Chef MacMillan’s distinctive style of American flavors with Asian accents has propelled him to international acclaim. A native of Plymouth, MA, he began his culinary career at 16. After graduating from the prestigious Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, he spent a year working with world renowned Chef Francois de Melogue. Sous chef positions at some of America’s best restaurants followed, including La Veille Maison in Boca Raton, Florida; Hotel Bel Air, Los Angeles, CA; Shutters on the Beach, Santa Monica, CA.

In 1998, Chef MacMillan was invited to develop the cuisine at The Ranch on Camelback, now Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, in Scottsdale, AZ and to open the resort’s elements restaurant in 2001. As executive chef, his innovative approach to ingredients, preparation and execution has garnered national acclaim. It is listed as one of the “Top 100 Restaurants in the U.S.” by Gourmet magazine.

Chef MacMillan has cooked at the James Beard House, the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, and has been featured in and cooked for Bon Appetit magazine. He has created memorable meals for President Bush, Jacques Pepin, and Michele Roux, Sr. He is also personal chef to Wayne Gretzky. In 2006, Chef MacMillan competed on Food Network’s Iron Chef America where he won “Battle American Kobe Beef” against Bobby Flay. He also regularly appears on NBC’s Today Show. Chef MacMillan returns to Food Network in 2010 for Worst Cooks in America, a new primetime competition series.

Both in and outside the kitchen, ‘Beau Mac’ is known for his warm personality, endearing laugh and love of family and friends. He was recently named Culinary Chef Extraordinaire by the Scottsdale League for the Arts for his outstanding charitable contributions.

Chef Lee Hillson
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.

Standard rooms (Cocoa Rooms) = $99. for attendees

Upgraded rooms (w/Coastline Views) = $119.

Oceanfront Rooms for only = $139.

Book HERE for special room rates!

www.hiltoncocoabeach.com

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Legendary rock band AMERICA, featuring original founders Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, will headline this year’s Cocoa Beach Wine & Food Festival.

The 2nd annual Cocoa Beach Wine & Food Festival, founded last year by Cocoa Beach attorney Tony Hernandez, returns to Lori Wilson Park for a day of enticing food, savory wines and classic tunes capped off with an exhilarating fireworks display. Presented by Craig Technologies, the CBWFF features many of the Space Coast’s finest restaurants and chefs sharing their signature dishes paired with the perfect wine, followed by the Grammy Award-winning band, America, performing an open-air concert of their greatest hits as the sun sets.

Pouring, Serving & Performing . . .

Look no further than Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach for the ultimate celebration of the senses – food, wine, music, stars, fireworks, friends, and cool ocean breezes. Tickets are available for the day ($45 in advance or $50 at the door), which includes food & wine tasting plus America in concert, or for the concert only ($30). Bring a blanket or lawn chair; no coolers or outside food or beverages permitted.

Schedule of Events

2-5 p.m. Wine & Food Tasting

5 p.m. Gates Open for Concert-Only Attendees

5-6 p.m. Local Band and Stage Announcements

6-8 p.m. AMERICA in Concert

8 p.m. Fireworks

All times approximate and subject to change.

Who’s Serving

Participating Restaurants and Caterers include:

* A Taste of Thai

* Asian Too

* Bald Strawberry, The

* Brano’s Italian Grill

* Brasas Grill

* Cape Canaveral Hospital

* Chameleon Fusion Bistro

* Chart House

* Confectionery, The

* Fat Snook, The

* Fishlips

* Green Room Café

* Juice-N-Java Café

* Lobster Shanty, The

* Matt’s Casbah

* Melting Pot, The

* Pizza Gallery & Grill

* Rubio’s Cuban Cafe

* Rusty’s

* Silvestro’s

* Trevor’s Blue Toucan

* Vintage 56

* Yellow Dog Cafe

* Zachary’s Family Restaurant

Who’s Pouring

The reds, the whites and the specialty wines from numerous wineries around the country will be flowing courtesy of Petty’s Meat Market.

Who’s Performing

For four decades, AMERICA has entertained with hits including:

* A Horse With No Name

* Sister Golden Hair

* Tin Man

* Ventura Highway

* You Can Do Magic

For tickets or more information call (321) 799-3971 or visit www.cocoabeachwinefoodfestival.com

10:33 PM, Mar. 10, 2011 |

Written by

JENNIFER SANGALANG

FLORIDA TODAY

The details

What: Cocoa Beach Wine and Food Festival 2011

When: 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Lori Wilson Park, Cocoa Beach

Cost: $50 for the festival and the America concert or $30 for the concert, which begins at 6 p.m.

Call: 321-799-3971 or visit cocoabeachwine foodfestival.com.

Other: No pets or outside food

If you ask Tony Hernandez to explain why he started the Cocoa Beach Wine and Food Festival, his answer may surprise you.

“I used to love to watch my mother cook,” the festival chairman said. “While my mother was cooking, she used to tell me stories of Cuba and stuff that happened in the revolution. So I was always mesmerized by her stories and her cooking.”

From there, Hernandez’s passion for food grew. He used to own Mr. Cubano in Cape Canaveral.

“I became a foodie when foodie wasn’t cool,” he said. “I’ve been to a lot of food and wine festivals. I knew that a food and wine festival would do great here in Brevard County, which is something we don’t have.”

Saturday’s event is the second annual Cocoa Beach Wine and Food Festival, and it’s presented by Craig Technologies. Hernandez said he learned a lot from last year’s event.

His advice for a food and wine fest first-timer?

“Come to the festival, enjoy the samplings of 25 of the top-of-the-line restaurants in our community,” he said. Among the participating restaurants are the Melting Pot, Chart House, Chameleon Fusion Bistro and Gregory’s. “You can taste their food, then taste some different wines and educate yourself on wine,” citing the wine 101 demo of the festival.

Other bites to look forward to include some from local bakeries, beer samples from Charlie and Jake’s and coffee from Juice-N-Java called “the coffee with no name.”

There will be a ’60s and ’70s classic car show, and local band Mo Geetz will perform. The headliner of the festival is America, known for its hit song, “The Horse with No Name.” Tickets just to see America also are available.

After the concert, there’s an after-party next door at Mambo’s Beachside Bar and Grill at the International Palms Resort.

“It’s all for a good cause,” Hernandez said. “We’re raising money for the Children’s Home Society and Junior Achievement.”

One restaurant the festival chairman is excited about showcasing this weekend is what he describes as one of the best-kept secrets in Brevard.

“We have the Health First culinary team from Cape Canaveral Hospital,” Hernandez said, particularly citing chef Will Hannon and his hamburgers. “They’ll be breaking the mold in restaurants and hospital cuisine.”

Contact Sangalang at 321-242-3630 or jsangalang@ floridatoday.com.

The Festival will gather a diverse collection of 30 of Brevard’s most renowned chefs to prepare food samples from their establishments paired with a selection of wines selected by discerning sommeliers. This number of featured restaurants is up from the 13 who participated last year, and the wines chosen for the 2011 event have been whittled down to a mixture of four stellar red and white vintages. Legendary music group America, who are currently on tour as part of their 40th anniversary, will round off the day’s events with a live concert in the Park.

Proceeds from this year’s Festival will benefit the Children’s Home Society of Florida and Junior Achievement of the Space Coast, two charities that have always been close to Craig Technologies, Inc. CEO and Festival presenter Carol Craig’s heart.

1v7 plate The 2011 Annual Cocoa Beach Wine & Food Festival

Craig has long been involved with both charities, and Festival co-director Tony Hernandez III can attest to both organizations’ importance to the community. “As an attorney who practices family law and who has dealt with the Children’s Home Society,” says Hernandez, “I’ve found them to be very proactive in preventing child abuse… And that’s extremely important, because police officers are really not in the preventive business; they usually get involved after the fact. CHS is there before it happens, providing teaching, monitoring, counseling, and many other services to prevent abuse and neglect on all fronts.”

As for Junior Achievement, Hernandez sees them as operating at the other — and no less essential — end of the spectrum by fostering investment in our youth to better our community and, ultimately, the world at large. “It’s about helping mold teenage entrepreneurs,” Hernandez explains. “Kids learn from an early age how to sell their ideas and how to be convincing, passionate, and respectful — all those qualities that are necessary to becoming good businessmen and women.”

Since he conceived of the idea for the Festival over four years ago, Hernandez has been driven by a desire to give back to the local community. “When I came up with the idea, my first question to myself was whether it was something that was needed by the area. Will it add to the community economically, socially, culturally, and historically? I think it will on these and many other levels — and hopefully its effects will still be felt after we wrap it up for the night.”

1v7 Rubio The 2011 Annual Cocoa Beach Wine & Food Festival

With sponsors like Brighthouse Networks, Clear Channel, the Eye Clinic, Lite Rock 99.3 FM, Alpizar Law, Brandt Ronat + Co, and Space Coast Living, the Festival bolsters last year’s roster of participating restaurants with some intriguing newcomers, including Silvestro’s, the Chart House, the Melting Pot, Vintage 56, and Green Room Café.

Also new to the lineup are Matt’s Casbah; Petty’s Meat Market; Mary’s Downtown Salsa; Pizza Gallery; Mambo’s Beachside Bar & Grill; Asian Too; A Taste of Thai, and Charlie & Jake’s Brewery Grille. Making a welcome return to this year’s festival, along with Gregory’s, Fishlips, the Lobster Shanty, and Rusty’s, is Chef Peter Lin, whose Chameleon Fusion Bistro in Melbourne has won rave reviews for its fusion of European and Pacific Rim flavors. Lin made some stellar dishes in 2010, as did chef Javier Gonzalez of Rubio’s Cuban Café, Chef Trevor Dixon of the Caribbean-influenced Trevor’s Blue Toucan, and Brazilian Chef Boaz DaCosta of the Cocoa Village-based Brasas Grill.

Juice-N-Java Café will be returning with their excellent fresh-roasted coffee, along with the Bald Strawberry, which, with 2011 newcomer The Confectionery, will be offering an array of delicious sweets and baked goods. But perhaps the most surprising addition to the Festival will be the Cape Canaveral Hospital Restaurant, headed by Chef Will Hannon. Many locals, including Hernandez, rave about the food Hannan prepares at one of the best-kept culinary secrets in the area. “Not only do they have one of the cleanest restaurants in the business,” says Hernandez, “but you’d really be surprised by the excellence of their food. I think they make the best burger in town.”

1v7 ladies The 2011 Annual Cocoa Beach Wine & Food Festival

After the Tasting Village, which will be operating from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. surrounding a centrally-located wine tasting bar manned by local celebrities like Mayor Skip Beeler, Health First CEO Mike Means, Sean and Skip Slater, and Carol Craig herself, the Festival will continue with live music from local band MoGeetz, a series of raffles, and the opening of food, beer, and wine vendor booths. The day is capped off by a performance from ’70s band America — responsible for such hits as “A Horse with No Name,” “Sister Golden Hair,” and “Lonely People” — from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The 2011 Cocoa Beach Wine & Food Festival takes place March 12 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach, about 1 and 1/2 miles south of S.R. 520. Tickets are $45 and are available for advance purchase through the Festival website — www.cocoabeachwinefoodfestival.com — at both Petty’s Meat Market locations, Lexus of Melbourne, and any community credit union. Ticket price includes admission to the food and wine tasting event and the finale concert. Admission is $50 at the door, but tickets are limited. Due to the nature of the Festival, attendants should be 21 years of age or older. For more details, visit www.cocoabeachwinefoodfestival.com, or call 799-3971.

{Feature in the Beachside Resident March 2011}

Dancing Bull Chardonnay

French Maid Merlot

Little Black Dress Sauvignon Blanc