Lee Hillson
Executive Chef aka Big Brother
Few things in life are certain, but here are three sure bets: Executive Chef Lee Hillson will greet you with a smile, leave you smiling, and dazzle you with his creativity and culinary style which he describes as "a lightly polished, rustic Mediterranean cuisine."
Chef Lee enjoys the challenge of creating back-to-basic dishes with a tantalizing twist, and he sources phenomenally flavored ingredients in his commitment "to be more in touch with what we use and keep the earth greener." But it's his approach to his job that makes him a standout, believing that a "chef cooks from the heart while a cook cooks from the wallet."
His fervor for fresh flavors is reflected in the ever-growing list of products he makes in-house. The rows and rows of cured meats in his charcuterie locker are expanding daily with luscious link chorizo, boar prosciutto, pork loin, lardo, pancetta, soppressata, coppa, mortadella, and lamb prosciutto to name a few. A brisk retail business has developed from the demand for his signature Orange Marmalade, made from the citrus hand-picked from the resort's groves, as well as the T. Cook's Pesto and Salsa. "Not only is this a lot of fun, but the more things we can make in house, the more we can control the integrity of what we serve our guests."
In addition to running the kitchens and tracking labor and food costs on a daily basis, Chef Lee embraces his role as "babysitter, father and big brother" to his staff, all of whom describe him simply as "awesome."
Promoted to Executive Chef in 2005 after five years as Sous Chef, Chef Lee has experienced a meteoric rise in a business that now requires top-notch telegenic talent coupled with nerves of steel and razor sharp business acumen. He has these in spades, as evidenced by his battle with Iron Chef Cat Cora on the blockbuster Food Network show, Iron Chef America, where with his secret ingredient (ham) he created the dishes twice baked ham and goat cheese soufflé and the T. Cooks classic rendition of pasta carbonara. Then there are his numerous stints as a Celebrity Chef on luxury cruises through the Mediterranean, Hawaiian Islands and Alaska. He was tapped by British Airways to create a First Class menu for the Phoenix to London flights and was nominated to the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame. He has created remarkable meals for luminaries such as President George W. Bush, Barbra Streisand, Princess Diana, Richard Branson, Billy Joel and a favorite local celeb, blockbuster author, Clive Cussler.
His heart is as big as his talent, so his leisure time is filled with commitments to both local and national charity events such as the Maui Charity Golf Classic-Susan G. Komen Hawaii, the Space Coast Early Intervention Learning Center in Florida, Taste of the Nation, Phoenix Cooks, Forks & Corks, and United Food Bank, to name a few. He even strutted his stuff for the Arizona Kidney Foundation as a "celebrity dancer" for their record-breaking charitable event.
Somewhat of a prodigy, Chef Lee enrolled in culinary school in his native England at the age of 16. Just two years later he was cooking in the heart of Texas at the Hyatt in Austin, and then returned to London as the Chef de Partie at the Roux Patisserie, owned by world-renowned chefs, Albert and Michel Roux. With several prestigious stops as Pastry Chef in England, Hillson again crossed the Atlantic to become Executive Sous Chef at Vanderbilt Hall in Newport, Rhode Island. Within a few short months, he was appointed Executive Chef at this restaurant, ranked as one of the country's top five by Country Inn magazine.
After Rhode Island, Chef Lee joined T. Cook's and has since been part of the lineup that has garnered acclaim from the likes of Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report, Travel + Leisure magazine and a host of Phoenix/Scottsdale food writers. He has repeatedly taken top honors in Zagat Surveys, Gayot.com and the Arizona Republic/azcentral.com Readers' Choice Awards. Hillson has cooked on many occasions at the James Beard House in New York, hosted a Friends of James Beard dinner at the resort, and tirelessly participated in countless local high profile culinary events.
With a schedule that leaves mere mortals breathless, he makes time to get out of the kitchen and enjoys reading, yoga, golf, movies, traveling and is widely recognized for his lively and gracious entertaining at home and, of course, his ubiquitous "Cheers!" salutation.
