When it comes to giving our brains something else to do this summer besides think about how crazy hot it is, award-winning chef Beau MacMillan of the Scottsdale resort, Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain, is bringing back his popular Lunch & Learn series with lots of opportunities to hook up with a culinary master, wine maker, or TV celebu-chef for a little cooking and camaraderie.
With heavy hitters like Robert Irvine from Food Network's Dinner: Impossible and Restaurant: Impossible, Master Chef Marcus Samuelsson, and local celebu-chefs Aaron May and chef Michael DeMaria of Heirloom restaurant, Beau Mac's tenth year of Lunch & Learn events, which take place on Saturdays in July and August and include a three-course lunch (or dinner) paired with wine or cocktails, cooking lessons, and recipes to take home, looks to be his best yet.
The series starts this Saturday with the Borjorquez family of the restaurant Trocadero in Nogales, Mexico.
Check out the full schedule after the jump.
Lunch & Learn
Classes are from 12 - 2:30 p.m. The $75 per person ticket covers a three-course meal (including beverages, tax and gratuity) and take-home recipes.
For those who prefer an evening event, two Saturday dinner engagements are scheduled for July 23 and August 20, from 6 - 10 p.m. Priced at $125, the special dinners include all the features of the lunches, plus live entertainment.
Friday evenings prior to each Lunch & Learn class will feature an exclusive dinner with Chef MacMillan and the star guest in XII, Sanctuary's private dining room. Starting at 6 p.m., these special chef's tasting experiences are limited to 12 attendees, and include a multi-course dinner paired with wines for $150 per person (excluding tax and gratuity).
Schedule:
July 8-9: The Borjorquez Family of Trocadero restaurant in Nogales, Mexico.
July 15-16: Jim Poris, senior editor of Food Arts magazine.
July 22-23 (both dinners): Chef Robert Irvine, host of Food Network's Dinner: Impossible (Friday dinner is sold out).
July 29-30: Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, a regular on Food Network's Chopped and 24 Hour Restaurant Battle.
August 5-6: Chef Eddie Matney, chef and owner of Eddie's House restaurant and Chef Michael DeMaria, chef and owner of Heirloom restaurant, joined Saturday by Tram Mai, host of NBC 12's News Valley Dish.
August 12-13: Hollywood Bites mystery guest!
August 19-20 (both dinners): Chef Marcus Samuelsson, whose served as guest chef at the White House for the Obama administration's first state dinner and now is head chef of New York City hotspot, Red Rooster (Friday dinner is sold out).
August 26-27: Chef Aaron May, a member of Arizona's Culinary Hall of Fame, Chef Matt Carter, executive chef and proprietor of Zinc Bistro and Producers of Food Network's hit show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
To make reservations, call 480-607-2300 or go here. For updates on the Lunch & Learn series, go here.
