Premiere Canadian chef Susur Lee cooks for Oprah in Toronto

TORONTO – The queen of daytime television has made an impression on one of Canada’s top chefs.

Oprah Winfrey dined on some of chef Susur Lee’s famous dishes on Sunday, ahead of the Toronto leg of her “Lifeclass” tour.

Winfrey, joined by her crew and members of the Canadian media, enjoyed a mouth watering lamb dish during a party for the television mega-star at the Corus Quay building downtown Toronto.

“She had a second helping of the lamb that I made, on rice crisps, with mango salad and mint chutney – which is on my menu at Lee,” the top chef said during an interview on The Morning Show.

Lee said the opportunity to cook for Oprah made him and his team very proud.
“It was very intimate. I liked the fact that she’s such a personal person, and you have this small party, about 60 or 70 people, it felt like she was talking in front of you just one on one,” said Lee.

Lee has been called the “father of fusion” in reference to his creative blend of Asian flavours, blending traditional Chinese dishes with classical French techniques. He has had multiple restaurants in the Toronto area including “Lee” and will soon be opening a new restaurant with his son, named “Bent”.

The chef said it was inspirational to meet Oprah, being a fan of her show himself.

“It’s amazing how she can speak for an hour, 45 minutes, on and on and has such a great organizational skill about life and talking about life… and she loves food,” said Lee.

Oprah, owner of the OWN network, brings her show “Oprah’s Lifeclass” to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre Monday, showcasing life lessons she has learned over the last 25 years. This appearance marks the first time Oprah has stopped in Canada for a tour.

“The truth is, I am at my sweetest spot on earth being on stage, in front of people and helping people to see the best in themselves,” Winfrey said during an exclusive interview with ET Canada, which airs Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Tickets for Monday’s event were being auctioned for as much as $1000 for emerald seats, the closest you can get to Oprah, on Craigslist.