Katie Lee Joel

Infobox Celebrity
name = Katie Lee Joel


caption =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1981|09|14|mf=y
birth_place = Huntington, West Virginia
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Chef, Food Critic
salary =
networth =
spouse = Billy Joel (2004–present)
children = None (1 step-daughter)
website =

Katie Lee Joel (born Katherine Lee on September 14, 1981) is a television food critic and chef. She is also the wife of famous musician Billy Joel. She is 32 years younger than "the Piano Man", and is his third wife.

Biography

Lee is from Huntington, West Virginia. The year before she married Billy Joel, she graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a Bachelor's degree in English and Journalism [ [http://www.tv.com/katie-lee-joel/person/432814/summary.html Katie Lee Joel - TV.com ] ] . She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. She spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy at The British Intitute [ [http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/katie-lee-joel-host-bravo-upcoming-top-chef-reality-series-3813.php Katie Lee Joel to host Bravo's upcoming 'Top Chef' reality series - Reality TV World - News, information, episode summaries, message boards, chat and games for unscripted tele... ] ] [http://www.greatrestaurantsmag.com/LI/article_view/104/ Katie Lee Joel Talks About Food by an Interview by Rosalie Sendor - GREAT RESTAURANTS OF LONG ISLAND ] ] .

After one year of dating, she and Billy Joel married at his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island, on October 2, 2004. Lee's four years younger stepdaughter Alexa Ray Joel (Billy's then-18-year-old daughter from his marriage to Christie Brinkley) served as maid of honor. Lee's own father Steve Lee (born 1956) is six years "younger" than Joel. [http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,113240,00.html Billy Joel is 6 yrs OLDER than his future father in law.]

She convinced Billy to leave the Hamptons and he bought a four story townhouse in West Village where they reside with two dogsFact|date=July 2008.

Career

Since graduating, she was a TV restaurant critic for PBS' healthy lifestyles and cooking TV series, "George Hirsch: Living It UP!"

Katie 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, Joel created the foodie website [http://www.OliveAndPeach.com 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 Joel's hosting style was less than enthusiastic, however, with many viewers citing her lack of culinary credibility and monotonic delivery as detrimental to the enjoyability of the show [http://www.televisionaryblog.com/2006/06/katie-lee-packs-her-knives-breaking.html Bravo fires Katie Lee] . As such, Bravo producers decided to replace her with a more lively Padma Lakshmi in an effort to boost ratings and bolster viewer reception [http://www.televisionaryblog.com/2006/06/bravo-confirms-televisionary-scoop.html Padma to replace Katie Lee] .

Lee's first cookbook, "The Comfort Table" was published by Simon & Schuster [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/fashion/11nite.html?ref=books Downtown-Uptown Girl - New York Times ] ] .

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", and "Fox News". During 2007, she was a judge on "Iron Chef America".

Lee has been featured in publications like "People", "In Style", "Life and Style", "Celebrity Living", and "The New York Dog Magazine".

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.

References