02/15/2021
Chef Ben "Chilly" Huselton
Up until today, I haven't had the words to tell everyone the news. The Lord called Chilly home this past week. It was just his time. He was in a lot of pain from a disease that he suffered from that was eating at him in many ways. I am grateful to the Lord that Chilly is home, pain free and spending time with theLord while making up amazing sandwiches for the folks in heaven. I can say that with certainty because I know that Chilly had come to know the Lord in the past few years.
It is an interesting story how the two of us reconnected after all of the Compass Rose days. He called me up out of the blue one day. I was walking through divorce and he had many struggles at the time. The Lord just put me on his heart to call and he did so. He said he wasn't quite sure why but he needed to call me. That conversation lasted for 4 or so hours. We were reminiscing of old days and things we would have done differently. Granted, we could not change the past but we could walk forward in a new understanding. Apparently that seemed the plan that the Lord had for us for it was on both of our hearts to do something together. We had no idea what that was to be but something together.
So we started to try out ideas of what IT could be or look like. over the course of a year, we looked at a restaurant in Austin area, Midland, Santa Fe, Montana and far off places to many to name. Never could find one that felt right to us both. Supper club at Compass Rose was always our favorite so the idea came to us to do that again but with us where we currently were inside and acceptance of our current reality which was no venue except my house. So Supper Club at the Tree House was born.
We heeled hauled around for a few months not sure when to do it and how we should do it. The thought came to us both to just jump in and do it. Well we hadn't worked together in years and especially in this tiny little kitchen in my house. So the thought came to us to do it for free for the first time. that seemed like a good idea to us since obvious reasons. So Supper Club(pre covid) started with eight people. All were not the original people that were invited. All of the original folks declined for whatever reason. So kind like something Jesus talked about in a parable about guest coming to a party, folks were drug off the street to attend. They were a bit worried since my house is hard to find and it was dark when they all arrived. But it all went off well and folks had an amazing time.
Our plan was to charge for the next one and somehow donate it or something. We weren't really sure what to do. After the first supper, I was on my way out to do a survey and Chilly and I were having a phone conversation. A thought came to me, "do it for free!" I told Chilly what was on my mind and I became super passionate and emotional about the idea. Chilly thought I was crazy. But it was on our hearts because, if money was removed, expectation of a set menu was removed then the guest would be able to experience the meal without expectations. That idea gave us freedom. Low and behold, we had no idea what the gift of that idea was going to do to us, for us and through us in the supper clubs to come.
Something was happening at these meals that we could not explain. Not only for us but the guests as well. All of the guest came to us on "their own." People had to ask to come for an invitation was not given. Only way it was presented was by way of a few small facebook posts and word of mouth. It is was always interesting to me who the Lord would put at the table, where they sat and the conversation that sparked for all of these people He wanted to be spoken to, for and through that evening. Needless to say this was a big deal for the two of us. No one was witness to it except Chilly, the few guest and myself. That was the case until the Last Supper(we didn't know this at the time) when the Lord put Kerry into our midst.
We needed to have another person for the coming meal because there was a good chance I would have to be out of town working on a project and may miss the meal and Chilly just had surgery on a few fingers and cutting things was not easy. So we went searching for someone but kept coming up empty. Chilly finally asked our good friend Kerry Waggoner to help. She had lots of service experience but no real kitchen experience. But her heart was willing so we said ok. All through prepping up for the meal(which by the way takes 3 days), Kerry thought we are crazy not charging for the meal. We kept telling her to wait and see. At the end of that dinner(which btw was our best according to Chilly, and all whom experienced it), she too became a believer. I will let her tell her story but it was quite the experience.
After that night, the Lord changed our plans a bit. We got the experience of serving 200 kids, parent and pastoral team to an amazing meal at church one Sunday. It was so awesome, they wanted us back all of the time to do it. It was on our hearts so we agreed. (that opportunity never happened. It was to be the Third Sunday of every month. the first of which is this coming weekend)
The Lord also had blessed us with a food truck from another old friend Jason Cook. He had it sitting out in Hye and not doing anything with it. So about a month ago, The Lord just happened to have me go out to Hye to do a survey and I spotted it behind Hye Market. Chilly always wanted his own place and do do his own menu as he saw fit. This was to be his chance. The Lord put it on Jason's heart to let us rent it. The Lord also as of the Friday before his passing put the menu on Chilly's heart. We only lacked a place which we both had said a few prayers for just such a location to make it successful. That Friday night, we spent on the phone for at least 3 or 4 hours talking and dreaming of what to do and how to do it. (btw one Chilly and my favorite things to do is to go to new restaurants that we both have not been to and critique them. Not to be nasty or anything, but just to see how we would do it. ). I truly believe Chilly did have his dream come true for we both saw it as if we had it. It was on our hearts for the Lord had placed it there. He passed some time in the next few days.
I am so, so very grateful to the Lord for the time He gave me with Chilly. I am so very grateful that He "provided a place to come." The Lord granted Chilly the opportunity and experience to create the dishes that NO one would let him create and serve to people(like the Creme Brule with the hand painted candy cigar you will see in the pics). The Lord granted him the experience of being the most creative and awesome chef this palette has ever experienced. But I am most grateful to the Lord for putting Chilly in my life and for the experience of being my friend. I look forward to seeing my friend again soon. Praise the Lord for Chilly and all of the love that was given through him.
