Guy Fieri Takes Over a Houston Kitchen to Cook the Six Million Dollar Man an Unforgettable Birthday Dinner

When TV star Lee Majors (aka The Six Million Dollar Man) and Food Network star Guy Fieri first met at an Ultimate Fight Championship competition in 2017, they had little thought that it would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. But four years later after many shared times, Fieri found himself in a swank Houston kitchen whipping up a six-course feast for Majors and friends.

It was Majors’ 82nd birthday, a date that happened to coincide with the Mayor of Flavortown‘s swift journey through Houston filming for his popular Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives TV show. And that was not too many weeks before the rock star of foodie television signed a staggering $80 million contract with the Food Network.

Earlier in the year, Majors and his wife, Faith, had joined Fieri for dinner at the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Palm Beach. The topic of birthdays was on the table, Faith tells PaperCity, and Fieri volunteered to celebrate by cooking dinner for the couple and a few friends if their schedules worked.

“This is my honor. I admire Lee even more now than I did as a kid,” Fieri explains. “Lee is the real deal and highly regarded by his friends and the entertainment industry.”

And so it was that Doctors Lisa and Stanley Duchman, Lee Majors’ cardiologist, hosted the intimate dinner in their home which features a lavish chef’s kitchen as might be expected of the owners of Duchman Family Winery.

The day before the dinner, Fieri had assistants shopping across the city for product and equipment. He had morels flown in from Napa Valley and ordered a magnum of his wine, Hunt & Ryde (named for his sons, Hunter and Ryder), sent over for the dinner. For birthday tequila shots Fieri ordered Santo Tequila, which he founded in partnership with rocker Sammy Hagar.

A Guy Fieri Menu

The playful Fieri with his wild bleached coif was hands-on in the kitchen, Faith recalls, joining the dinner guests to explain each course and naturally delivering moments of his signature humor.

From the get-go, dinner guests were spoiled with servings of Osetra Karat Black Caviar on toasted brioche. Cesar salad with made-from-scratch dressing followed. The bountiful courses on Fieri’s menu included sliced 42-ounce Tomahawk Ribeye, Snapper Veracruz, Roasted Mushroom Demi and Shrimp Scampi with sides of smashed fingerling potatoes, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus and garlic bread.

For dessert, Faith ordered a white chocolate buttercream cake with raspberries from Weights & Measures, which just happens to be one of the spots that Fieri visited while filming in Houston.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is God’s gift and that’s why it is called ‘present’,” Lee Majors said at the end of the evening. “And your presence here tonight is the best gift.”

Lee Majors’ Lucky Guests

Lee Majors had wanted a small evening of the best of friends and that would naturally include Danny and Robin Klaes, daughter of Lee’s close friend Charlie Thomas. Faith allows that Thomas was the reason that the couple chose Houston for settling after leaving Los Angeles. The men shared a 30-year friendship that ended earlier this year when the former Houston Rockets owner passed away.

The Majors are godparents to the children of dinner guests Michelle Simmons Welling and Shawn Welling, a Houston-based indie film producer. Lee has a role in Welling’s most recent film, Narco Sub.

Rounding out the table for 10 were super lawyer Tony Buzbee and his fiancé Frances Moody. The couple are set to wed on July 3.

“After all that has happened this past year, it’s time to start celebrating each and every day,” Faith says. “Lee and I are sincerely grateful to Guy for making Lee’s birthday extra special and such a fun and memorable event.”

It was not long after the birthday dinner that the Majors joined Fieri at the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami.