In April, 2004, together with Chef Seth Crawford, Leslie's son and a CIA graduate, they opened their restaurant, Holy Smokes BBQ & Whole Hog House in a quaint deconsecrated 1889 church in western Massachusetts. Holy Smokes BBQ has been in Yankee Magazine, and Editor's Choice in Yankee Magazine's New England touring guide, Boston Globe, the Delta Sky Magazine and many other publications. In 2007, they won the Valley Advocates' "Best Of" in Best Ribs/Barbecue category. The restaurant's signature white chocolate chip and cranberry cookie recipe is published in Dede Wilson's "A Baker's Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies". Lou has appeared as a guest for one hour on Christine Cushing Live, one of the Food Network Canada's top rated cooking shows. Sadly, the quaint New England church was destroyed by fire on June 21, 2007. The threesome are still smoking great BBQ from their portable catering kitchen throughout Western Massachusetts during the summer/fall season.
Lou & Leslie are both active members of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Lou served on the Board of Directors for 1996-1997, and he was also the Chairman of the Membership Development Committee for IACP for 1995-1997. Lou has been a Massachusetts State Trustee for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America.
Together, Lou & Leslie have orchestrated & produced four successful local fundraisers for the Friends of Children organization bringing in the talent of Martin Yan, Bob Blumer, Rachel Ray, Bon Appetit's Dede Wilson & Metro Bis' chef/owner, Chris Prosperi. The Friends of Children's Iron Cook event for 2006 enjoyed the talents of Bobby Flay. They have raised over $100,000 for the organization. In 2008, the couple raised additional funds for Friends of Children with a very personal event called "Lose to Gain." Armed with a membership at the Body Shoppe in Greenfield, MA, Lou and Leslie, through sweat and tears, worked out and collected pledges for each of the 96 pounds they lost together.
Lou & Leslie are both active members of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Lou served on the Board of Directors for 1996-1997, and he was also the Chairman of the Membership Development Committee for IACP for 1995-1997. Lou has been a Massachusetts State Trustee for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America.
Together, Lou & Leslie have orchestrated & produced four successful local fundraisers for the Friends of Children organization bringing in the talent of Martin Yan, Bob Blumer, Rachel Ray, Bon Appetit's Dede Wilson & Metro Bis' chef/owner, Chris Prosperi. The Friends of Children's Iron Cook event for 2006 enjoyed the talents of Bobby Flay. They have raised over $100,000 for the organization. In 2008, the couple raised additional funds for Friends of Children with a very personal event called "Lose to Gain." Armed with a membership at the Body Shoppe in Greenfield, MA, Lou and Leslie, through sweat and tears, worked out and collected pledges for each of the 96 pounds they lost together.
Lou & Leslie Ekus, owners of AirTyme Corporation in Montague, Massachusetts, have been training the movers & shakers of the culinary world to be prepared for any type of spotlight for over the past twenty five years.
From Lou's own personal media experiences & from working with a wide range of television producers, program directors, cookbook authors, chefs, & cooks, he developed and refined the tools necessary for successful presentations of any kind. Leslie's background in the health and environmental fields, where her sensitivity and skill of working closely with people and their issues, was a perfect fit when she joined Lou at AirTyme in 1997 and Lou in wedlock in 1999. AirTyme's website is created and maintained by Leslie. Their partnership, creativity & synergy makes AirTyme's programs powerful tools that can be applied to encounters in business and in your everyday life.
From Lou's own personal media experiences & from working with a wide range of television producers, program directors, cookbook authors, chefs, & cooks, he developed and refined the tools necessary for successful presentations of any kind. Leslie's background in the health and environmental fields, where her sensitivity and skill of working closely with people and their issues, was a perfect fit when she joined Lou at AirTyme in 1997 and Lou in wedlock in 1999. AirTyme's website is created and maintained by Leslie. Their partnership, creativity & synergy makes AirTyme's programs powerful tools that can be applied to encounters in business and in your everyday life.
Leslie & Lou on a rainy, wonderful
day in Venice, Italy, March 2009
day in Venice, Italy, March 2009
