Sandra Lee (chef) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sandra Lee
|
|
|---|---|
Lee in 2012
|
|
| Born |
Sandra Lee Waldroop
July 3, 1966 Santa Monica, California, U.S.
|
| Occupation |
|
| Television |
|
| Spouse(s) |
Bruce Karatz
(m. 2001; div. 2005) |
| Partner(s) |
|
| Awards |
|
| First Lady of New York | |
| In role De facto January 1, 2011 – September 25, 2019 |
|
| Governor | Andrew Cuomo |
| Preceded by | Michelle Paige Paterson |
| Succeeded by | William J. Hochul Jr. (First Gentleman) |
Sandra Lee Christiansen (born July 3, 1966), known as Sandra Lee, is an American television chef and author. She is famous for her "Semi-Homemade" cooking idea. This means she uses 70 percent packaged foods and 30 percent fresh ingredients. In 2012, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for her cooking show. She was also the de facto first lady of New York from 2011 to 2019, as the partner of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sandra Lee was born in Santa Monica, California, in 1966. When she was two, she and her younger sister went to live with their grandmother. Later, her mother moved them to Sumner, Washington, and remarried. Sandra took her stepfather's last name, Christiansen.
Sandra helped raise her four younger brothers and sisters. She learned to cook affordable meals using food stamps and welfare payments. This experience later helped her create her cooking style.
She graduated from Onalaska High School in Onalaska, Wisconsin. She also took a short cooking course at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Career Highlights
In the early 1990s, Sandra Lee created "Sandra Lee Kraft Kurtains." This was a kit to help people decorate their homes easily. She sold these on TV shopping channels like QVC. She sold $20 million worth of products in her first 18 months.
Television Shows
Her cooking show, Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, started on the Food Network in 2003. It ran for 15 seasons. On the show, she often decorated her kitchen and table to match her meal's theme. She called these decorations "tablescapes."
In 2009, her second Food Network show, Sandra's Money Saving Meals, began. This show helped people save money on food during tough economic times. Her shows have been seen in 63 countries.
Books and Magazines
Sandra Lee has written 27 books. These include Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade: Cool Kids Cooking and her life story, Made From Scratch. Her book Semi-Homemade Cooking became a The New York Times Best Seller. She also had a magazine called Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade.
In 2012, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for her work as a lifestyle and cooking host. She also launched a monthly magazine, Sandra Lee, with TV Guide.
Documentaries and Films
In 2015, Sandra Lee started her own production company. She made a documentary called Rx: Early Detection – A Cancer Journey With Sandra Lee. This film shared her personal experience with cancer and aired on HBO. She received an award for this documentary in 2018.
She also helped produce a documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a famous judge. The film was called Ruth: Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Words. It was shown on Starz in March 2021.
Helping Others (Philanthropy)
Sandra Lee is very active in helping others.
- In 2000, she helped start the Los Angeles chapter of UNICEF.
- She gave money from her cookbooks to organizations like God's Love We Deliver and Project Angel Food. These groups deliver food to people who can't leave their homes.
- In 2015, she went to Haiti with UNICEF to help with nutrition.
- In 2020, she joined the board of the World Food Programme, which is the world's largest group helping people with food.
She has also worked with Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign for over ten years. She created the Great American Bake Sale, which raises money to fight childhood hunger. She also serves on the board of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Personal Life and Health
From 2001 to 2005, Sandra Lee was married to Bruce Karatz.
In 2005, she started a relationship with Andrew Cuomo. He later became the Governor of New York. They lived together until they ended their relationship in 2019.
Since 2021, Sandra Lee has been dating actor Ben Youcef.
Cancer Journey and Advocacy
On May 12, 2015, Sandra Lee shared that she had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. She had surgery to remove the cancer and later had a double mastectomy. She announced she was cancer-free in late 2015. In March 2022, she had another surgery called a hysterectomy, which was successful.
After her own experience, Sandra Lee became a strong advocate for cancer awareness. In 2016, she helped pass the "$91 million No Excuses" law in New York. This law made it easier for people to get breast cancer screenings and removed costs for mammograms. She encourages other states to pass similar laws. She also became an ambassador for Stand Up to Cancer.
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host | Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee | Won | |
| 2013 | Gracie Award | Outstanding Host – Lifestyle Program | Sandra's Restaurant Remakes | Won |
Sandra Lee has also received other honors, including the President's Volunteer Service Award and the Eleanor Roosevelt Medal of Honor. In 2009, she received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
See also
In Spanish: Sandra Lee (chef) para niños
