Shopping With... Chef Katie Lee

By Sara James Mnookin
June 10, 2010

When it comes to entertaining, chef Katie Lee is all about simplicity—her brand of cooking is called Comfort Table for a reason. Since splitting from now former husband Billy Joel last summer, the West Virginia native has been reveling in the low key lifestyle, cooking for friends at home and working on her first novel. She also unwinds by shopping on eBay for Majolica and vintage china to use in her casual table settings. Lee recently shared some of her hosting tips and eBay picks with us and talked about the latest turn her career has taken.

The Inside Source: You’re a West Virginia girl. What are your favorite southern dishes?

Katie Lee: My favorite southern dish has to be fried chicken. I love to cook it. I love to have it in the summer. For a drink, I really like southsiders [a gin, lime juice and mint concoction]. I do them frozen. All summer long, I also have a pitcher of sweet tea in the refrigerator. And I can’t forget deviled eggs!

TIS: What do you consider the hallmarks of great southern hospitality?

KL: I think southern hospitality is really about making people feel comfortable, feel at ease. When you’re hosting, I like to have as much done as possible beforehand. I have a lot of friends who stop by, and I always have things in my pantry and a cocktail I know I can make last minute.

TIS: How do you develop your recipes?

KL: A lot of my recipes I take from foods my grandmother used to cook, things she prepared for family reunions. I also travel a lot. And I live in New York, where there are so many great restaurants. I spend a lot of time in East Hampton, going to the farm stand and seeing what's fresh and coming home and making a great salad, or vegetarian dishes, even just a steamed corn on the cob with a fresh basil butter to go on top of it.

TIS: Do you have cookbooks, either current or vintage, you regularly consult?

KL: I love cookbooks. I look through the pictures even, to get inspiration. They’re almost like comic books for me. Some of my favorites... The Barefoot Contessa. Paula Deen. Martha Stewart. One of my eBay picks is a first edition Joy of Cooking. There are so many great recipes in there.

TIS: Mario Batali and Paula Deen both blurbed your book. Are you friends with a lot of chefs? Do you cook for each other?

KL: I like to get together with my chef buddies and cook. With all of the food festivals that go on now, those are kind of like reunions for us.

TIS: You’re known for both your food and your sense of style. Tell us how you prepare a room when you host a dinner party.

KL: I like to have an eclectic mix. It doesn’t all have to be the same pattern of china. I pick up pieces at flea markets and yard sales. I love vintage lnens, so I'll use three napkins in one fabric and two in another. Lighting is important, and everyone looks best in candlelight, so I always use tons of candles. I like to pull things from my backyard or from a walk on the beach for the table, to create something different and unique, maybe it's some shells or a simple pine branch.

TIS: Do you have special serving pieces in your collection?

KL: My grandmother gave me a set of crystal glasses that were made in West Virginia. I have a set of Hermes china that I love for special occasions. I pick up a lot of pieces at Anthropologie and at flea markets and yard sales. I love John Derian. I’m always buying glasses and teacups. I have way too many to use, but I just love them, particularly anything vintage.

TIS: Do you ever shop eBay? And if so, what for?

KL: I do shop on eBay. I love to buy china on eBay. I’ve bought quite a few sets of plates. I like to buy gifts as well. If I know somebody has a favorite writer, I look for a first edition. It’s also a great place to buy vintage jewelry. I love vintage Chanel necklaces, the pearl necklaces with the Chanel logo, and brooches. I have a beautiful black coral Chanel brooch. I find myself, when I get on eBay, I end up staying on there forever, going through page after page. I’ve also bought a lot of majolica on eBay.

TIS: Are you working on another cookbook?

KL: I’m actually working on a novel. It has a surfing theme to it and is set in Mexico and will be published in 2011 by Simon & Schuster’s Gallery imprint. [Lee has recently been spending time in Mexico researching the book.]

** Images provided by Katie Lee. **