Quiet on the set!
Written by Lori Sturgill, Rafter S Cattle Co. Kingman
International chefs Gordon Ramsay, Gino D'Acampo and Fred Sirieix, came to Kingman to record an episode for the TV Series “Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip.” We made it on the big screen!
It started with Philip Bravo calling my husband, Emmett, and asking if we wanted to do a TV show. Emmett first said, “Who’s Gordon Ramsay?” and then said, “NO, we don’t want to do that.” I overheard and said, “Wait, wait! We absolutely want to do the show”.
The three chefs were the most fun, down to earth, genuine guys we could have imagined! They rolled up in the ultimate RV, the “Earth Roamer" and got out at the tack shed. The horses were saddled up, outfitted with GoPro cameras and our crew was ready to go.
Gino walked up to the mechanical bull and asked: “What’s this?" Emmett told Gino, “It’s to train guys to ride bucking horses!” Gino asked if they could ride it. Let the fun begin! First, they tried to buck each other off - even riding it backward, oh my!
Soon after the bull rides, we headed out to gather cattle from our mountain pasture. Our neighbor ranchers had brought the cattle to a hold up, about a mile from the house. Emmett, the chefs, and I headed that way to catch up to the herd and helped bring the drive in to the house.
During the ride out to the cattle, we had an opportunity to talk about ranch life, raising cattle in the West, the forage that the desert range offers, the native grasses and the nutritional value and protein content in the vegetation. Emmett went on to say, "God’s perfect order has afforded livestock food to not only grow but to thrive." We also talked about the types of programs used to provide the best quality beef, commercial shipping, and raising calves for grass-fed beef throughout the year! They were very intrigued by Verified Natural, NHTC, Vac 45, Source and Age verified for traceability, annual 3rd party audits, IMI Global, proven genetics with registered bulls, DNA tested replacement heifers, the concept of keeping only those in the top 50% of production of the 16 traits to meet our goals, and BQA certification.
We arrived at the herd, with drones flying overhead. Two of the chefs had never been horseback before, so it was quite an ordeal and an exciting time to get the cattle to the corral intact!
We headed to the arena next where the chefs wanted to learn how to rope - another experience of the western way of life. The chefs were taught how to build a loop and rope the head of the roping dummy. Once they had a general idea, we moved to the Heel-O-Matic, pulled by Emmett on the quad. Without hesitation, Gino jumped on the Heel-O-Matic, which made for a larger target to rope. After the roping, the chefs had worked up an appetite, so we moved to taste-testing some grass-fed beef. Becky and Mike Gross and Dan Rodriguez deep pit cooked some of our beef, and Marge Hamilton oven-roasted some as well. We enjoyed the beef along with a variety of other dishes prepared by Marge and Becky, including rattlesnake and Rocky Mountain oysters, pinto beans, yeast rolls, cowboy caviar, broccoli salad, brownies, and cookies.
At lunch, we presented custom made spurs made by Bud Watson with the Rafter S brand on them. A group of motorcycle fans showed up as part of the continuation of the “Road Trip” and escorted the crew out and off they were on to their next adventure.
The following Monday all three chefs had a cook-off at Chef Gordon’s home in California. His mum assisted, and we can’t wait to see the results of the competition. One cooked Italian style, the other a French dish, and Chef Gordon cooked his famous burger!
The chefs were intrigued by our operation and the ranching industry. The beef industry has made incredible strides to improve efficiency and provide the best quality beef possible.
An emotional, Chef Fred said at the end of the day, “He and his dad had dreamed of doing this their whole life, it was an experience he will never forget!” We want to express our sincere thanks to everyone who helped prepare before, and during the filming. The film crew and chefs were very happy with the end results and are excited to get the film to the network.
This was a great opportunity to promote Arizona ranchers and Arizona beef! It's a wrap! The show will air in the UK in Oct and then in the US in about one year. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page or website, www.RafterSCattle.com. As soon as we get any information; we will get it posted.
A special thanks to Marge Hamilton, Laurie Steele, Mike & Becky Gross, Dan Rodriguez, Mike & Kenna Gannuscio, Philip & Sherri Bravo, Judd Bravo, Josh Henson, Travis Godwin & Bridget Valencia, Shawn & Toni Schmidt and kids, Andrew Brischke, Shawn Gross, Ben & Taylor Overson, Tammy Gross, Kobe Hales, Tiffany & Tanner Leo, Dan, Angie & Meagan Husted and our family members, Emmett’s sister Margaret, Vinnie & Amanda, Mary Ellen and Justin & Shelly.