Last night, Clos du Bois winemaker Gary Sitton and Clos du Bois brand ambassador Katie Lee hosted a wine and food pairing event at the Andaz Hotel. Deviled eggs were served with Sauvignon Blanc; chicken pot pie was served with Chardonnay; sausage stuffed mushrooms were paired with Pinot Noir, and sliders were served with Cabernet.
Somewhere in between the pot pie and the mushrooms I had the chance to chat with Katie Lee whose southern charm was immediately palpable. We started off chatting about how she got involved with Clos du Bois; they approached her and she was excited about the opportunity because their wines fall in line with her cooking philosophy. “I like my food like I like my fashion,” she said. “Comfortable, approachable with a touch of couture.” Dutifully, I had to ask the unavoidable question when speaking with a celebrity: “What are you wearing?” Turns out, Lee was not lying when describing her cooking/fashion philosophy as she was decked out in a flattering paillette shift dress from Banana Republic, which she picked out herself. “I don’t work with a stylist. I love shopping too much!” she exclaimed.
The former Top Chef host’s laid-back style also translates to her beauty regimen; when asked about her day-to-day essentials, she noted that, “Believe it or not, my one go-to is Neutragena. I’ve been using their products since I was 11 and I swear by their Healthy Defense!” She also added that she believe in great skin being a result of being healthy from the inside out and to that end she dished on her love of avocados and underlined that she drinks a ton of water every day. It was around this time in our conversation that I told Lee that I was in a Core Fusion class in Bridgehampton this summer and found myself set up right next to her. The cookbook author’s eyes literaly lit up with excitement and she began gushing about Core Fusion co-creator Fred DeVito. “Back in April, I tweeted something about needing a new workout routine and Fred tweeted me saying that I should try out one of his classes. Let me tell you, it changed my body,” she explained enthusiastically. “I do it two to three times a week and it’s absolutly amazing; I can’t say enough great things about Fred!” While I prefer the Core Fusion Cardio class, Lee told me she sticks to the classic Core Fusion. “I want to try the Cardio class, but I’m scared. Is it really hard?” she asked. Core Fusion Cardio is hard, but so worth it I told her, to which she replied she hopes to see me in class sometime soon.
Lastly, as Lee’s publicist was giving me the “speed it up nudge,” I asked her what she eats pre and post workout. “I always eat breakfast before Core Fusion otherwise I’d get lightheaded. I’ll make myself some whole grain toast with almond butter and a piece of fruit and then after I’ll have some carrots and hummus.” As a final tidbit, she told me that while she’s off to India for Thanksgiving, she’s a traditional gal at heart and her one big Thanksgiving secret is adding maple syrup to her turkey basting broth. Bon appetit!
