Matthew Lee

In kitchens such as Joule, Jungsik, Momofuku Ko, and Jua, Matthew Lee moved through the work that defines serious service: station by station, service by service, with no shortcut around repetition. Those rooms demand precision and timing, and his progression through them points to a cook who understood that technique is built through long exposure to the line, not declarations from outside it. The result is a method shaped by close attention and steady advancement.

That training period is what gives Nudibranch its point of view. The restaurant carries the language of those years—control, fluency, and an understanding of how to turn disciplined cooking into something personal. As chef and co-founder, Matthew Lee brings that background into the room without ornament: the work is the evidence.

As chef and co-founder of Nudibranch, Matthew Lee occupies both the practical and creative center of the restaurant. The position reflects a career built from the ground up, with service experience still sitting underneath the decisions made now. The work demands the same qualities that shaped the kitchens before it: endurance, repetition, and the ability to keep technique sharp under pressure.

Matthew's signature dishes include Fried Frog Legs, Lemongrass, Galangal, Soba Noodles, Shiro Dashi, Garlic Panko, Bottarga, Coconut Semifreddo, Strawberry-Rhubarb Gel, and Black Pepper Crumble. Read together, they point to a cook working in contrast and structure: crisp against creamy, savory against bright, precise elements arranged rather than crowded. The dishes suggest a kitchen where detail is not decorative but structural, and where each component earns its place through balance and placement.

Matthew's honors include MICHELIN Guide recognition, Esquire magazine Top 40 New Restaurants in America (2022), and The Infatuation Best New Restaurants in New York City (2022). Those recognitions place Nudibranch inside a competitive New York field and confirm that the restaurant’s execution has been noticed beyond its own dining room. For Lee, they register as public recognition of work that began on the line and now reads at the level of authorship.