Chef Lee Hillson Returns to T. Cook’s

James Beard House-Featured Chef Brings Back All-Time Favorites Along with Exciting New Dishes

PHOENIX (PRESS RELEASE) – A culinary veteran for nearly 30 years, Lee Hillson has gone back to his roots with a return to the iconic T. Cook’s as executive chef and just this month rolled out his first new dinner menu and brunch offering.

During Chef Lee’s first 12-year tenure in the early 2000s, the James Beard House-featured chef helped put T. Cook’s on the culinary map with his rustic Mediterranean cuisine and signature accoutrements like the orange marmalade, made from the resort’s on-site citrus grove, and what’s now become the restaurant’s legendary pesto.

With his return comes the revival of some of the restaurant's all-time menu favorites along with brand-new dishes that showcase Chef Lee’s straightforward sensibility and honest approach to cuisine. Highlights of the winter dinner menu include Lobster Bisque ($15); Roasted Squash Soup ($14); Chef Lee’s Pasta Carbonara with garlic cream, prosciutto, house-cured pancetta and egg yolk ($29); T. Cook’s Mediterranean Paella with saffron rice, mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, pork, Spanish chorizo, organic vegetables and fresh herbs ($38); Pan Roasted Branzino with grilled fennel, sautéed red bell peppers, saffron-roasted potatoes and parsley cream sauce ($45); Pan Roasted Mary’s Organic Chicken Breast with butternut squash risotto, rapini, blistered tomatoes and fried sage ($30); Braised Beef Short Rib with orange gremolata, cumin roasted fingerling potatoes, red pearl onions and carnival cauliflower ($40); and Filet of Butternut Squash with mushroom broth, baby heirloom carrots, rapini, shaved Brussel sprouts and black-garlic puree ($28).

“This is a homecoming for me,” said Chef Lee. “T. Cook’s is one of Arizona’s few historic restaurants and the tightknit team and guests who have dined here from generation to generation is what makes it such a special place. Food to me is about evoking memories for people, whether it’s a forgotten flavor from their grandmother’s table or a first taste of an outstanding dish that stays with them. If that’s the case, we have done our job. I’m a simple and honest chef and we as a team are focused on sourcing the very best ingredients from all over the world and letting them shine on the plate. One flavor can make a dish take off and I’m in constant search of how to do that.”

Sunday brunch, available from 10:30am to 1:30pm, has also been reimaged with an impressive, unlimited buffet and a la carte entrees such as Beef Short Rib with blue cheese mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and tomato demi; Peanut & Banana French Toast with anglaise and bacon mascarpone; Seafood Cioppino and Mediterranean Eggs Benedict with focaccia, prosciutto, tomato hollandaise, Tuscan relish and potatoes, to name a few. Adults are $55 and children are $25, with a mimosa, coffee, tea, orange juice or soda included.

Hailing from England where he started culinary school at 16-years-old, Chef Lee brings a worldly approach to his cuisine after traveling through the Mediterranean, Hawaiian Islands and Alaska as a guest chef on luxury cruise lines. A chef who has also appeared on the popular Food Network show, Iron Chef America, Chef Lee has created remarkable meals for luminaries such as President George W. Bush, Barbra Streisand, Princess Diana, Richard Branson, Billy Joel and author, Clive Cussler, to name a few.

Chef Lee’s talents have allowed him to cook in some of the most prestigious restaurants around the world including the Michelin-Starred Le Gavroche in London and Vanderbilt Hall in Newport, Rhode Island, named one of the top five restaurants in the country by Country Inn Magazine.

A four-time nominee of the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame, Chef Lee has most recently spent his time at some of the Valley’s most well-known and well-respected culinary institutions including Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, home to Kai, the state’s only five-star restaurant from Forbes and Five-Diamond restaurant from AAA, and all seven restaurants at The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale.

T. Cook’s menu focuses on simple preparations and uncomplicated dishes that honor the regions of Northern Italy, Greece, Spain and Provence. T. Cook’s culinary philosophy of magnifying the purity of fresh, seasonal ingredients is a celebration of its treasured legacy and offers a captivating environment in every sense with stone fireplaces, al fresco dining and unique design elements.

Located at Royal Palms Resort and Spa, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, T. Cook’s sits within the heart of the resort’s mature, lush nine-acre property at the base of the iconic Camelback Mountain.

With a heritage dating back to 1929, Royal Palms combines the graciousness and sophistication of a storied Mediterranean villa with the intimacy and privacy of a secluded retreat, leaving a lasting impression on all who visit. A true destination for lovers, the resort was originally built as a private mansion as a grand gesture of love by financier Delos Willard Cooke for his wife Florence. Unlike any other resort in Arizona, winding stone paths transport guests past a grove of orange trees, trickling fountains in courtyards, roaring outdoor fireplaces, 100-year-old rustic doorways and hand-painted tiles, and lush gardens filled with magenta bougainvillea, exotic plants and desert flowers.

For more information on T. Cook’s or to book a reservation, call 602-808-0766 or visit TCooksPhoenix.com.

About Royal Palms Resort and Spa: A member of Historic Hotels of America, Royal Palms Resort and Spa is a AAA Four Diamond resort located at the foot of majestic Camelback Mountain. Combining the graciousness and sophistication of a Mediterranean villa with the intimacy and privacy of a secluded retreat, Royal Palms offers 119 custom-appointed guestrooms, intimate clusters of casitas and villas, regal Spanish Colonial architecture, more than 20,000 square feet of estate-like meeting space, Tuscan-style gardens, exquisite tapestries, various antique décor, and stone fireplaces throughout. Designed around the original 1930s historic private mansion, Royal Palms is home to the award-winning T. Cook’s restaurant, the Mix Up Bar, Forbes Four Star Alvadora Spa, a Mother-of-Pearl-tiled swimming pool with private cabanas. Just minutes from Scottsdale’s shopping, galleries, golf, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the Camelback financial corridor, Royal Palms is an ideal retreat for business, pleasure and special occasions, offering luxury, privacy and convenience. For more information, please visit RoyalPalmsHotel.com.

About The Unbound Collection by Hyatt: The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand is a portfolio of new and existing premium hotel properties, ranging from historic urban gems to contemporary trend-setters and boutique properties to resorts. Whether it is a fascinating past, an exclusive location, famous architecture and design, or an award-winning dining experience, each hotel has its own distinct narrative and creates novel, story-worthy experiences for guests. Current hotel properties include Hotel SOFIA Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain; Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Phoenix; The Confidante in Miami Beach, Fla.; Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., The Eliza Jane in New Orleans; The Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia; Holston House in Nashville, Tenn.; The Driskill in Austin, Texas; Spirit Ridge in Osoyoos, British Columbia; Hôtel Martinez in Cannes, France; Hôtel du Louvre in Paris (under renovation); Jinmao Hotel Lijiang in Lijiang, China; Nish Palas in Istanbul, and Carmelo Resort & Spa in Uruguay. For more information, please visit unboundcollection.hyatt.com. Follow @UnboundxHyatt on Facebook and Instagram and tag your photos with #TellYourTale.