Jimmy cooks up a memorable honour with chef title

Glasgow restaurateur Jimmy Lee has won the highly converted Chef Personality of the Year at this year’s Scottish Food Awards.

Jimmy, from Hamilton, beat off competition from some of Scotland’s greatest fine dining and Michelin Star celebrities to be crowned the country’s Personality Chef of the Year 2018.

He went head-to-head with some of Scotland’s most famous chefs such as Graham Campbell (Castlehill, Dundee), Mark Greenaway (Restaurant Mark Greenaway, Edinburgh), Neil Forbes (Cafe St Honore, Edinburgh), Gary MacLean (Masterchef: The Professionals Winner) and Ally McGrath (Osso restaurant in Peebles).

Over 120 guests attending the glittering food ‘Oscars’ of Scotland in Edinburgh last night at the luxury Principal George Hotel in a celebration of the Scottish food industry. The deluxe dinner gala celebrates people, honouring individual, organisation and corporate excellence.

Included are the Chefs of the Year, Chef Awards & Medals, Hospitality Honours, Business Honours and Fellowships.

Chef Jimmy Lee, from the Lychee Oriental in Glasgow, said: ‘I am absolutely thrilled to win this award. This award belongs to every member of my team.

‘There is an incredible amount of hard work that goes on behind the scenes every day to make the best tasting Chinese food in Scotland and it is great that our achievements has been recognised at the highest level.’

Chef Jimmy Lee from the Lychee Oriental in Glasgow

Glasgow born and raised, Jimmy was first introduced to the world of TV as a regional finalist on BBC’s Great British Menu. His charm, infectious smile and his enthusiasm for Asian food quickly caught the eye of both media executives and foodies alike from across the UK.

Jimmy is a regular contributor on STV’s daily magazine show Live at Five and co-presented the channel’s cookery show Julie and Jimmy’s Hot Woks. He appeared on BBC’s Great British Menu and was a judge alongside food writer and Bake Off Judge Prue Leith and two-Michelin star Chef Michael Caines on season one of Channel 4’s My Kitchen Rules.

Last year he also appeared alongside Kirstie Allsopp as a guest judge on Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas.

His restaurant business on Mitchell Street in Glasgow prides itself on traditional Chinese cooking techniques and natural, fresh ingredients.

Lady Claire MacDonald OBE, patron of the Scottish Food Awards, said: ‘There is nothing, whatsoever, as important as for- one of life’s primal pleasures. Scotland provides the world with the very top quality in so many aspects of the subject. And Scotland is giving the rest of the world and incredibly impressive number of chefs and cooks.’

Jimmy regular appears at food festivals cooking some of his recipes to live audiences and will be hosting the Eat and Drink Festival this year’s Ideal Home Scotland Scotland from May 31-June 3.