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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is your favorite type of food?

Seafood! It’s light and healthy, and so versatile. I especially love crab cakes. I have to eat them at least a couple of times a month.

What is your favorite thing to cook?

Desserts! They make the house smell wonderful, and serving them makes everyone happy. My favorite desserts are my Famous Biscotti, and any kind of pie.

What was the first thing you learned to cook?

Pancakes. My dad taught me when I was young and could barely reach the stove. The second thing I learned to make, also at a young age, was a homemade real butter pie crusts. My mom taught be how to make it and her Luscious “Key” Lime Pie.

What inspired you to start your own cooking show?

I had a cooking show called Kids’ Cooking! when I was 10 years old. My oldest brother, Jim, (then 13) filmed it, I was the host, and my middle brother, Chris, (then 3) was my live audience. The show played for over a decade on a local Austin channel, and was even featured on Good Morning America. Years later, after several of my friends asked me to teach them how to make various things, I decided—sort of on a whim—to try it again. It’s even more fun now than it was back then!

How did you get into painting Dr. Scholl’s ® Sandals?

I saw a pair one summer while on vacation in Nantucket and absolutely fell in love with them. After that summer, when I got a little bored with law school and was looking for a creative outlet, I bought a pair of sandals, some paints, and have been doing it ever since.

What is your ethnic background?

I am part Czech and part Mexican. On my father’s side, my late-grandfather, Clarence Hejl, immigrated to the United States from Bohemia, Czechoslovakia. On my mother’s side, my late-grandmother Maria Aurora Garza immigrated to the United States from Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico. I am named after her. My last name, Hejl, is pronounced HI-el—rhymes with “mile”—but I answer to anything.

What is your best party tip?

If you are at a crowed party, opt for white wine instead of red. One bump, a spill, and a bright red stain is not a good conversation starter. If you are hosting your own party, serve something on a stick—like my Chicken Skewers with Spicy Peanut Sauce. People will eat anything on a stick, so make sure you have extra on hand if needed!

What is your best dating tip?

Guys—if are interested in the girl: Drive, open the door, pay, and walk her to her door. Within some reasonable time (i.e., soon), call her and ask her out again. Repeat.

Girls—if are interested in the guy: Look smashing, have a absolutely fabulous time, and thank him for all the chivalrous things he does. Do not call him. Do not call him. Do not call him. Wait for him to ask you out again. If he’s into you, he will.

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