Michelle Lee, Chef

A Monterey Peninsula native, Chef Michelle Lee's 20+ year career started at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. While she has since practiced pastry at Monterey landmarks Restaurant 1833, Montrio Bistro and Bernardus Lodge, she has also worked in other notable kitchens: The Mansion at MGM Grand Las Vegas, Michael Mina at the Bellagio, Rick Moonen's RM Seafood at the Mandalay Bay, and R2L Restaurant in Philadelphia.

Since 2015, she has worked at InterContinental The Clement Monterey, where she runs the dessert program and helps oversee kitchen operations. Her desserts often invoke childhood nostalgia and draw inspiration from her travels. Michelle also owns a cottage food business, Michelle Kneads Dough, and sells homemade baked goods at local restaurants, grocery stores and pop-up events.

She has been an active member of the broader chef community, as a featured chef at the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival, Los Angeles Food and Wine Festival and the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival. In 2023, Michelle was featured in two live cooking demos on the NBC/Universal show California Live, televised in the major markets of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. She also competed in two popular Food Network television series: the Big Bake Holiday in 2021 and the Halloween Baking Championship in 2020.