This all started a few days earlier when she noticed on Facebook that I was friends with these two chefs. Since she was going to have them both in the studio at the same time, she thought it would be a blast to have me call in and surprise them. I emailed her a little bit of a background with these two guys - okay, she called it a tome because it was more that just a little bit of background - so she was able to set them up and bring me on the air to answer a particular question that really only I would know the answer to. It worked like a charm and we had the most fun few minutes I've had in a while! Thank you Heidi!
So, who are these two chefs, you might ask? Only two of the most talented, genuine, and down-to-earth people on the planet. Chef Beau MacMillan and I met about 5 years ago when I was in Scottsdale to check out a celebrity chef golf tournament. I work on a celebrity golf tournament here in Florida and we'd been trying to tap into the celebrity chef circuit to see if we could add to our event. I was walking the course as a spectator and kind of had to stick with one particular group of golfers because to get too far ahead of them was inviting a drive to the back of the head. Beau came over and struck up a conversation like he'd never met a stranger in his life. When I told him about the event I work on and who the host of the event was (a player for the Boston Red Sox) Beau nearly swallowed his tongue and at that moment his thick New England accent got ever more pronounced. It was around that time that I realized where I knew him from. He's the guy who just beat Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America! And he's a die hard Red Sox fan? Perfect! I called him a few days later and invited him to golf in our event and the rest is history. You can catch him on Food Network as he was the host/mentor on The Worst Cooks in America and he can be seen on The Best Thing I Ever Ate. His award-winning restaurant, elements, is located in Paradise Valley, AZ at the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain and isn't to be missed if you're in the area. It's got the best view of the valley, to boot!
Enter Chef Lee Hillson. Once Beau came and golfed in our event and visited the charity it benefits, the Space Coast Early Intervention Center which is a non-profit pre-school for children with disabilities, he was smitten and wanted to do more. He recommended doing a charity dinner and wanted to bring two other chefs friends with him, one of which was Lee Hillson. His charming and outgoing personality immediately stole the hearts of all who met him and also garnered him an invitation to golf with us. Lee is also an Iron Chef America competitor who lost by just one point. Frankly, I think he got hosed! His also award-winning restaurant, T. Cook's, is located at the beautiful, Mediterranean-inspired Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, AZ. This is arguably the most beautiful property in the whole area and his Sunday brunch is not to be missed. My son dreams about Lee's Eggs Benedict made with his house-cured prosciutto.
It has been my honor and privilege to call both of these men my very dear friends and I look forward to seeing them in January, then vacationing with them and a whole bunch of other friends next summer in Napa Valley. Thanks, you guys! My life is better because you're in it!
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