When you think of food at a state fair, corn dogs, funnel cakes and fried Oreos may come to mind, but the fairgrounds are also the place where bakers test their creations in competitions.

The sense of community and creativity felt at state and county fairs are especially important to Sandra Lee, a cookbook author and television personality known for the Food Network shows “Semi-Homemade Cooking” and “Sandra’s Money Saving Meals.” Lee won a blue ribbon for presentation and design at the 1992 Los Angeles County Fair. (Her TV shows also included segments on table settings and arts and crafts ideas inspired by the dishes featured, so it’s fitting.) Next, she’s bringing state fairs to a global streaming audience with “Blue Ribbon Baking Championship,” which hits Netflix on Friday.

The show features 10 talented pastry chefs competing in baking competitions for a grand prize and a chance to win $100,000. Lee co-hosts with “American Pie” actor Jason Biggs, who she says is a talented baker: “He has an incredible banana bread recipe.” She also serves as a judge alongside former White House pastry chef Bill Yosses and award-winning baker Bryan Ford.

The project is part of Lee’s new chapter both professionally and personally. She battled breast cancer in 2015 and ended a 14-year relationship with former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2019. Lee’s beloved Uncle Bill was battling cancer himself at the time and she moved from New York to California during COVID-19 to help him.

“I’ve really been cleaning up over the last decade, which has been extremely painful and very hard,” Lee said over Zoom from her Malibu home. “I’ve now found peace with my choices and my new life. Part of my new life is returning to television, hopefully wiser, and returning to business, hopefully even better than ever.”

In a Q&A, Lee tells The Associated Press about her fresh start, her new show and Christmas trees. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

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AP: You seem to be in a really great place where you have ideas and are ready for what lies ahead.

LEE: I took enough time to really recover and think about what I wanted to do. When I came out of my illness in 2015, I was able to really focus on what I wanted to accomplish. And for me, work has always been extremely important. There are things on my career bucket list that I need to accomplish. One of them is Blue Ribbon Baking Championship.

AP: What are the others?

LEE: I have an idea for a show that will change daytime television. That’s close to my heart and a big deal. The other idea is with a character I introduced on “Today” with Jenna Bush. Her name is Aunt Sandy Clause, that’s what my niece and nephews call me. During COVID, I’ve been writing a lot of content, so I have a lot of (ideas) for TV shows. I’d love to do a reality show about real estate and home staging. My sister has a huge real estate and home staging company in Seattle. I want to go there and do a family reality show.

AP: Aside from the premise, what sets Blue Ribbon Baking Championship apart from other cooking competitions?

LEE: The camaraderie and sense of family among the contestants. They built each other up. Many of the bakers actually got out of their seats and helped the others. I don’t think the world sees who we Americans really are. They hear the politics and the turmoil on the news. I think it’s going to be pretty amazing for viewers from other countries to see us and see what our fairs are like, what our lifestyle is like, how nice the people are. And — unlike other competition shows — we shoot in real time. There was no break and no picking up the next day. We shot an 18-hour day. There was no cooling off period or changeover.

AP: What is your first love? Cooking? Baking? Entrepreneurship?

LEE: My first love is cake decorating. When the kids were playing with dolls, I was playing with powdered sugar and Wilton icing tips. When most kids were watching Teen Beat, I bought books on cake decorating.

AP: What do you do in your free time?

LEE: I collect a lot of antiques. I’m a big antique collector. I also go to stores to see how other people shop. I can see things differently than most people walking down an aisle. I can step back and survey a room and see where there are gaps. I can see what’s needed. I can calculate what’s missing and how to fix it.

AP: That must be helpful in business.

LEE: It’s very helpful. It’s always a challenge when people say no, like with “Semi-Homemade,” where everyone said, “No, that’s not going to work.” I say, “I assure you it will work.” I ended up having to write two books to even get on the show. And the show was No. 1 for about five years. I went to them and said, “We need to do a show called ‘Money Saving Meals.'” They said, “Nobody wants to save money on food.” So I called my publisher. I said, “I want to do a new book and call it ‘Money Saving Meals.'” And they said, “Great.” We had it on the shelf within a couple of months. The Food Network saw it and called me back. They said, “Oh my God, we need a show called ‘Money Saving Meals.'”

AP: Let’s get straight to the holidays. How many Christmas trees do you put up?

LEE: It depends on how many rooms I have in the house. I like to put one in every room. There’s definitely something in every single room in my house.

AP: Do you stick to a theme or is every tree different?

LEE: If you decorate your rooms differently, and most people do, then trees should represent those rooms. I’m not exaggerating, unless you think toilet paper with Santas on it is over the top, which I don’t.

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