St. Louis – November 03, 2026 -- Katie Lee, founder of St. Louis-based Italian food company Katie's, whose products are sold at more than 8,000 U.S. retail outlets, will speak at the New York Public Library's Thomas Yoseloff Business Center on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET.
NYPL hosts free hybrid session titled "The Power of Your Story"
Attendees can join in person at 455 5th Ave, 5th floor, New York, or online via Zoom. Registration is required through Eventbrite, with separate links for the in-person and online formats. Online attendees receive a Zoom link by confirmation email.
Lee, a high school dropout who battled addiction, will describe how her business was built on losses rather than wins. "Their story, all of it, is their superpower," she said.
Katie's Fine Foods leads four categories with 18 SKUs nationwide
Lee owns Katie's Fine Foods, an artisan Italian consumer packaged goods company with 18 SKUs leading four categories across the 8,000 stores. Katie's is one of 20 brands in Target's Innovation Collective. Lee owns her manufacturing plant and imports single-ingredient products from Italy.
She also owns four KATIE'S Pizza & Pasta restaurants in St. Louis, which have operated for 18 years. The group employs 500 people, including a C-suite, a chef collective and an in-house media company. The business is WBENC-certified and 100% women-owned.
Memoir Unemployable sold out at Target after one-month exclusive
Lee's first book, Unemployable: The Katie Lee Story, was published Sept. 27, 2026, by Swan Bluff Press as a $24.99 hardcover. It sold out at Target stores nationwide during an exclusive month-long retail run. It is now available on Amazon and at Katies.com.
Lee has also commissioned an album, One Night at Katie's. A documentary and a cookbook are in the works.