Western chef serves specialties for Safe Place

Celebrity chef Tim Love brings his personal motto of "Eat, Drink and Live Well" to Odessa, Thursday night, and more than 300 locals will experience his take on each one.

Well known for a 2007 win in the "Chile" battle on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America," Love's cooking style and his flagship restaurant in Fort Worth - The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro - have received accolades from top food critics.

Love's unique dishes of "Kangaroo Carpaccio Nachos," "Rabbit-Rattlesnake Sausage" and "Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin" will satisfy taste buds on Thursday at the Odessa Country Club, accompanied by a custom line of crushed wines. The main thrust of the evening, however, goes past the plate to support life and hope for battered women and children in West Texas.

Safe Place of the Permian Basin presents Love's flamboyance and culinary flair in "Ponderosa with Panache" - a dining fund-raiser to help pay the costs of operation. Even before the grill fires up, the event has been a partial success with a complete sellout of the 40 available tables in the ballroom.

The organization serves a 15-county region and celebrates nearly 30 years of helping victims in family violence situations, Safe Place Executive Director Carole Wayland said. Its Midland shelter can house up to 66 people in the secure haven and the organization provides therapy and legal help for victims of abuse - the number of which is increasing, Wayland said.

"Last year, we averaged more than 40 people staying there for emergency shelter every day," she said. "In 2006, there were over 2,000 incidents of domestic abuse reported to law enforcement in Ector County - Odessa has some of the highest numbers in the state."

Rhonda Gilliam, event co-chairwoman, said the inaugural "Ponderosa with Panache" is a fun, entertaining way to promote Safe Place's mission and purpose.

A live auction, with everything from Dallas Cowboys tickets to jewelry and trips, follows Love's delicious dishes in a full-course meal, which Gilliam previewed at Lonesome Dove in January.

"I think the chef thing was a great idea," she said. "Being a cowboy, Tim will fit right in out here."

The cowboy-hat-wearing chef has pioneered the tastes of urban Western cuisine with his one-of-a-kind flavors, including kangaroo meat and rattlesnake.

Safe Place board member Cherie Hensley said that Love's appetizers are definitely unique, but the man behind them is even more extraordinary.

"He was a perfect match for us - he's very personable," she said. "He has three children of his own, and he's very generous with his time - he's a very philanthropic man."

Love said he makes time for family and community organizations that are close to his heart - like the Children's Culinary Education of Spoons Across America, which targets childhood obesity.

Managing his time between family, cooking, traveling, television appearances and restaurant oversight is more of a juggling act, though.

"I just keep my nose down and do my work - try to treat people right," he said. "I take one day at a time."

A southern, self-taught chef, Love said he looks forward to sharing his creative cuisine in support of Safe Place. Cooking for "Iron Chef of America" was "one of the coolest culinary experiences" of his life, but Love said his professional success has given him a way to give back.

"You have to give to receive," he said. "If you have an opportunity to make a difference, you have to take that opportunity."

NEED HELP?
>> Call Safe Place's 24-hour emergency hot line at 570-1465 or 800-967-8928.
>> For counseling, legal advocacy or support groups, call 580-5970 in Odessa or 570-1465 in Midland.

ON THE NET
>> Safe Place of the Permian Basin: www.safeplacenow.com