Today we’d like to introduce you to Lee Frank.
Lee, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m originally from California. Growing up in LA and working in SF for many years, I met a chef and my mentor Jason Miller.
Jason was a native of New England and after working for him and two different restaurants, Mooses Sf & The Lark Creek Inn Larspur, him and his wife decided to move back to NE. A couple years later I got a phone call out of the blue from Jason and he asked if I wanted to move to Maine and be his sous chef as he was taking over a restaurant. I decided to move and help him and we teamed up to run the kitchen at Bonta Restaurant in Hampton NH. After about a year and a half, Jason left Bonta and the owner and now friend Houssam Aboukhater sat me down at 27 years old and gave me the title of executive chef. I continued as the chef there from 2006-2009.
After leaving Bonta, I made my way up to Ogunquit and took a job with Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier as the Chef de Cuisine at MC Perkins Cove. I continued to work for them and travel with them for several years. In 2013, I was offered the executive chef position at their flagship restaurant and now shuttered Arrows. I took the position and stayed with them till they decided to close the restaurant after 25 years. From Arrows, I took a position at Anneke Jans in Kittery ME. I worked closely with owner and friend Jason Canty.
After two and a half years as the chef of Anneke Jans, I was contacted by the owners of the inn by the bandstand in Exeter NH with a business opportunity. They had heard that I was looking for a space of my own and reached out to me. After a couple of meetings and seeing the space I decided to take the leap forward, with my wife pregnant with our second child, and open my own restaurant… Otis. We transformed the entire historic space in just three months and hit the ground running.
Has it been a smooth road?
NO. Every day is a challenge! With money problems, staffing issues, getting divorced and remarried, having 2 children it’s been a long road to get to where I am today.
Since the opening of the restaurant, things have been amazing. I have been very fortunate with both the accolades and success of Otis. It has far exceeded my expectations.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Otis. Restaurant – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
My business is Otis restaurant in Exeter NH. We are a small 28 seat restaurant focused on local seasonal food. We try and source responsibly and locally as much as possible.
I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished in a short amount of time. We are going to celebrate our two year anniversary on September 16th, 2018. Only four months after opening, we were invited to cook a dinner at the James Beard House in NY which has been a goal of mine for many many years. We received the award of Best New Restaurant by NH Magazine 2017. We change our menu weekly and continue to push ourselves and our food forward daily.
What I am truly most proud of is the warm welcoming we got from the locals. They have supported us since day one and we especially I am extremely grateful for their support.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The thing I like best about Exeter is the small town feel and that everyone is welcome. With Phillips Exeter Academy here, there are all kinds of people, but the locals that support us and other small businesses in town are amazing.
I also like the fact that we are very close to Boston with a train stop in Exeter and since I am attached to a history in it, makes for a great weekend or even overnight getaway.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4 Front St. Exeter NH 03833
- Website: www.otisrestaurant.com
- Instagram: @chefleefrank
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