Katie Lee Joel
Encyclopedia
Katie Lee is a television food critic
and chef
.
. She is a graduate of Miami University
in Oxford, Ohio
, with a Bachelor's degree in English and Journalism. While there she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta
. She spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy at The British Institute.
She met Billy Joel
when she was 22 years old, working as a restaurant correspondent for George Hirsch: Living it Up! on PBS in 2003. After dating for a year, she and Joel married at his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island
, on October 2, 2004. Alexa Ray Joel
, Billy Joel's daughter from his marriage
to Christie Brinkley
, served as maid of honor.
After nearly five years of marriage, Billy and Katie Lee separated in June 2009. The separation came after months of rumors that Lee was having an affair with Israeli fashion designer Yigal Azrouel
.
Lee has worked in several restaurants and gourmet food and wine stores. In 2003, she helped to open Jeff and Eddy’s Restaurant where she served as the house fishmonger.
In July 2005, Lee created the foodie
website OliveAndPeach.com with partner Aleishall Girard. The web site ceased updating in September 2006.
In 2006, she hosted the first season of Bravo's Top Chef
. Critical reception to Lee's hosting style was less than enthusiastic, however, with many viewers citing her lack of culinary credibility and monotonal delivery as detrimental to the enjoyability of the show. As such, Bravo producers decided to replace her with a more lively Padma Lakshmi
in an effort to boost ratings and bolster viewer reception. She later returned as a guest judge on Top Chef All Stars
, Episode 2 (Night at the Museum) in 2010.
Lee's first cookbook, The Comfort Table, was published by Simon & Schuster.
Lee occasionally appears on Extra
as a special correspondent. She is a contributing editor to Gotham
magazine, and her culinary and lifestyle column, "Katie's Kitchen," is published weekly in its sister magazine Hamptons.
Lee has also appeared on Paula's Party, Martha
, Today, The Early Show
, The Nate Berkus Show, and Fox News.During 2007, she was a judge on Iron Chef America
.
Lee sits on the council of Chefs for Humanity, a group that provides humanitarian aid worldwide and she is also a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, an organization that educates and mentors women in the culinary profession.
Lee appeared on WineLibraryTV with Gary Vaynerchuk
on May 8, 2009.
Food critic
The terms food critic, food writer, and restaurant critic can all be used to describe a writer who analyzes food or restaurants and then publishes the results of their findings. While these terms are not strictly synonymous they are often used interchangeably, at least in some circumstances...
and chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
.
Biography
Lee is from Milton, West VirginiaMilton, West Virginia
Milton is a town in Cabell County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,206 at the 2000 census.Milton is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649...
. She is a graduate of Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in Oxford, Ohio
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
, with a Bachelor's degree in English and Journalism. While there she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...
. She spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy at The British Institute.
She met Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
when she was 22 years old, working as a restaurant correspondent for George Hirsch: Living it Up! on PBS in 2003. After dating for a year, she and Joel married at his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, on October 2, 2004. Alexa Ray Joel
Alexa Ray Joel
Alexa Ray Joel is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. She is the daughter and only child of singer-songwriter Billy Joel and supermodel Christie Brinkley....
, Billy Joel's daughter from his marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
to Christie Brinkley
Christie Brinkley
Christie Brinkley is an American model and actress best known for her three consecutive appearances on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the late 1970s and early 1980s, for her long-running contract with CoverGirl, the longest ever of any model in history, and for her marriage...
, served as maid of honor.
After nearly five years of marriage, Billy and Katie Lee separated in June 2009. The separation came after months of rumors that Lee was having an affair with Israeli fashion designer Yigal Azrouel
Yigal Azrouël
Yigal Azrouël is an Israeli American New York based fashion designer. He was born in Israel of French-Moroccan descent and currently lives in the United States.-Career:...
.
Career
Since graduating, Lee was a TV restaurant critic for PBS's healthy lifestyles and cooking TV series George Hirsch: Living It UP!Lee has worked in several restaurants and gourmet food and wine stores. In 2003, she helped to open Jeff and Eddy’s Restaurant where she served as the house fishmonger.
In July 2005, Lee created the foodie
Foodie
Foodie is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of food and drink. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook.- Distinguished from gourmet :...
website OliveAndPeach.com with partner Aleishall Girard. The web site ceased updating in September 2006.
In 2006, she hosted the first season of Bravo's Top Chef
Top Chef
Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants...
. Critical reception to Lee's hosting style was less than enthusiastic, however, with many viewers citing her lack of culinary credibility and monotonal delivery as detrimental to the enjoyability of the show. As such, Bravo producers decided to replace her with a more lively Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi
Padma Parvati Lakshmi also Padma, Lady Rushdie is an American cookbook author, actress, model and television host. She has been the host of the US reality television program Top Chef since season two in 2006, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for...
in an effort to boost ratings and bolster viewer reception. She later returned as a guest judge on Top Chef All Stars
Top Chef (season 8)
Top Chef: All-Stars is the eighth season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in New York City, New York and concluded in The Bahamas. This season consists of chefs from the previous 7 seasons who did not win the Title of Top Chef. The season premiered on December 1,...
, Episode 2 (Night at the Museum) in 2010.
Lee's first cookbook, The Comfort Table, was published by Simon & Schuster.
Lee occasionally appears on Extra
Extra (TV series)
Extra is an American entertainment television news program covering events and celebrities which debuted on September 5, 1994 in syndication. It is produced at Victory Studios in Glendale, California by Telepictures Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television Distribution...
as a special correspondent. She is a contributing editor to Gotham
Gotham (magazine)
Gotham Magazine is a regional magazine published by Niche Media, LLC since 2001 and primarily targets New York's most affluent residents and visitors. According to a survey commissioned by the company, 56% of Gotham Magazine readers are male, with 51% married, and some two-thirds within the age...
magazine, and her culinary and lifestyle column, "Katie's Kitchen," is published weekly in its sister magazine Hamptons.
Lee has also appeared on Paula's Party, Martha
Martha (TV series)
Martha, also known as The Martha Stewart Show, is an American, weekday one-hour talk show hosted by Martha Stewart. Previously airing in first-run syndication, the show began exclusively airing on cable network Hallmark Channel since September 13, 2010.-History:The program originally debuted on...
, Today, The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
, The Nate Berkus Show, and Fox News.During 2007, she was a judge on Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
.
Lee sits on the council of Chefs for Humanity, a group that provides humanitarian aid worldwide and she is also a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, an organization that educates and mentors women in the culinary profession.
Lee appeared on WineLibraryTV with Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk is a video blogger, co-owner and director of operations of a wine retail store, and an author and public speaker on the subjects of social media, brand building and e-commerce. Vaynerchuk immigrated to the U.S...
on May 8, 2009.