'Impossible' comeback for retired Airman

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Rojek
  • Defense Media Activity
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) --  The fire had gone out for the retired technical sergeant, but one television celebrity helped bring it back.

After 21 years in the Air Force, Ken Lee followed his lifelong dream of opening a restaurant. Working with another retired Airman, he opened Mama Lee's Soul Food in San Antonio in 2007. It was the culmination of decades of preparation. He was energized and ready to feed Texas.

Unfortunately, after a few years in the business, Lee lost his passion. He became frustrated with financial difficulties as well as differences between the military and civilian world. In particular, managing a military member and managing civilians took two different approaches.

"When you're in the service, all of us are held to a certain standard and there are consequences if we don't perform," said Lee, who served in the Air Force from 1985 to 2006. "On the outside (of the military), it's kind of like you're on an island," he said, referring to everyone doing things their own way.

He began lowering the bar for his employees and, ultimately, his restaurant. Mama Lee's Soul Food began to suffer from a lack of quality and, eventually money.

That's where celebrity chef Robert Irvine stepped in.

Irvine and the team from his show, "Restaurant: Impossible," visited Mama Lee's Soul Food recently to help get both the restaurant and its owner back in the game. The episode debuted May 2 on Food Network and will air throughout the month.

In "Restaurant: Impossible," Irvine dedicates two days and $10,000 to saving struggling restaurants from impending failure. By the time Irvine arrived, Lee's restaurant was just weeks from closing down.

"He lost his way," Irvine said. "The military teaches you so many things in life. If you are a military guy for 21 years, you can't lose them ways."

Irvine speaks from experience. He served for 10 years in the British Royal Navy and has worked with the U.S. military on his shows many times. So, when he found out that Lee was a retired Airman, the project became a personal quest to ensure Lee's success.

"Once I found he was a former military member, that was it," Irvine said. "No man left behind, no room for failure."

First, Irvine took a different approach to coaching Lee. When he arrived at the restaurant, he treated Lee "like I was a master gunnery sergeant." He explained to Lee that he can communicate with his employees in a military way.

"Just like in the military, it's your job to dictate, delegate and follow up," Irvine said.

Next, in a first for his series, Irvine's team ripped out the restaurant's entire kitchen and dining room for a makeover.

"It's one of the best things we've ever done," Irvine said. "It's just phenomenal."

The whole experience reenergized the former food service and personnel Airman.

"He definitely came in and kicked my butt around a little bit," Lee said. "He got me amped back up."

Lee now takes time to talk to the new Air Force recruits who come into his restaurant, especially with his proximity to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, which is where Airmen go through basic training. After his experience on "Restaurant: Impossible," he also has some advice for retired Airmen who might feel displaced outside of the military.

"Be true to yourself," Lee said. "Don't lower your bar because that's what everyone is doing."