Eating for a Great Cause

Yesterday afternoon I headed out to the First Annual Westside Chef's Throwdown.  It was a fundraiser held at La Centerra to benefit MDA.  Think 'Throwdown with Bobby Flay' meets 'Next Iron Chef'.  The secret (and seasonal) ingredient was pumpkin.   

For $25 (or $20 if you planned ahead) you got a bracelet with 10 detachable numbers that could be redeemed for 10 plates of food.  Yes, I said plates of food.  Not just a taste.  What a deal!  You also received a green voting ticket to put in the jar of your favorite restaurant.  I am incredibly opinionated, so this was right up my alley!

You made us proud, Chef Caswell

In case you didn't see the show on Sunday or read the Houston Chronicle yesterday, my boy Bryan didn't 'survive to cook another day' on last week's episode of The Next Iron Chef. 

My heart is broken. 

Chef Caswell came across as incredibly likeable and so gosh darn down to earth. He always had a smile on his face and was an incredibly quotable contestant.  For example, after being (slightly) chastised at judging one week his response was, "Well, they said they want something between a ballerina and a linebacker, so I'm thinking NBA star". 

Check out this great video clip of Bryan explaining why it's always a good idea to hire someone with Waffle House experience on their resume. 



How can you not love this guy?  As Houstonians we are lucky to be able to call him one of our own