This past May, Omni Frisco hosted its first annual SAVOR culinary fest and celebrity golf tournament.
A confession to start the festivities: prior to making my way to Texas for a butt-kicking culinary/golf event this past spring, all I knew about Frisco had to do with Tony Bennett having left his poor heart thereabouts back in 1961. Little did I know that Frisco, Texas was one of the fastest growing communities in America, and that the Omni resort was the hub of a frenzied but down-home leisure and entertainment complex the likes of which I would have never imagined.
Yup, twenty-five miles north of Dallas/Fort Worth, a stunning transformation has turned a formerly sleepy rail stop (circa 1902, when the St. Louis-San Francisco line came to town) into an economic suburban juggernaut that shows no signs of slowing down after waking from its slumbers some 25 years ago. The Omni PGA Resort & Spa is but one gleaming gem in the city’s crown jewel collection of properties–Frisco is also home to the Omni-adjacent PGA headquarters, both sitting astride a 660-acre entertainment district that attracts leisure visitors and locals in happy throngs. And the Dallas Cowboys now practice at their state-of-the-art facility on 91 nearby acres that features a 12,000-seat events center and which serves as the football team’s world headquarters.
All of that hubbub makes a feller hungry: On to SAVOR!
You might think it audacious for the Omni Resort to stage a world-class culinary event just two years after its grand opening, but all who attended SAVOR agreed that it was a gustatory and logistical success. Celebrities like Kurt Russell and Nischelle Turner were among the marquee names for the grub and golf tournament, and the roster of newsworthy chefs was simply dizzying: at the elegant, sit-down Masters of Taste opening event, James Beard nominees Elizabeth Blau and Antonia Lofaso led the way, alongside signature cocktails by Jason Asher of Juniper & Jigger Hospitality Co. General Manager Jeff Smith and marketing guru Gus Tejeda proved to be amiable and welcoming hosts on what must have been cause for a huge sigh of relief after so much advance planning – but the evening went down without a hitch and the food and drinks were simply stellar.
Day two dispensed with the buttoned-down shirts and sparkly dresses and opted for a casual and beautiful evening under the boundless Texas sky and stars. The “Fork & Fire” featured open flame cooking stations, distinguished and imaginative mixology by Jillian Vose of Charleston’s Hazel and Apple, and savory bites from chefs like Stephanie Izard and Kwame Onwuachi, among innumerable others. Custom-fitted Stetson hats were available for a privileged few, and I walked away with a two-acre black number that made me feel like Merle Haggard for a few fleeting seconds (until I walked past a mirror and saw an aged city slicker trying desperately to look like an outlaw!). Any alien feelings were dispelled when I dove into heaping mountains of barbecue courtesy of Ice House’s Michael Stewart and Samantha Hill. Friggin’ fantastic. And great live music was provided by Grammy nominees Midland, whose musicianship was only exceeded by their humility and charm.
Did somebody mention golf?
Good fun and flowing libations made for a spirited round of golf on Day Three at the Beau Welling-designed Fields Ranch West Course, where celebs and civilians teed off on a day graced by blue skies after a biblical-scale downpour the day before. I had been looking forward to playing the Gil Hanse East Course, which recently played host to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, but was stymied by the vindictive golf gods, who were well aware I would “enjoy” myself way too much and likely be humbled by the challenging, 7,863-yard design. The West was plenty challenging as well, and I got to tee it up with former NFL standout A.Q. Shipley, who proved to be a gentle giant with a laugh as big as the prairie land the course was built upon.
Day three–the last event that I had the good fortune to attend–was the Best of Texas Grand Tasting, featuring more tender and savory brisket than you could shake a cattle prod at, as well as distinguished fare from expert local chefs like Dean Fearing and Stephen Rogers. And the “Modern Mixologist” Tony Abou-Ganim prepared refreshingly tasty cocktails with Tito’s vodka (I’ve still got my copper ”mule” cup stored away in a place of honor at home). Most memorable dessert? Chefs Leen Nunn and Gelyn Widelski of Omni prepared a sci-fi looking confection out of a Dr Pepper can and its contents, augmented by chocolate cake and an “edible bubble” cloud. It sounds weird, yes, but was as delicious as it was eye-catching. Kudos to these imaginative kitchen artistes!
Aside from the food, Mrs. Lincoln, did you enjoy the resort?
In a word, thoroughly. Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa is without reservation one of the most thoughtfully-designed and ambitious luxury designations in the country, as hospitable to golf buddy trips as it is to family blowouts (a nearby Universal Kids Resort is set to open soon, a sprawling, 32-acre theme park).
Checklist: two eighteen-hole championship courses, a lighted ten-hole short course called The Swing, an incredible state of the art teaching facility–the PGA Coaching Center, with top 100 and PGA Master Professional Tim Cusick at the helm–and the full-service Mokara Spa only begin to tell this outsize Texas tale. Four pools, including a rooftop infinity facility, 13 onsite dining options from a top-notch steakhouse to the casual Ice House, a ranch-style beer garden with hitting bays overlooking the short course–all that and the PGA District, a public area with dining, retail and entertainment offerings. All done with bighearted and welcoming Texas hospitality at no added cost. This upscale juke joint is a stone cold winner for golfers and foodies alike.