Kyurim Lee

Kyurim Lee is the pastry chef of JinJu Patisserie in Portland, where her desserts are composed with a jeweler’s attention to balance: elegant on the plate, layered in flavor, and quietly textural in the hand. She describes her approach simply—“I like when all of the components have a different character and texture.”—and that sense of contrast runs through her work, from crisp edges to silky creams and bright, lingering fruit notes. Her style brings Asian flavors into conversation with traditional French patisserie, allowing familiar forms to feel newly animated rather than reimagined for the sake of novelty. Before Portland, Lee honed her craft as a pastry chef in hotels in Las Vegas, an experience that helped shape the precision and polish evident in her desserts today. In the kitchen, her process is collaborative and deliberate. “When I create a dessert, I always consult with Jin,” she says, underscoring a working rhythm that keeps the menu personal and grounded. Her desserts are not built merely for sweetness, but for poise: “I like to have some elegance [in my desserts] but with well executed flavors and different components.” That balance—refined, expressive, and carefully composed—defines the throughline of her pastry language.