The Beekman Boys, Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, have been making quite a name for themselves in both reality television and in the world of fine foods for some time now. Currently they are adding an heirloom desserts cookbook (a follow-up to their successful The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook) to their list of accomplishments. Is there anything these guys can’t do?
In 2000, Brent met Josh, on a dating Web site. Josh was the first man he’d ever dated. June 28 this year, the two were married. In 2012, they took home the top prize on The Amazing Race, and their reality show The Fabulous Beekman Boys is now in its third season, being dubbed as the “gay Green Acres”. It’s also no coincidence that their series name The Fabulous Beekman Boys, resembles the title of the film The Fabulous Baker Boys as Ridge explained.
“When we first moved to Sharon Springs and bought the Beekman Farm, people in the community started calling us ‘the boys that bought the Beekman,’” Ridge said. “Then as they became more familiar, it was ‘the Beekman Boys’. When the network was trying to think of a name for our TV show, they were inspired by the Michelle Pfeiffer movie, The Fabulous Baker Boys. The title of the show (now on the Cooking Channel) became The Fabulous Beekman Boys, and the moniker has stuck.”
When the couple first started Beekman 1802, Purcell-Kilmer used to commute from New York City to the farm on the weekends while Brent worked at the farm full time.
“We lived apart for five years,” Kilmer-Purcell said. “Brent was at the farm full time working on building our farm-based company, Beekman 1802, and I was working in New York City to help pay the mortgage on the farm.”
Purcell-Kilmer and Ridge gladly acknowledge and credit that their recent million dollar grand prize win on the 2013 season of The Amazing Race is what finally allowed Purcell-Kilmer to leave his New York City job and move to the farm full time. They also agree that while they didn’t need the competition to bring them closer as a couple it did reaffirm the fact that they are inseparable.
With what little free time they both have between the show, the farm and book signings it’s interesting to hear what they like to do with that free time they have when they are together.
“We love to do exactly what viewers who watch the show or look at beekman 1802.com see,” Ridge said. “We work in the gardens on the farm, cook, design our products, etc. We are so fortunate to really love what we are doing.”
Having just finished their second book, The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook, the boys have basically gone from one race right into another as Purcell-Kilmer commented.
“We are currently on tour with The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook,” Purcell-Kilmer explained. “[It’s] our second Beekman 1802 cookbook. The cross-country book tour feels a little like a domestic version of The Amazing Race!”
Ridge commented on the fact that each book takes about two years to complete. It’s that kind of commitment that gives these books the incredible look and content that cooks everywhere will appreciate. In fact they are also working on a third book called The Beekman Heirloom Vegetable, which will be in bookstores in 2015.
“We want every aspect of our books to have an heirloom quality to them,” Ridge said. “The recipes, the photography, the construction, even adding special interactive features [will] encourage you to make our cookbook an heirloom in your own family. We’ve worked with the same team of people for each of our books, and it is very much a collaborative effort.”
Being an “heirloom” cookbook, the recipes the boys have included in the book are those that have been handed down from generation to generation, and are family favorites. Some go back many years and some not, but they all have something special about them.
“We don’t ask people to submit recipes,” Ridge admitted. “But if we taste something that a friend or relative has made and love the recipe and the story behind it, we will always ask for it. They’re great inspiration.”
One of the things that is very difficult not to notice about this cookbook is how they are able to incorporate their recipes within a story-like frame. It actually gives you the feeling that you are not just looking at recipes but actually reading a story.
“We believe that heirloom recipes have stories behind them which makes them such important parts of our lives,” Purcell-Kilmer said. “A lot of people buy cookbooks and read them just like a novel, so we tend to construct the books so that you can read through them and get the whole story of each season on Beekman Farm.”
Their book signing tour will definitely keep them very busy throughout most of the holiday season and then some.
“We are doing 36 events for Heirloom Desserts,” Ridge said. “From Maine to Southern California, from Seattle to Orlando and everywhere in between.”
This Thanksgiving the couple will be in Orlando as opposed to being home on the farm, but are positive at the prospects of an out of town Thanksgiving.
“This Thanksgiving we’ll actually be away from home,” Purcell-Kilmer said. “[We] will be doing a book signing at Walt Disney World in Orlando. We’ll probably have some princesses cook for us!”
Their tour started in Columbus, Ohio in September and stopped in San Diego Oct. 28. Upcoming cities can be found on their Facebook Beekman Boys fan page at: facebook.com/FabulousBeekmanBoys/events
Their book can also be found online at Amazon.com or at barnesandnoble.com
