Guy Fieri - charitable works in Mexico

Or to be precise, charitable works in La Manzanilla, Mexico.

Kimberley and Will own Palapa Joe's Restaurant, Bar & Bungalows in La Manzanilla, Jalisco, Mexico. Written from their blog in March of 2008,

"We met Guy Fieri a couple years ago while he and his family were vacationing in La Manzanilla. They ate in the restaurant a couple of times and we became acquainted. At this point in time, he had entered the Food Network "The Next Food Network Star" contest but was not yet aware that he had won the competition."

This must have been early in 2006.


The Fieri family went back the following season for vacation, and at that point, Guy's Big Bite was rolling, and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives was still in the development stage. Triple D first aired in early 2007.

Guy named a drink after the restaurant, Agua de Palapa Joe's, featured in the Tamale Never Knows episode, third season of Guy's Big Bite.

Early in 2008, the the owners of Palapa Joe's got an email from Guy and his dad, suggesting that they do a benefit dinner, with a portion of the proceeds going towards the La Manzanilla school system.


The menu for the evening was:

Deep-fried Artichoke Hearts with a Red Bell Pepper Aioli
Olive-Rosemary Flatbread
Grilled Romain Lettuce with a Bacon Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
Cajun Chicken Breast with Garlic Chardonnay Alfredo Penne
Tequila Lime Tart

Guy, his dad and the Palapa Joe's kitchen crew worked all day preparing dinner for 70.

(source)

In February of 2009, for the second year in a row, Willy turned over Palapa Joe’s kitchen and staff to Guy Fieri. Guy created a multi-course Asian dining experience "worthy of multiple mouth orgasms," according to the Guadaljara Reporter. The evening raised funds for the La Manzanilla schools and Cisco’s Amigos animal spay and neuter clinic.

Guy and his family have been regular visitors to La Manzanilla for six years. They are building a house there, which Guy hopes to enjoy "more like every two or three months, instead of a couple of weeks each winter."

Will Guy Fieri eventually move to La Manzanilla and open his own restaurant? When asked, he got that trademark twinkle in his eyes, smiled, and said, "We’ll see."

(source)

Palapa Joe's Restaurant & Bar - website
Maria Asuncion # 163, La Manzanilla, Jalisco MX - Google map
[011-52] (315) 351-5348
www.palapajoes.net



Read more about the 2009 Fieri - Palapa Joe's benefit event here and here.

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