Recipe Box (Lee) - Author Bio

Author Bio
• Birth—July 3, 1966
• Where—Los Angeles, California, USA
• Raised—Onalaska, Wisoconsin
• Education—University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; Le Cordon Bleu, Ottawa, Canada
• Awards—Daytime Emmy Award
• Currently—lives in Chappaqua, New York


Sandra Lee Christiansen is an American television chef and author. She is known for her "Semi-Homemade" cooking concept, which Lee describes as using 70 percent pre-packaged products and 30 percent fresh items.


Early life
Sandra and her sister Cindy lived with their paternal grandmother, Lorraine, who was a formative influence on her culinary habits and whose tips are featured throughout her various cooking books. By 1972, her parents had divorced; her mother remarried, moving them to Sumner, Washington. When Sandra was 11, her mother divorced for a second time.

After her mother's divorce, Sandra took on the role of mother for her four younger siblings, which included buying groceries, preparing the meals, and handling the family finances. She graduated from Onalaska High School in Onalaska, Wisconsin. She then attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and attended Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa, Canada.

Career
In the early 1990s, Lee created a product called "Sandra Lee Kraft Kurtains," a home decorating tool that used a wire rack and sheets or other fabric samples to create decorative drapery. The product was sold via infomercials and cable shopping networks. QVC, the home-shopping network, hired her as on-air talent; in her first 18 months on the network, Lee sold $20 million worth of products.

Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee premiered on the Food Network in 2003. Each episode contains an arts and crafts element, in which Lee decorates the table setting in accordance with the theme of the meal that she just prepared. She refers to these as "tablescapes."

Her second Food Network series, Sandra's Money Saving Meals, aired in 2009. The addition of two new shows—Sandra’s Restaurant Remakes and Sandra Lee’s Taverns, Lounges & Clubs—makes four successful shows on cable TV.

In addition to television, Lee also has 25 books to her name—including Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade: Cool Kids Cooking (2006); a memoir, Made From Scratch (2006); and a novel, The Recipe Box (2013). She is editor-in-chief of the magazine Sandra Lee, launched in 2009.

In 2012, Lee won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host for Semi-Homemade Cooking.

Philanthropy
Lee's primary charity focus is on the issues of hunger, poverty and homelessness. She serves as national spokesperson for Share our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign and anchors their their largest annual fundraiser, The Great American Bake Sale. She also works with Food Banks across New York state and America and with Citymeals-on-Wheels.

In addition to hunger programs, Lee is involved with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Inspired by her grandmother who suffered from the disease, Lee created the "I Can With RA" program, which helps cooks living with the condition to "shop, organize their kitchens and whip up delicious dishes in a way that causes the least discomfort."

Lee also works with the Elton John Aids Foundation, as well as with the Central Park Conservancy. She is a founding member of UNICEF's Board of Directors-Los Angeles chapter. In recognition of her many efforts, Lee received both the President’s Volunteer Service Award and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Critical reaction
Amanda Hesser wrote in the New York Times that Lee "seems more intent on encouraging people to create excuses for not cooking than on encouraging them to cook wholesome simple foods."

The Charlotte Observer, while summarizing the criticism from food critics and nutritionists, noted that Lee has both harsh critics and adoring fans. When the Observer asked Lee about the criticism, she replied that she "was surprised by the reaction on both sides," adding "that's how you know it's meaningful, when you get a reaction."

When the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran a review of Lee's cookbook Semi-Homemade Cooking, which criticized both her recipe and her "Semi-Homemade" concept, the review's author received a response "that was more impassioned than I anticipated." Although most readers agreed with the article, a number took issue with it. As one reader wrote, "Lots of people who don't want to take the time to shred a cup of carrots want to cook a good meal."

Kurt Soller, writing for Newsweek, compared Lee's impact upon television cooking with that of Julia Child, noting that although Lee's show "is the furthest from Child's methods," both women "filled a niche that hasn't yet been explored".

Personal life
From 2001 to 2005 Lee was married to KB Home CEO and philanthropist Bruce Karatz. In fall of 2005, she entered a relationship with Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo. The two share a house in Chappaqua, New York. (Adapted from Wikipedia and the author's website. Retrieved 10/27/2014.)