His brothers say he's scarred from frozen flounder fillets of his youth, although all say his mother cooked well. "He's a pretty picky eater," his mother says. Surprisingly, Schrager doesn't love all food. "He's just so passionate, always working, always coming up with ideas.
They married in New York three years ago. "When I was first with Lee, it took me six months to understand what he did," says Restrepo, who met Schrager at a Coral Gables car wash 13 years ago. "I don't think it's humanly possible to tell Lee Schrager, 'No.' " And his ability to get things done," Navarro says. His love of people and the way he works at maintaining friends. "There are a few things that make Lee special. "I adore Lee," says Navarro, a Republican political strategist and CNN analyst who has known Schrager for 20 years.They text and talk frequently, teasing each other about their weight struggles, with Navarro nicknaming him "Chubby' and Schrager calling her "Princess Chubs." "You never know who's going to show up," Howie says. Howie Schrager says he enjoys going to Thanksgiving at his brother's Coral Gables home, where Restrepo's parents and four siblings, all doctors, and other friends gather. They shuttle between a gorgeous $2.6 million George Merrick-built home in Coral Gables, an apartment in the famed Ansonia building on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and a summer rental in the Hamptons, where Schrager cooks and parties with chefs and friends such as Billy Joel. He has a husband who is a physician, Colombian-born radiologist Ricardo Restrepo, and they live a dream life. Schrager, 57, now has a life he never imagined when he was young. I don’t think it’s humanly possible to tell Lee Schrager, "No." - Republican strategist and friend Ana Navarro He might have a little sweat on his brow, but he makes sure everyone is taken care of." "And I'm constantly amazed how Lee covers his own operation. It hasn't gotten tired," says Martha Stewart, a regular presence at the South Beach festival who will host a dinner at Le Zoo in Bal Harbour on Feb. "I'm always amazed by how enthusiastic the crowds are. 22 at the Bonnet House, and a first-time cocktail event, DRINK Fort Lauderdale, on Feb. Among them: the opening-night Seaside Eats dinner, on Feb. The networks' stars are among the top draws of a festival that has branched to Schrager's roots, with seven events taking place in Broward County as part of the Taste Fort Lauderdale Series. Food Network star Bobby Flay, on Schragerįood Network and Cooking Channel are the presenting sponsors of the SOBEWFF, which has raised more than $24 million for Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. He creates environments that we all want to be in. "It's crazy what has happened in the food world. Now, rock stars are becoming chefs," says Schrager, who grew the festival as an executive with Southern Wine & Spirits, a job he still holds and one he got by writing a letter to the company's CEO when he turned 40. "It used to be chefs wanted to become rock stars. At this year's festival, rapper Snoop Dogg will spin tunes at the Grand Tasting village on the sands of South Beach, chef-turned-TV star Anthony Bourdain will emcee the tribute dinner honoring chef Jose Andres at the Loews in Miami Beach, and actor Neil Patrick Harris will co-host a Bloody Mary brunch at the Fort Lauderdale Ritz-Carlton. He counts celebrities such as Martha Stewart, Bobby Flay and Rachael Ray among his friends. Schrager cajoles, hobnobs and cultivates relationships with rising and established stars, and politely rebuffs has-beens and never-weres. A featured slot at the festivals can make budding chefs' careers.