Jessica S. Lee has extensive experience in the restaurant and hospitality industries, serving for nearly a decade as head of legal and strategy for one of the United States’ largest multi-concept celebrity chef-led restaurant groups. While there, Jessica spearheaded the company’s rapid growth, raising individual as well as institutional capital to significantly expand the company’s restaurant portfolio both in the U.S. and overseas. She has had extensive experience handling complex licensing, leasing, construction, and financing arrangements between the company and its many hotel and casino partners, national real estate developers, and family office and high net worth investors. Additionally, Jessica helped develop the company’s partnership network with numerous established and up-and-coming chefs, diversifying its offerings beyond fine dining into food halls, fast casual, bars/lounges, and ghost kitchens and expanding its brand presence into shopping malls, airports, stadiums, and other non-traditional venues. Prior to going in-house, Jessica was a litigator at the law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP for many years, where she focused her practice on general business litigation, insolvency matters, and internal investigations. She also attended the California Culinary Academy, and is fluent in Mandarin.
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