TV Host Katie Lee Talks about the Cooking Channels’ Beach Bites
The Cooking Channel’s upcoming series, Beach Bites with Katie Lee, which premieres June 2, will feature South Florida restaurants in its first episode. The Food Network’s Beach Bites spotlights seaside cuisine with culinary personality Katie Lee.
On the premiere episode, in Miami, Katie snacks on Cuban Pressed Sandwiches, and then over in Key West, she nibbles on Conch Fritters with a home-made Key Lime Sauce from local limes that made the island key famous.
The South Florida coastal cities and their eateries profiled, include:
Hollywood Beach, Florida, – Le Tub Saloon’s Sirloin Burger
Deerfield Beach, Florida – Ocean’s 234’s Snapper Reuben
Miami, Florida –Tinta Y Café’s Cuban Sandwiches with Special Guest, Bobby Flay, and Azucar Ice Cream’s Abuela Maria Ice Cream
Key West, Florida– Schooner Wharf Bar’s Conch Fritters with Key Lime Sauce, and Key West Key Lime Pie Company’s Chocolate-Covered Key Lime Pie Pop
Prior to Beach Bites with Katie Lee, culinary personality and cook book author, Katie Lee, was the co-host on Food Network’s hit show “The Kitchen”, and “Endless Summer Cookbook” is her latest published book.
I had the opportunity to interview the Food Network’s newest TV host about her new traveling food show, Beach Bites with Katie Lee, including her own favorite South Florida restaurant.
Q. What specifically drew you to host the cooking show, Beach Bites, for the Food Network?
Katie Lee:
“I’m a self-proclaimed beach bum and I love the culture of food that goes along with beach living. Beach Bites is a dream job! I got to travel and be at the beach and eat the best food. I pinched myself every day.”
Q. What is the premise of the TV show?
Katie Lee:
“On Beach Bites, I travel all over Mexico, the Caribbean, the islands of St. Barts and Puerto Rico, Miami, Key West, and the Golden Isles of Georgia. I visited restaurants where the chefs were using local ingredients to put their own spin on the traditional, regional coastal fare.”
Q. Why does the cooking show focus on seaside cuisine?
Katie Lee:
“There’s so much good food near the sea – think of all that fresh seafood! Some of my favorite memories as a kid were when my family would travel to the beach and I’d get fried oysters or go walk on the boardwalk with a big ice cream cone. As food continues to become more and more a part of pop culture, chefs are getting more experimental.”
Q. What kind of challenges or mishaps have you experienced filming the cooking show?
Katie Lee:
“We didn’t really have any. Beach living is pretty laid-back, and we adopted that mentality pretty quickly while on the road filming Beach Bites. I guess our biggest challenge was filming my hike in St. Barts. It wasn’t easy for our camera crew to carry all of that equipment up and down a small hiking trail on a mountain.”
Q. Why was South Florida chosen as the locale for the premiere episode of Beach Bites with Katie Lee?
Katie Lee:
“A great cheeseburger is one of the ultimate beach bites in my opinion. Le Tub in Hollywood was the perfect location. Their burger is incredible!”
Q. What particular food or meal do you personally look forward to when visiting Florida?
Katie Lee:
“I always look forward to fresh seafood in Florida. Even though I get plenty of Italian in New York, I always go to Macaluso’s when I’m in Miami. The chef, Michael, makes the best meatballs and the best salad dressing I’ve ever had.”
Q. When can foodies view Beach Bite with Katie Lee on the Food Network and its Cooking Channel?
Katie Lee:
“The show starts June 2nd on Cooking Channel at 10 PM.”
Q. Will Beach Bites with Katie Lee be available online?
Katie Lee:
“Yes, for more Beach Bites go to www.cookingchanneltv.com/beachbites”.