Chef Tory McPhail is bringing all the rich culinary traditions of a New Orleans staple and cutting-edge Haute Creole cuisine from Commander's Palace to NOCHI! Classgoers will enjoy a hands-on cooking lesson using seafood and steak, but this is not your run-of-the-mill surf and turf experience. Using fresh, non-traditional local seafood options, Chef Tory will walk guests through the construction of this tantalizing twosome and add a spin that only a James Beard Award-winning chef could. Place your bid today!

Please note: This cooking experience is designed to be in-person in New Orleans for up to 12 people. If you would like to bid on this as a virtual experience, we are eager to accommodate you. Contact [email protected] for additional information.

About Chef Tory

Executive Chef Tory McPhail has led the kitchen of Commander's Palace for 17 years, and has been an integral part of the Commander's Palace culinary team for 27 years.

McPhail hails from the small town of Ferndale, Washington where he learned to appreciate local goods and the comfortable gathering place of his parents' kitchen. Corn planted in the spring would become dinner in the summer; fish caught in the afternoon from his family's stocked pond would make it to the plate by dusk.

After high school, McPhail attended South Seattle College and received a degree in culinary science. Compelled by New Orleans' history, soul, and Mardi Gras celebrations, he moved upon graduation and at just 19, he was hired by Commander's Palace Executive Chef Jamie Shannon. McPhail later completed a series of stints at several culinary hot spots, including the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida; the Michelin-starred L'Escargot in London and its sister restaurant, the Michelin
two- star Picasso Room; and the Caribbean/Creole-intensive Mongoose Restaurant in the U.S.Virgin Islands. But New Orleans called him home in 2001.

Today, McPhail continues his dedication to creating and sustaining strong relationships with local purveyors, as well as executing exciting dishes in the Commander's kitchen. "I'm always thinking very forward when it comes to Creole food," he says. A passionate and resolute chef who pursues culinary perfection, McPhail delights in exploring a variety of flavors in his seasonal menus-embracing Creole traditions while updating classic dishes with fresh, local ingredients. His Creole Seared Gulf Fish, for example, showcases farm-fresh produce like Spring Mushrooms, Corn, Fingerling Potatoes and seared Speckled Trout.
McPhail's masterful work has led him to numerous TV appearances, including Bravo's "Top Chef," on which he was a guest judge alongside Commander's Co-Proprietor Ti Adelaide Martin and "The Today Show"; CBS's "Early Show"; "Paula's Party" with Paula Dean; "After Hours With Daniel Boulud"; "Sara's Secrets," "My Country, My Kitchen," "Into the Fire," and "Bobby Flay's Food Nation." Tory also co-hosted "Off the Menu".

A James Beard Rising Star Chef and Best Chef: South winner, McPhail was also named one of the best chefs in the country by TheDailyMeal.com, as one of Saveur magazine's inaugural "Tastemaker Chefs;" awarded the winner of the Great American Seafood Cook-Off; co-authored Commander's Wild Side with Martin; has served on the Nutrition Advisory Board for Cooking Light magazine; launched his own sauce line, and has been a spokesperson for Wild American Shrimp and for McCormick's Old Bay seasoning. In 2014 he served The American Chef Corps as a culinary diplomat to Australia.