Four Seasons Executive Chef Simon Purvis
Four Seasons Hotel Denver Executive Chef Simon Purvis will be the guest chef for the fifth annual Public Good Gala hosted by the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management Thursday, Feb. 22, at the University of Denver. The Public Good Gala is a collaboration between Fritz and the Ethiopian Community Development Council/African Community Center (ACC), a refugee resettlement agency in Denver. The gala, which is part of the school’s Guest Chef Series, is a culmination of the four-week training program, Ready for American Hospitality (RAH), in which refugees are trained in food safety and U.S. work culture.
The Public Good Gala is the final exam both for the refugees and the DU hospitality students who are paired with the refugees to help train them. Offered since 2012, this innovative program helps refugees develop the skills and knowledge needed to obtain jobs in the food service industry. The gala is produced by the students enrolled in Fritz Knoebel’s Contemporary Cuisine course, in collaboration with RAH and students in the school’s Human Capital Management course.
The evening will include hors d’oeuvres followed by a four-course dinner with each course accompanied by a specially selected wine. The menu will be developed under the direction of featured guest chef Simon Purvis of the Four Seasons Hotel Denver.
Purvis has more than 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. He has skipped from Switzerland to Bali, Scotland to Melbourne and across the U.S. In Bali, he mastered the art of the wok; in Singapore, he learned the Chinese focus on freshness; and at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, he mastered the singular American art of grilled steak to wide critical acclaim. In Denver, Purvis cooks with some wild game, an art he mastered during his tenure at Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole.
Previous guest chefs in the series have included David Patterson of The Broadmoor; Matt Zubrod from The Little Nell in Aspen; Paul Reilly of Denver’s beast + bottle; and James Beard Award winners Saipin Chutima with the Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas, Craig Stoll with Delfina in San Francisco, Michael Schwartz of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in Miami and Chris Shepherd with Underbelly in Houston.
The menu will be prepared and served by Fritz and RAH students under the guidance of Chef Purvis. Proceeds from ticket sales will support the RAH program. Visit the website to register.
Date: Thursday, Feb. 22
Time: 5:45 – 9 p.m.
Price: Early bird registration (until Jan. 19) is $100 per person / $800 per table of 8
Beginning Jan. 20, pricing is $115 per person / $875 per table of 8
Location: Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management
Joy Burns Center
2044 East Evans Avenue, Denver CO 80208