Katie Lee Joel

KATIE LEE JOEL is from Milton, 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. KATIE LEE JOEL was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. She spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy at The British Institute.

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

n 2006, she hosted the first season of Bravo's Top Chef. Critical reception to Lee's hosting style was less than enthusiastic, however, with many viewers citing her lack of culinary credibility and monotonal delivery as detrimental to the enjoyability of the show. As such, Bravo producers decided to replace her with a more lively Padma Lakshmi in an effort to boost ratings and bolster viewer reception. She later returned as a guest judge on Top Chef All Stars, Episode 2 (Night at the Museum) in 2010.

Katie is married to famous Piano Man, Billy Joel, but the two are currently separated.