Meet Vivian Lee of Foodcation Forever in Southeast Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivian Lee.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Vivian. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My love for cooking and food stems from my family and childhood memories that involve family meals and get-togethers. The women in my family, all very strong cooks, would huddle in the kitchen and cook for days to get a feast ready for a birthday or holiday celebration. They’d shoo me out of the kitchen but I’d find myself at the doorway watching them season the soup, slice radishes for the kimchi, or marinate short ribs that should have been enough to feed an army.

I didn’t know cooking could be a profession so I walked a winding path to get to where I am today. I’ve worked in the floral industry and as a landscape architect but cooked and baked whenever I had a chance. I took the plunge into the food industry about ten years ago when I had an opportunity to go through a course at the French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Center) in New York City. I landed my first job at a Danny Meyer restaurant and the rest is history.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The food industry is notorious for long, grueling hours of work without much pay and not much time off. Initially, I didn’t mind it at all because I was all in and the passion I had for it was all I needed. Over time I started experiencing intense moments of anxiety that culminated in a series of panic attacks. These panic attacks made me step away from the profession altogether swearing that I’d had enough. But true passion doesn’t die so easily. A little more than a year after I’d hung up my apron, I found myself really missing something. I realized I missed working with food. Ever since my art school days, I’d always painted, drawn, or created in some way and food had become my latest medium. It was time for me to go back to it. That time I spent away from the kitchen made me realize I could forge my own path through the food industry.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Foodcation Forever – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a private chef that draws strong inspiration from Korean and Italian cuisines. Having grown up in a Korean American family, Korean food comes pretty naturally to me. However, my professional experiences have been strongly rooted in Italian restaurants so I find myself going back to that corner of the world as well. I’m a pretty playful person by nature and love exploring fun new ideas with food all the time. Spanikopita croissants? Bagels with bacon, egg, and cheese already baked in? Spam and kimchi gravy over buttermilk biscuits? Whaaaaat?

Cooking for people in their homes, whether it be for an intimate dinner party, teaching a hands-on class, or prepping food for the week, is what I love doing most. My goal is to feed people delicious foods that connect them to a fond memory or make them pause for a second to really focus on the flavors, or maybe even do a little dance. I’ve recently started doing pop up dinners around Atlanta and have had a great time collaborating on them with some super talented people. In fact, I’ve got a few pop-ups lined up for May and June that I’m really looking forward to.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’ve got a lot of irons in the fire but for now, my goal is to grow my private chef business. I’d love to find more people to collaborate with on future pop-ups in Atlanta.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://foodcationforever.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodcationforever
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foodcationforever

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.