Lindsey Ofcacek is the Managing Director of The LEE Initiative. Chef Edward Lee is the creative director of programming and also serves as mentor to all the participants. But every member of our restaurant staff is dedicated to these programs and contribute in some way.
LINDSEY OFCACEK
Co-Founder, Managing Director & Mentor
The LEE Initiative
Lindsey and Chef Edward Lee are co-founders of the LEE Initiative. She’s the former manager of 610 Magnolia and continues to be director of their award-winning wine program. Throughout her 20-year career in the restaurant industry, Lindsey has devoted tireless hours to all aspects of the food lifecycle from farming to distribution to front and back of house. Now her passion is leading The LEE Initiative as managing director. She is a proud mentor to women chefs and future young restaurant professionals as they develop into progressive leaders in the culinary industry.
CHEF EDWARD LEE
Co-founder, Director of Programming, Mentor
The LEE Initiative
Edward has lived in Louisville, KY since 2003 and has three restaurants there – 610 Magnolia, MilkWood and Whiskey Dry. He is also the Culinary Director for Succotash restaurants in Washington, DC and Maryland. He is a multiple finalist for the James Beard Foundation Best Chef Award and won the award in 2019 for writing the best-selling book Buttermilk Graffiti (2018) He also authored the best-selling book Smoke and Pickles(2013). He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy as Host of Mind of a Chef Season 3 and wrote and hosted the documentary Fermented. Chef Lee has been working to promote equality and diversity in the restaurant community for years and The LEE Initiative programs are his passion.
OUR BOARD
Our board consists of select members of the restaurant community in Louisville and around Kentucky who believe strongly not only in the excellence of food and service, but also, in the need for constantly improving the social standards of our industry.