A look inside celebrity chef Susur Lee’s kitchen (and his fridge)
How the chef-owner of Lee, Luckee, Bent and Fring’s cooks at home
More chef kitchens
Susur Lee has worked in dozens of fancy kitchens, but this one is his favourite. He and his wife, the interior designer Brenda Bent, bought their Trinity Bellwoods home two years ago and immediately gutted the place. Their goal for the main floor was to create a big, light-filled space where the whole family could eat, cook and hang out (the couple has three sons: Levi and Kai, now in their 20s, and 17-year-old Jet, who still lives at home). The result is sleek but practical: a giant Miele fridge accommodates a full haul from Fiesta Farms, and the massive granite-topped island means there’s always somewhere to put things down. Restaurant life is erratic, so home-cooked dinners don’t happen every day. When they do, Lee and Bent take turns grilling steaks, tossing pasta and making other simple meals. For dessert, Lee indulges in his guilty pleasure: almond cookies from Hong Kong Island Bakery on Spadina. “I grew up on this stuff,” he says. “It’s what I crave.”
(Images: Derek Shapton)
&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/susur-lee-kitchen-party-02-2000x3236.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_346314" align="aligncenter" width="2000"] Susur Lee at home in his recently remodelled Trinity Bellwoods kitchen (Image: Derek Shapton)[/caption]
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Susur Lee has worked in dozens of fancy kitchens, but this one is his favourite. He and his wife, the interior designer Brenda Bent, bought their Trinity Bellwoods home two years ago and immediately gutted the place. Their goal for the main floor was to create a big, light-filled space where the whole family could eat, cook and hang out (the couple has three sons: Levi and Kai, now in their 20s, and 17-year-old Jet, who still lives at home). The result is sleek but practical: a giant Miele fridge accommodates a full haul from Fiesta Farms, and the massive granite-topped island means there’s always somewhere to put things down. Restaurant life is erratic, so home-cooked dinners don’t happen every day. When they do, Lee and Bent take turns grilling steaks, tossing pasta and making other simple meals. For dessert, Lee indulges in his guilty pleasure: almond cookies from Hong Kong Island Bakery on Spadina. “I grew up on this stuff,” he says. “It’s what I crave.”
(Images: Derek Shapton)){kind=link}
I bet its impossible to cook a bad meal in that kitchen
Kind of cool to see his fridge doesn’t look much different than my kitchen now or the one I grew up with. Pickles, olives, salsa, beer and a big shock to see yellow mustard and canned whipped topping.
You kind of expect Susur Lee to have all these crazy exotic ingredients but I guess that’s what makes him who he is. In my kitchen I’d make you a really well dressed hot dog, where as he would take the contents of that fridge and make a seven course meal that would blow your mind.
Treat to see Susur Lee and Brenda Bent’s home kitchen, having been lucky enough to enjoy an amazing multi course meal in the private dining room of “Susur”, decorated so playfully by Bent – it’s cool!
surprised to see his kitchen so simple. figured with all his money he has, he could build an over the top kitchen! and his fridge is awesome – just normal every day staples.
While Susar is ‘based out of’ Toronto, he spends very little time here. He’s travelling 85% of his time, and spends very little time in this/his kitchen. That’s another reason the contents are what they are, and the kitchen looks like it’s barely been lived in.