It was beyond thrilling for me to use our backyard for the TV show Motorhead Traveler (a Canadian TV show)…and to have Executive Chef Scott Savage (from The Cliff House in Manitou Springs, which just so happens to be a 4 diamond restaurant) cooking up Rocky Mountain cuisine on our humble grill! …..
The Motorhead Traveler is a television show in Canada that inspires your own vacation travel plans and features motor-sport adventure travel. They film all over the world so I thought it was really cool that they were here in Colorado Springs to film a segment…how great is it that we live in such a beautiful place that people would and do love to visit.
Host Kevin Cullen and cameraman Kyle were so nice and it was just so much fun listening to them as they told us about some of the adventures they’ve experienced and the exotic places they’ve traveled to. On the show, each week, Kevin takes you on a motorized journey around the globe, exposing you to magnificent viewpoints. What I really like is that they also feature the local culture, geology, history, local art and (why they filmed in our backyard), outdoor cooking of where they travel to.
Here we are in our kitchen as Kevin and Kyle tell Chef and me what we’re going to do and how they will film.
Chef’s talking about what he’s going to prepare and the order of what he’s doing….I personally think Chef is brilliant and I feel really lucky every time I watch him cook!
The grill’s getting hot and we’re doing a few, last-minute arrangements before the cooking starts.
Kevin went on a hot air balloon ride and zipline (among many things they did while visiting for the show) offered through Adventures Out West www.advoutwest.com Again, I think it’s so cool that we live in a place that someone who travels all around the world would want to feature on their show!
Among the food Chef prepared for the episode was elk wrapped in applewood bacon and Colorado lamb T-bones with locally grown produce….everything tasted wonderful! Chef par-cooked the potatoes and then finished them off on the grill. The brussel sprouts and asparagus tasted especially fabulous cooked on the grill. I’ve cooked asparagus that way before but had never tried brussels sprouts on the grill….. but after tasting the brussel sprouts cooked that way, I’ll be doing that myself!
Here’s Kevin introducing Chef for the episode….
Chef looks “cool” and in control even though it was really hot, especially with the grill on! Of course, he’s a pro!
Finally I’m in the shot! Ha! Chef could have of course done everything himself but he was nice enough to let me be his “sous chef”…
Of course we got a picture of the food before it went on the grill and while it was cooking….did forget to take the beauty shot of it after it was done though!
If you haven’t been to The Cliff House in Manitou Springs, you really should check it out. Not only is the presentation of each plate like a piece of art, it tastes incredibly good and they aren’t as expensive as you might think. I spend less at lunch there than at a lot of chain restaurants and it’s one of my favorite places to dine at. And, Manitou Springs is fun place to explore and has a lot of really unique shops (and other restaurants) .
Ok, a little more about Motorhead Traveler….Here’s just a few things that Kevin has done on his show: snowmobiling in the Arctic circle, jet-skiing in Brazil, boating in Croatia, and lunching on an iceberg in Alaska! Who does that? Well, Kevin does on Motorhead Traveler! My son was disappointed he didn’t get to meet him!
These shows have it all! They design the episodes (my favorite part of what they do) so that whether you’re in a wheelchair, traveling with a young family, or looking for a go fast adventure of a lifetime, each show features a holiday that can be tailored to meet your needs and skill level. So you (if you’re a chicken like me) can live vicariously watching Kevin do all the adventure stuff and then see the other things the area has to offer that you might be more willing to experience (like the art scene, history and of course my favorite, local cuisine.) Of course if you like adventure, you’ll want to hop on a plane and visit one of the locations they feature and try out all the cool motor-sport adventures they feature!
Chef’s had a busy day already and now will head back to The Cliff House where he’ll put in a full night’s work….I, on the other hand, will be hanging out with the guys, enjoying some wine!
Well, we didn’t get a picture of the food before we ate it but let me tell you, Kevin, Kyle, Paul and I enjoyed our feast! Hmm, having an executive chef cooking dinner, eating a fabulous meal, hanging out with a globe-trotting host of a TV show, all in our backyard…..not a bad day!
And as you can see, we had some fun while doing it!
You can also check out Kevin’s adventures on their Facebook page, “The Motorhead Traveler“.
And again, Colorado Springs….what a wonderful place to live!