Sandra Lee Christiansen

Sandra Lee is an American television chef and author who is widely known for her “Semi-Homemade” cooking concept all over the world. Lee also served as New York’s de facto First Lady for 8 years from 2011 to 2019 until she was with Governor Andrew Cuomo. Even after their separation, the couple has been talking to each other in the ongoing pandemic of COVID 19.  Lee even won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host in 2012. 

What is Sandra Lee Famous for?

• Famous as a television chef who is known for her “Semi-Homemade” cooking concept. 

Source: @pagesix

Where was Sandra Lee Born?

Sandra Lee was born on July 3, 1966, in Santa Monica, California, United States. Her birth name is Sandra Lee Christiansen. Her nationality is American. Lee belongs to White ethnicity while Cancer is her zodiac sign. 

Sandra Lee is the eldest daughter of her parents Vicky Christiansen(mother) and Wayne Christiansen(father). She also had a younger sister, Cindy from her parents who however got divorced when Sandra was just 6, and when Sandra was 2, her mother had her younger sister Cindy live with their paternal grandmother, Lorraine.

Her mother later remarried, and they all moved to Sumner, Washington. But the marriage didn’t last long as she divorced for a second time when Lee was 11. By the time, Lee had three other siblings: Kimmy, Richie, and Johnny. 

When Lee was 15, on June 30, 1982, she left for Wisconsin to live with her father and his girlfriend. She graduated from Onalaska High School in Onalaska, Wisconsin, and later attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She was raised as a Seventh-Day Adventist and later her family became Jehovah’s Witness.

She even attended a two-week recreational course which was unfinished. 

Sandra Lee’s Career Highlights

Sandra Lee began her professional career after she created a product called “Sandra Lee Kraft Curtains”, a home-decorating tool in the early 1990s. The product was sold via infomercials and cable shopping networks, she was hired as an on-air talent by Home-shopping network QVC. 

Within 18 months, Lee sold $20 million worth of products. 

Her career reached to next level after her show, “Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee” premiered on the Food Network in 2003. The show ran for 15 seasons, showcasing recipes about her cooking concept, which Lee describes as using 70 percent pre-packaged products and 30 percent fresh items. 

Lee’s second Food Network series, “Sandra’s Money Saving Meals”, aired on May 10, 2009. 

Besides, she is also a popular author as she has released about 25 books including “Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade: Cool Kids Cooking” which was released in October 2006 and a memoir, “Made From Scratch”, which was released in November 2007. 

In 2009, a magazine based on her show, “Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade”, was released. 

In 2012, Lee won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host for Semi-Homemade Cooking. The same year, she started a new monthly lifestyle magazine in partnership with TV Guide. Later, she also appeared in shows, “Sandra’s Restaurant Remakes” and “Sandra Lee’s Taverns, Lounges & Clubs”. 

With more achievement there comes failure as one of the episodes Much of the criticism of Lee has coalesced around a recipe for “Kwanzaa Cake”. Currently, she appears in the new series, “Top Shelf” with the Today Show. Her video went viral for her highly generous pour of “two shots of vodka” in a cocktail recipe.

Source: @celebmafia

Who is Sandra Lee Married to?

Sandra Lee was previously married to businessman Bruce Karatz. Karatz is the CEO of KB Home and philanthropist. In 2001, the couple got married however, their relation didn’t last long and they got divorced in 2005. She even converted to Judaism for Karatz. 

After her divorce, Lee began dating Andrew Cuomo in the fall of 2005. 

In 2011, Andrew became the Governor of New York and eventually making Lee the state’s de facto First Lady. The couple was in a  relationship and even shared homes in Chappaqua and Poughkeepsie. Living together for more than 14 years, the couple ended their relationship on September 25, 2019. 

However, on April 11, 2020, Lee expressed her feelings for Cuomo saying to him, ‘He’s still my guy’. She also said that she is close to her ex-husband, Cuomo and his three daughters from his previous marriage claiming them as her family still. 

Even after their divorce in 2019, neither of them had a date since then and as now in the ongoing pandemic situation of COVID 19, Cuomo has been fighting with the illness, Lee has been talking to him daily about the illness and even shared her thoughts with him. 

Previously, while Lee was just 15, she was dating her the then-boyfriend, Duane with whom she moved away from her mother’s home. 

Besides, she also had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 2015 after which she underwent a lumpectomy surgery and in mid-2016 he was completely free from cancer. She chronicled the experience in the 2018 documentary “Rx: Early Detection, A Cancer Journey With Sandra Lee”, and became an outspoken proponent of early cancer screening. Currently, Lee is single and has been in lockdown in Los Angeles with her pet cockatoo, Phoenix. 

What is the Net Worth of Sandra Lee?

The 53 years old Sandra Lee has quite great earnings from her professional career as a chef and television star. Working in this field for more than 2 decades, she has managed to amass million worth fortune from her several shows, and books. Her estimated net worth is around $20 million. 

How Tall is Sandra Lee?

Sandra Lee is a gorgeous lady in her early 50s. She has a well maintained slim body physique of measurement 39-27-39 inches. She stands tall with a height of 5ft. 4inch.(1.63m) while her body weighs around 64kg(141 lbs). She has a fair complexion with blonde hair and green eyes. Her bra size is around 34 D, while 9.5(US) is her shoe size and 10(US) is her dress size.