between London, France, Italy and Asia as a private chef in villas and private residences, David has worked tirelessly to create the best private chef service across Sydney and beyond.

His clients include world leaders in business, the arts and entertainment, as well as a growing list of the super-rich and famous.

Career

David has more than 40 years’ experience as a professional chef in some of the best restaurants in Australia and with some of the world’s best chefs. This has provided the perfect platform to create beautiful and delicious food for all manner of clients and in all manner of locations. His mantra is that nothing is impossible, just a problem waiting for a solution.

From the fine diner “the Pier” in Rose Bay circa 1990 he worked across hatted Sydney restaurants throughout the 1990s, winning a coveted chef’s hat from the Good Food Guide in the early 2000s for his modern French food at “Cafe de la Galleire”. From here he opened and worked for several restaurants, as well as becoming a cookery teacher for several years. Prior to establishing Sydney Private Chef, he worked for Pretty Beach House, one of the Luxury Lodges of Australia, creating modern Italian food infused with native Australian ingredients, and more recently took this experience to the House of Oz at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, creating a series of Australian-inspired degustations for the Taste of Australia series.

With the success of Sydney Private Chef, the business has expanded with David opening Bowral Private Chef.

Food

David’s food brings together the best produce in season and more than 40 years in the kitchen. Having begun in high level fine dining he has branched out to include a wide range of cuisine styles including modern French and Italian, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines, as well as training and working in patisserie, chocolate making, sugar work and bakery.

He favours sustainable and ethically produced fish and meats as well as organically grown vegetables, fruits and grains.

The food champions the excellent produce on offer, through menus developed around each client’s occasion, location and needs.

Sydney Private Chef Bowral Private Chef