Chef Lee Burton brings food, fun and life skills to Redlands youth
Through Burrage Buddies and beyond, Burton’s cooking classes have introduced hundreds of kids to affordable, healthy meals while proving that food can be a bridge to creativity.
At the Burrage Buddies program, local chef Lee Burton teaches kids from first through sixth grades how to slice, stir and serve with confidence. It’s the most requested class at the mansion, drawing eager young cooks who, within an hour, prepare, design and present their own plates. “Presentation is a big deal,” Burton said.
Finding meaning beyond marketing
Burton left his corporate marketing career 20 years ago. “I was looking for something more meaningful to do,” he said. He said at that time he was in a deep depression and needed to make a change.
He entered culinary school and wrote a food column for Redlands Daily Facts. The very first job was teaching demo classes at Williams Sonoma. Then, Dr. Ellen Timothy from Burrage Mansion reached out, as a director for the Rochford Foundation they were starting afternoon programs for kids and she thought Burton would be perfect for teaching kids to cook.
“That was when a lightbulb went off,” he said.
Even though Burton had never really worked with kids, he gave it a go. That was 15 years ago, “I taught one class and was hooked,” he said with a laugh. Since then, he has worked with Riverside County for the city of Perris and with public and charter schools in Redlands. He made programs for local senior centers. In October, he will begin cooking classes with the AAA after-school program in the Redlands Unified School District.
Recipes made simple—and affordable
In class, Burton brings up to five ingredients with easy-to-follow directions in three to four steps. The group also learns facts from reading nutritional labels. He always makes sure that the kids can go home and recreate the dishes, with easy adaptations like swapping out fresh corn with canned corn.
“People have budget constraints,” he said, “We will work within their budget and [with options] that are accessible to them.”
Each cooking class’s meal is typically $1.50 to $2 per kid.
“Parents will stop me and say, 'My kid doesn’t eat vegetables and here she comes home wanting to make corn salsa and, I’m like, who is this person?',” he said with a chuckle. Those kids are close to his heart. “I was the pickiest eater as a kid,” he said. “My mom [would say], I hope they give you half the headache you gave me.”
Lessons first learned at home
He learned to cook from his grandmother and then there was Rufus, the family cook. “When I was growing up, he taught me how to cook,” he said. “He became my best friend. I loved him and would watch him prepare the recipes and he just inspired me.”
“I was six years old when he taught me how to make sauces and bread the chicken for frying,” he said. Growing up, Burton wasn’t into sports, and sometimes he would get bullied, but Rufus would say, “We don’t have time to worry about that. We’re gonna make some biscuits and gravy, get in here.”
“I learned from that example the impact you can have,” he said. “He was very influential in my life.” Now teaching kids the age he was, Burton hopes to reach them through the love of food, for prepping and cooking.
Egg-citing energy in the kitchen with Chef Burton
At the cooking class, Burton talked about safety, but also about having fun, trying something new and being creative.
“He is great with the kids and he cares about them,” said Kate Salveson, executive director of the Rochford Foundation about Burton. “And it comes across.”
Some of the kids had been at his class before and were excited to be back. “This is the best class,” one yelled out. Burton asked if they were ready for an eggucation. The dish was scrambled eggs. “Scramble, scramble, scramble,” he said. “Get your eggsercise!” The kids had the biggest smiles while cooking. “Eggcelent. You’re an eggspert!”
Some kids might know Burton as Lumiere from “The Beauty and the Best” at the Mansion Memories events. He volunteers as much as possible; it’s a way to give back. Twenty years ago, when Timothy reached out to him, “She didn’t know how much I really needed that,” he said. His message for anyone going through mental health issues like depression is, “Get out and volunteer, it will help you so much because you’re the one who benefits from that.”
At the Redlands Family Service event “Dinner in the Grove,” Burton has donated two different dining events featuring his cooking talents at the silent auction. The event is this Saturday, September 27, 2025.
About chef Lee Burton
You might know Burton from his tv-show: “Go Local Lee.” The show which he made in collaboration with film students from San Bernardino Valley College can still be viewed on PBS.
Follow chef Lee Burton on Instagram: @chefleeburton.
