Alex Hitz
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE AK ITEM AND WHY?
That little alligator credit card case from Alexandra!
WHAT ARE YOUR LATEST TOP 10 OBSESSIONS?
"Vetiver" After Shave by Guerlain
I have worn in every day since I was 18 and don't feel fully dressed without it.
An investment in culinary quality kitchen products will pay off every time, and although I have four of these now, I still have the first one I ever bought 22 years ago.
The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas
So well run and chic it feels fresh and exciting every time I stay there, but in a wonderfully comforting old-world way.
Custom-made shirts
A bit of a fetish of mine, and, somehow, I never seem to order enough.
The perfect fit on me, so inexpensive and they look great with everything. Easy, easy, easy for travelling and truly indispensible.
1,2,3 presto you've made exquisite hollandaise sauce or homemade mayonnaise in a snap. Cannot live without this.
Kerastase Bain Oleo Relax Shampoo
I love to wash my hair and this one makes it not stand straight up.
They are very well made, and my kind of easy.
Again---for the kitchen always invest in quality. It'll last forever!
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE THAT YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
The best advice I have recieved came from my stepfather, Robert Shaw: "Always remember kid...If you're exposed to the good stuff long enough, some of it just may rub off on you!"
DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL MANTRA OR QUOTE THAT YOU TOTE AROUND WITH YOU?
If perfection doesn't exist, we're going to get just as close as we can....
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP PRIZED POSSESSIONS?
My Watch
A 1968 Gold Rolex "DATE" that had been my dad's. I have a ton of watches and this is the one I wear 99% of the time. I just love it.
MY Dining Table
It's an 18th Century English Mahoghany Table that is more narrow than really grand tables of the period so people can talk across it easier-it has about a million leaves and can easily seat twenty-four. To me, it's absolutely perfect.
After four different agents told me this wouldn't work, I sold it to Knopf the best publisher in the land and am really proud of it. The book tour through 70+ cities in America has been so much fun and I am really grateful to have met such generous wonderful people along the way. So much fun!
I have, almost exclusively, worn these since I was in college and everytime I try a new style, I go right back to these. They are eternal.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?
My articles for House Beautiful, Departures, Town and Country and Southern Living, my second book, a couple of TV show concepts, and a product line that I would tell you more about but only after we do the pinky swear. Plus my personal appearances mostly for charity---I just love those.
HOW DID MY BEVERLY HILLS KITCHEN COME ABOUT?
I always wanted to write a memoir with recipes about the incredible cooks and extraordinary hosts and hostesses I have known-and what I learned from them. People who cook are always telling me how much they love the recipes-and people who don't---well, they love the stories!
It's an insane food tale starting with my incredible parents---and our fantastic cook Dorothy---in the 70s in Atlanta where I grew up and in France where we spent so much time, and then going on to my life in New York, and now in both NYC and Los Angeles. I am grateful every day for the people I have had the privilege of knowing-and for the sensational food they've served!
WHAT IS A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ALEX HITZ?
An ideal day for me is spent writing in the morning after some delicious breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. Then a visit with friends for lunch and then a workout and another visit with friends for dinner. Days like these don't happen too often as I now travel almost 40 weeks a year, but it's always good to have an ideal....
SECRETS TO A GREAT DINNER?
Shamelessly, I'm going to tell you to read my book for these, but, in the mean time ---Turn the lights down---get plenty of delicious red wine, and serve an excellent chicken pot pie. Just how bad can it be??!!
WHAT MAKES A WOMAN CHIC?
It's really the same thing that makes a man chic---attitude.
The way you carry yourself, the way you care about how you look but don't---It's a gossamer thing that being too carefully dressed will kill. It's the way you enter a room...or leave one.
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS PEOPLE WOULD NEVER KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT YOU WANT TO SHARE?
I'm a horrible insomniac. This is my Achilles heal.
And, although I do it twice a week on average, and have now flown millions of miles in my life, I am super afraid of flying....
WHAT IS YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE?
Ruffles Potato Chips.
These can simply NEVER be in my house.
WHO IS ALEX HITZ AND WHY DO WE LOVE HIM?
I was first introduced to Alex when my dear friend Ann had a small dinner party for him. Not only was he charming and adorable but also the food was out of this world! We immediately hit it off and he and my husband so much so that they played tennis matches and he delivered Alex to his book signings. Thanksgiving was around the corner and he gave us his favorite staple suggestions for a killer meal to cook for family - soubise, tomato pie and brownies. I must say I think my in-laws saw me in a whole new light after this meal - thank you Alex. His cookbook is my go-to and every time I dare to cook for others I always go to his recipes as that is where I receive the largest applause. It is also one of my favorite gifts to give, lovingly marking my favorite recipes and addictions.
Alex's "food philosophy" is firmly grounded in his mother's Atlanta kitchen. She was a tireless "foodie," a Southern girl, educated in Paris, whose exacting standards and unerring taste made her dishes some of the very best in the South. His parents entertained constantly, and from a young age, Hitz embraced the entire entertaining process: excellent food, elegant but relaxed atmosphere, and a sense of occasion.
Following college, Alex enrolled in Peter Kump's Cooking School in New York, and Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. He co-owned the Atlanta restaurant, The Patio by the River, and in 2009 founded The Beverly Hills Kitchen, selling one product on QVC - Beef Bourguignon. Moving his brand to HSN, Hitz built the most successful food brand in the network's history, and is now expanding his line to include cookware, small appliances, and tabletop products with a national retailer.
Alex also has experience in Broadway, film and television, real estate development and clothing design. He is now writing his second book.
