Lee Hillson

Royal Palms Closes T. Cook's for Summer to Renovate, Operates Out of Pop-Up Called Cervantes Bistro, Hires New Executive Chef

The executive chef position at T. Cook's at the Royal Palms felt like a revolving door for a while there. Long-timer Lee Hillson left for The Phoenician last August, replaced by Todd Sicolo (formerly at the Arizona Biltmore) in October, who turned around and left himself just four months later -- bu ... More >>

Lon's at the Hermosa Picks Up a New Pastry Chef; Former One Heads to T. Cook's

It's the latest edition of "As the Resort Restaurant World Turns," folks. And this time, it's the pastry chefs doing the moving. See also: - Todd Sicolo Leaves Royal Palms; New Menu Stays in Place - Lee Hillson Leaves T. Cook's for The Phoenician "Completely revamping the dessert menu." That's th ... More >>

Todd Sicolo Leaves Royal Palms; New Menu Stays in Place

Just this week, T. Cook's at the Royal Palms launched new dining menus, courtesy of Todd Sicolo, the executive chef hired last fall to fill Lee Hillson's shoes. And just this morning, the Royal Palms announced that Sicolo, who was on board three months, is leaving the Royal Palms mid-March to return ... More >>

Arizona Biltmore Hires Gordon Maybury as New Executive Chef

After five years at the helm, Todd Sicolo, executive chef at the Arizona Biltmore, left for the Royal Palms late last October. He accepted the executive chef position vacated by Lee Hillson, who had moved to The Phoenician to become executive sous last August. Now the position vacated by Sicolo thre ... More >>

Chow Bella's Top Phoenix Food Stories of the Week

Every week, there's a cornucopia of Phoenix food news, features, and reviews to report here at Chow Bella. If you're like most people, you probably just don't have the time to get to all of it. It's kind of like those burgers at Old Town Whiskey; it just won't all fit in your mouth ... or in this ca ... More >>

Conor Favre Leaves Arizona Biltmore for Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa

Geez, the culinary cupboard at the Arizona Biltmore is beginning to look a bit bare. Executive Chef Todd Sicolo flew the coop about a month ago to take Lee Hillson's former position at the Royal Palms. Now executive sous chef Conor Favre is leaving the Biltmore to step into Michael O'Dowd's shoes as ... More >>

Taylor's Cafe in Arcadia Is Now Daily Bistro: New Look, New Beverage Program, and an Enhanced Menu by Phoenician Chef Lee Hillson

the 11-year-old breakfast and lunch spot in Arcadia, has undergone a makeover of sorts. Recently opened in the Camelback Village Center (at the corner of 44th Street and Camelback), the restaurant, under new ownership, is now called Daily Bistro. An updated interior and a new beverage program help ... More >>

Chef Todd Sicolo Leaves Arizona Biltmore for Royal Palms

Lee Hillson bid farewell to his comfortable executive chef gig at the Royal Palms a month ago to take on new managerial and operational challenges as executive sous at The Phoenician. Now Todd Sicolo is stepping in to take Hillson's place at the Royal Palms, leaving an executive chef vacancy at the ... More >>

Sonoran Lee's Liquid Dinner Puts Honey-Drizzled Biscuits and Roasted Parsnips in Your Beer

Beer: Lee's Liquid Dinner Brewery: Sonoran Brewing Co. Style: English Brown Ale ABV: 5 percent If we've learned anything from Sonoran's Chef Series beers so far, it's that the cooks tapped for these brews aren't afraid to get a little weird. First we had Jeremy Pacheco, who threw seven different i ... More >>

Frank Belosic Returns to The Phoenician as Executive Chef

After four years as executive chef at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Frank Belosic is coming back to The Phoenician. But this time, as its new executive chef. See also: Lee Hillson Leaves T. Cook's for The Phoenician Prior to the Sheraton, Belosic was the chef de cuisine at Mary Elaine's, The Pho ... More >>

Craft Beer and "Craft Salmon" at T. Cook's Alaskan Beer Dinner Last Night

See also: Craft Beer of the Week: Schneider Aventinus Weizenbock T. Cook's at the Royal Palms Resort invited guests to an Alaskan Beer pairing dinner last night, in what it hopes will be the first in a series of beer pairings to run throughout the fall and winter. The evening featured a variety of ... More >>

Three Chefs and A Whole Lot of Peas at Sanctuary's Saturday Night Lunch & Learn Dinner

See Also: Kevin Binkley, Shinji Kurita, Kelly Fletcher, and More Scheduled for Beau Mac's 2012 Lunch & Learn Series See Also: Beau Mac Dishes on His Favorite Herb and What It's Like Being Famous This past Saturday, local celebrity and executive chef at Elements restaurant at the Sanctuary Resort ... More >>

Eating Smart

58: Richie Moe

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

James Porter, Eddie Matney, and Others Team Up With Local Brewery to Make Their Own Beers

Sure, we're used to enjoying the food of top-notch Valley chefs, but when's the last time we chug-a-lugged their culinary styles in beer form? The craft beer experts at Scottsdale's Sonoran Brewing Company are setting out to change that. They've teamed up with four, well-known Valley chefs as part ... More >>

A Love Letter For Lee Hillson, Something Baked Cookies, Chopped at AndyFood, Boba at Bosa Donuts

A round-up of tasty morsels from Valley food blogs. eateraz.com​EaterAZ wrote a love letter to Lee Hillson of T. Cook's for his weekly $2 Taco Tuesday promotion. They "can't recommend it enough." With tacos like Kiltlifter tempura bacon tacos with butter lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, and a horsera ... More >>

Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame Winners to be Announced Tonight

  scottsdaleculinaryfestival.org The Scottsdale Culinary Festival kicks off tonight not just with a kick-off party, but also with the announcement of the winners of this year's spots in the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame. The nominees make for quite a power meeting, don't you ... More >>

Ask the Critic: Where Should I Go For My Anniversary Dinner?

Heather HochLife is beautiful: Atlas Bistro's exquisite fare is worth sharing with the love of your life.​Lovebirds have been coming out of the woodwork! Two different pals recently asked me for recommendations on where to take their darling spouses to celebrate their anniversaries. My gut sa ... More >>

In the Raw: Local Chefs Get Naked for Charity

Nice, um, cucumber!A friend showed me his copy of the new In the Raw calendar, and what can I say? It's pretty ballsy.Ken and Lee Singh are the charming couple who run the all-natural Singh Farms -- a 20-acre wonderland where their composting efforts have created nutrient-rich soil for fresh veggies ... More >>

Dine Out with the Chefs Impresses Sophisticated Palates

Last night at the 4th annual Dine Out with the Chefs event at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, some of the Valley's hottest local chefs came out of their respective restaurant kitchens to cook, serve and wander among us mere mortals. Chef James Porter, whose newly-opened ... More >>

Sunday: Dine Out With the Chefs at Scottsdale Center

J&G Steakhouse​Start saving your appetite now.This Sunday will be a splurge worth blowing your diet for, courtesy of more than 20 high-profile chefs from across the Valley who'll be dishing up mouthwatering tastings at Scottsdale's fourth annual Dine Out With the Chefs event.The festiviti ... More >>

Coming in September: Phoenix Cooks!

​Yes, Phoenix -- this city will come back to life pretty soon. Things feel slow right now, but at least there's a big culinary event right around the corner, ushering a whole season of activities for food fanatics. Phoenix Cooks! is the shindig to put on your calendar. Scheduled for Saturda ... More >>

Scottsdale Culinary Fest Comprises 12 Events This Week

The Scottsdale Culinary Festival sounds monolithic, but the granddaddy among the Valley's culinary festivals is surprisingly multifaceted -- a dozen different events at 16 different restaurants and venues around town, ranging from casual tastings to semi-formal sit-down occasions.

Is cuisine an artform?

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