Sandra Lee (chef) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sandra Lee
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Lee in 2012
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| Born |
Sandra Lee Waldroop
July 3, 1966 Santa Monica, California, U.S.
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| Occupation |
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| Television |
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| Spouse(s) |
Bruce Karatz
(m. 2001; div. 2005) |
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| Awards |
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| First Lady of New York | |
| In role De facto January 1, 2011 – September 25, 2019 |
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| Governor | Andrew Cuomo |
| Preceded by | Michelle Paige Paterson |
| Succeeded by | William J. Hochul Jr. (First Gentleman) |
Sandra Lee (born July 3, 1966) is a well-known American television chef and author. She is famous for her "Semi-Homemade" cooking style. This means she uses 70 percent packaged foods and 30 percent fresh ingredients.
In 2012, Sandra Lee won a Daytime Emmy Award for being an amazing host of a cooking show. She was also the de facto first lady of New York from 2011 to 2019. This was because she was 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, where Sandra took her stepfather's last name, Christiansen.
Sandra helped raise her four younger siblings. She learned to cook on a budget, using food stamps and welfare. This experience later helped her create her unique cooking style.
She graduated from Onalaska High School in Onalaska, Wisconsin. She also attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Later, she took a short cooking course at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Sandra Lee's Career Journey
Starting with Home Decorating
In the early 1990s, Sandra Lee created "Sandra Lee Kraft Kurtains." This was a kit that helped people make decorative curtains easily. She sold these kits on TV shopping channels like QVC. QVC even hired her to appear on air. In just 18 months, she sold $20 million worth of products! She also helped QVC launch similar products in the U.K. and Germany. In 1994, she released DIY home improvement videos that sold over a million copies.
Becoming a TV Chef
Her cooking show, Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, first aired on the Food Network in 2003. The show was very popular and ran for 15 seasons. On the show, Sandra Lee often decorated her table and kitchen to match the 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 cook on a budget during tough economic times. At one point, she was the only host on the Food Network with two shows running at the same time. By 2019, her shows had been shown in 63 countries around the world.
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 even made it onto The New York Times Best Seller list. In 2009, she launched a magazine called Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade. She also hosted a holiday special series on HGTV called Sandra Lee Celebrates.
In 2012, she started a monthly lifestyle magazine, Sandra Lee, with TV Guide. People magazine has also named her one of the "Most Beautiful" people many times.
Recent Projects
In early 2020, Sandra Lee started a video series called "Top Shelf" for Today.com. In these videos, she showed new ways to make meals using common pantry items. Later in 2020, she hosted holiday segments called "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" on Lifetime.
Documentary Work
In 2015, Sandra Lee started her own production company. She created a documentary called Rx: Early Detection – A Cancer Journey With Sandra Lee. This film shared her personal experiences with cancer. It was shown at the Sundance Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018, and later on HBO. For her work on this documentary, she received the Made in New York Award in 2018.
Sandra Lee also helped produce a documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a famous judge. The film was called Ruth: Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Words. It premiered in March 2021.
Helping Others: Philanthropy
Sandra Lee is very active in charity work. In 2000, she helped start the Los Angeles chapter of UNICEF, an organization that helps children worldwide. She has given money from her cookbooks to groups like God's Love We Deliver and Project Angel Food, which deliver food to people who can't leave their homes.
In 2015, she went on a mission to Haiti with UNICEF to help with nutrition. In May 2020, she joined the board of directors for the U.S. division of the UN's World Food Program, which is the largest humanitarian organization in the world.
For over ten years, Sandra Lee was a spokesperson for Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign. She also created their yearly fundraiser, the Great American Bake Sale. Her first bake sale in 2011 raised over $50,000. She also works with the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Personal Life
From 2001 to 2005, Sandra Lee was married to Bruce Karatz.
In 2005, she began a relationship with Andrew Cuomo. He later became the 56th Governor of New York in 2011. They lived together in Chappaqua, New York. In September 2019, they announced that their relationship had ended.
Since March 2021, Sandra Lee has been dating Ben Youcef, an actor.
Health and Advocacy
On May 12, 2015, Sandra Lee shared that she had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. She had surgery and later announced she was cancer-free in late 2015. In March 2022, she had another successful surgery.
After her experience, Sandra Lee became a strong advocate for breast 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 insurance costs for mammograms. She has encouraged other states to pass similar laws. She also became an ambassador for Stand Up to Cancer.
Awards and Recognition
Sandra Lee has received several awards for her work and her efforts to help others.
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
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| 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 |
She has also received the President's Volunteer Service Award and the Eleanor Roosevelt Medal of Honor. In 2009, she was given the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 2018, she received the Made in NY Award at the Gotham Independent Film Awards.
See also
In Spanish: Sandra Lee (chef) para niños
