The Lunch & Learn Series, which runs through August 25th, affords guests the opportunity to learn and connect with culinary stars for a Friday evening or Saturday afternoon or evening of cooking and conversation. Led by Executive Chef Beau MacMillan, the educational series is a prime way to enhance one’s culinary chops by learning from the best in the industry.
The series provides two learning opportunities per weekend—guests can choose to attend Friday night dinner, Saturday afternoon lunch, or both.
Friday dinner engagements provide an opportunity for 12 participants to dine with Chef MacMillan and a local or visiting chef in XII (pictured below), Sanctuary’s ultra-exclusive dining room. Dinner begins at 6 p.m., where the meal is enjoyed at a custom granite communal table with access into elements’ state-of-the-art kitchen. Tickets are $195, plus tax & gratuity per person for the multi-course feast with wine pairings.
Saturday lunches are held in The Views Ballroom and feature a three-course interactive demonstration and take-home recipes. Lunch starts at 12 p.m. and is $75 per person, includes tax & gratuity.
Upcoming guests of the Lunch & Learn Series include:
July 28: Lee Hillson, Executive Chef of T. Cook’s at Royal Palms Resort & Spa in Phoenix, who competed on Food Network’s Iron Chef America and has created meals for President George W. Bush, Barbra Streisand, Princess Diana and Billy Joel. Hillson will be joined by Charles Kassels, Executive Chef of Paradise Valley’s El Chorro Lodge, who has cooked for high-profile events including The Winston Cup NASCAR Race in Phoenix. Hillson and Kassels will be joined by Chef Beau MacMillan for this special event.
Aug. 3: Jeremy Pacheco, Executive Chef at LON’s at The Hermosa Inn in Scottsdale, where he also oversees the restaurant’s half-acre seasonal garden which serves as a natural training ground for his culinary staff. Pacheco will be joined by award-winning chef on the Boston scene, Gerald Tice.
Aug. 4: Gerald Tice, Executive Chef of Parker’s Restaurant in Boston’s Omni Parker House Hotel, who has served the likes of President George Bush, Sr., former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Prince Albert of Monaco.
Aug. 11: Join us for dinner as Bruce Seidel presents the Casserole Queens. Best friends from Austin, Texas, whose delicious cooking goes far beyond casseroles, there’s nothing retro about these women except for their stylish vintage outfits! Sandy and Crystal’s recipes are modern classics with a twist, perfect for Sunday Suppers and easy entertaining. (This is a Saturday night “dinner” – rather than lunch.) Dinner starts at 6 p.m. and is $125, plus tax & gratuity per person.
Aug. 17: Gregory Wiener, Executive Chef of Top of the Rock, the signature restaurant at The Buttes, a Marriott Resort in Tempe, Ariz. Wiener brings 19 years of experience, a unique style of European, Mediterranean, and regional American cuisine, and awe-inspiring passion to his guests.
Aug. 18: Kevin Binkley, recent nominee for the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef: Southwest” award and Chef and owner of Arizona’s award-winning Binkley’s Restaurant in Cave Creek and Café Bink in Carefree.
Aug. 25: Danny Grant, Executive Chef of RIA restaurant at The Waldorf Astoria Chicago and named one of Food & Wine’s 2012 “Best New Chefs.”
To Learn More
Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, 480.948.2100, www.sanctuaryaz.com.
