Celebrity Chef dishes on her style
When it comes to mastering chic, celebrity chef Katie Lee has it in culinary spades. With her new show “Beach Bites” debuting in June, she’s dishing on her cooking expedition!
The co-star of Food Network’s “The Kitchen” and best-selling author, started cooking at age 4 with her mentor and Grandma, Dora. She has written three cookbooks; penned a novel; and is set to host “Beach Bites With Katie Lee,” a gourmet getaway that takes her around the world to taste the beachside fair of local chefs. Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to embark on a mission to the beach with Katie, even if it is via TV? I recently caught up with Lee to talk about her upcoming show, her favorite eats, and of course, to get intel on some of her style faves.
What inspires your love for cooking? I am constantly inspired by my local farm stand in the Hamptons. I go there almost every day and pick up whatever looks fresh and take it home and create my menu around those ingredients.
Levi’s Wedgie Icon high-rise jean | Giorgio Armani ‘Eyes to Kill’ mascara | “Endless Summer Cookbook“
What is your all-time favorite dish to make? Pizza is my favorite food and I really enjoy cooking my own as well. Making a homemade dough is my zen.
Favorite cocktail. Aperol spritz. (get recipe)
Favorite vacation spot. St barts. I have been going for the last 13 years and I filmed an episode of “Beach Bites” there. I’ll be showing viewers all of the best spots!
What are some of the recipes and destinations we should look forward to seeing on “Beach Bites? I went to so many fun destinations, like Mexico, St. Barts, Miami, and Puerto Rico and ate so much great food! Viewers will get to travel along with me and learn how to make all of the dishes and the secrets of the local chefs. There are too many standouts to name, but one that i keep thinking about is the crab hushpuppy I ate in St. Simon Island, Georgia.
Least and most favorite food or dish? Least favorite is anything with wasabi, most favorite is pizza.
If you could cook a meal for anyone past or present, real or fictional, who would it be and what would you make them? I would have loved to have cooked a meal for Nora Ephron. She wrote some of my all-time favorites.
As a resident of the Hamptons and Tribeca, what are your favorite go-to places? In the Hamptons, I often eat at the Beacon in Sag Harbor. In Tribeca, my favorite spot is Locanda Verde.
What is your style profile: classicist, minimalist, mademoiselle, contemporary, glamazon, bohemian, or rocker? I am a minimalist and occasional bohemian.
If you were a Chic Spy Agent, what would be your code name? Vesper Lynd
“Beach Bites With Katie Lee” premieres on the Cooking Channel, Thursday, June 2nd at 10pm ET/7pm PT. Meanwhile, indulge in a healthy summer treat with Katie’s parfait recipe below.
Katie Lee's Strawberry Kiwi Quinoa Breakfast Parfait
Notes
Recipe courtesy of Katie Lee, Endless Summer Cookbook (Stewart, Tabori & Chang / ABRAMS , May 2015)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480 ml) plain Greek yogurt (I use 2%, but you can use any kind you like)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Finely grated zest of 1/2 lime
- 1 cup (185 g) cooked quinoa, cooled
- 8 large strawberries, diced
- 2 kiwi fruit, peeled and diced
Instructions
- These breakfast parfaits look so pretty and colorful and are so tasty, you’d never know they’re also super healthy. The Greek yogurt is packed with protein, the quinoa is also high in protein and has double the amount of fiber of most grains,and the strawberries and kiwi are both high in vitamin C and antioxidants. What a way to start the day!
- In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, honey, and lime zest.
- Place 4 small (6-ounce/180-ml) juice glasses on a work surface and put 2 tablespoons of the quinoa in the bottom of each glass. Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the yogurt to each glass, followed by about 2 tablespoons of the diced strawberries and kiwi. Repeat the layering in each glass, and scatter any additional fruit that is left over the top layer of yogurt. Serve immediately.
Image source: katieleehome.com, foodnetwork.com, and amazon.com
