First girlfriend Sandra Lee is cooking up a plan to reinvent herself by moving her brand upmarket and remaking her image.
The Semi-Homemade creator is stepping away from the brand name that made her fortune but drew scorn from other chefs. She’s closed Semi-Homemade magazine and is moving forward with home line Sandra by Sandra Lee, and also developing a new Food Network show under the Sandra Lee brand.
Lee has also been working to win over the fashion world by courting editors including Vogue’s Anna Wintour and Glamour’s Cindi Leive. Lee is now being dressed by Reem Acra, who has dressed Madonna, and Beyoncé and is known for ornate gowns.
Some speculate Lee is seeking greater gravitas as the partner of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, rumored to have his sights set on an eventual presidential run. Others say she’s crafting her personal brand into an empire.
One source close to Lee told us, “People in New York view Sandra differently because of Andrew’s political success. The food snobs and the chefs look down on her brand and they look down on the core of her fans, the regular housewives who follow her,. But a lot of that is just jealousy and snobbery.” But the source added, “This isn’t a political plot to enhance his brand and her brand, it is about business.”
Another said, “She’ll be at the Met Ball. Rumor has it that they are campaigning for presidency down the road. She realizes that first ladies leverage the fashion industry for press.”
A rep for Lee told us, “Sandra launched ‘Money Saving Meals’ on the Food Network in 2009, and that was the first time her brand began to expand beyond Semi-Homemade. She is in talks for a new show under her Sandra Lee brand, and that is her current focus.”
Her rep wouldn’t comment on any political future. But longtime Cuomo friend Ken Sunshine, when asked if Lee is positioning herself as a future first lady, said, “I hope [he’ll run], he’s done damn well as governor.”