HexClad And Chef Enrique Olvera Help Desert Smash Charity Tennis Event Raise Over $1 Million

As the first leg of tennis’ Sunshine Double–the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA–comes to a close this weekend, its annual pre-tournament charity event, Desert Smash, announces it has raised $1.3 million to help fund critical nutrition efforts for women and children around the globe. In partnership with the WTA Foundation’s Global Women’s Health Fund, the money will support UNICEF, largely by providing prenatal vitamins to pregnant women in underserved regions.

“We have a soft spot for promoting the role that women play across society,” HexClad cofounder and CEO Danny Winer tells me. “We’re also the sponsors of the James Beard Women’s Leadership Foundation, which provides scholarships to aspiring female chefs…So whenever we can do anything like that, we’re excited. But also on a less serious note, people get passionate about two things, really: sports and food.”

Sponsored by the forward-thinking cookware brand HexClad, Desert Smash kicked off its 21st annual event with a celebrity pickleball tournament at La Quinta Resort & Club. But the primary fundraising portion of Desert Smash took place that evening during an 80-person dinner hosted at the magnificent Zenyara Estate in Coachella, CA.

Two-Michelin starred chef Enrique Olvera, owner of LA’s Damian, New York’s Cosme, and Mexico City’s Pujol, catered the event with a team of chefs using HexClad’s proprietary ‘hybrid’ cookware. Laser-etched hexagons cover the surface of these pots and pans which make them non-stick without a teflon coating thanks to HexClad’s patented ‘TerraBond’ technology. “It’s the most durable ceramic, forever chemical-free non-stick,” Winer says. The non-stick technology is just one layer of the ‘hybrid’ innovation. “The edges of the hexagons are like the peaks, and in the valley is the non-stick…but because the food is actually resting on the peaks, you get a great golden brown sear and you can use metal utensils on it,” Winer explains. “It’s got the searing power and the durability of stainless steel and the heat retention and searing capability of cast iron.”

The program began with a cocktail hour along Zenyara’s lakeside beach, including a caviar bar and hor d’Oeuvres like thick-cut tuna tostadas with flaky sea salt. The first course Olvera and his team served was a kanpachi ceviche topped with caviar and ginger with hearts of palm in a miso sauce, served inside of a scallop shell. Next came build-your-own tacos. A family-style plate of roasted duck carnitas accompanied mushroom barbacoa and smoked tomatoes for guests to fill their own house-made tortillas.

Olvera’s inspiration for the dining experience derived from blending inspiration from his three restaurants, but added a twist by honoring Southern California’s beloved fresh produce. “The products here and the products in Mexico are different, but the technique is pretty much the same,” Olvera tells me. “We’re still making tostadas, we’re making tamales, tacos, ceviches, aguachiles, but we’re using different kinds of fish and vegetables.”

Functionally adorned throughout the dining table were the aluminum statuettes that are HexClad’s new HexMill Pepper Grinder. The heavy-duty burr grinders are designed to withstand a home next to a hot stove for years. “We wanted something that was really hard and durable,” Winer says. “I wanted it so that if you dropped it, it broke the tile of your floor versus the pepper mill itself.”

Before dessert came out, chef Olvera began to ladle on each plate what seemed like hot chocolate lava puddles. It was his prized Mole Madre. “It’s probably our most emblematic dish at Pujol,” he says. “It has been aged and heating for the past 10 years.” A tlayuda with spring herbs were used as a vessel to taste the outrageously indulgent mole which carried a deeply nutty flavor profile.

The #1 seeded men’s player at this year’s BNP Paribas Open, Alexander Zverev, attended the charity dinner to show his support for the cause, and tells me, “Desert Smash is a highlight–seeing people enjoy tennis and growing as a sport for a great cause is the best part.”

Two dessert dishes included a banana leaf flan drizzled in sesame caramel and a violet hibiscus meringue that sparked a tropical sensation yet casually constrained thanks to a touch of vanilla.

Olvera tells me that in honor of the 25th anniversary of Pujol, he will be bringing the restaurant to LA for a 10-day pop-up event in April. “A lot of the customers that we have in Mexico City are from Los Angeles,” he says, “so we believe that it’s a market that knows the Pujol name well.” He will be bringing back Pujol classics, and teases me with a handful of dishes he plans to highlight on the exclusive menu. “We used to make thinly sliced avocado in a ravioli style with shrimp tartar that will probably be there. Back in the day, we used to do a squash blossom soup–with cream that we melted with coconut. And a fish al pastor and the mole de olla that were also emblematic during the first decade of Pujol.” The tasting menu of about seven courses will be available for about 200 covers, split between an early evening and late evening service, for each of the ten nights.

The flagship event of Desert Smash brought out a bigger crowd for the celebrity tennis tournament. Women’s #1 ranked player, Aryna Sabalenka, made an appearance at the charity tennis event with her sponsor, Dobel Tequila, which is the official tequila of the BNP Paribas Open, Miami Open and the US Open. Many fans were sipping on her namesake “Marg-Aryna,” which debuted at least year’s US Open, made with Maestro Dobel Diamante and Olipop probiotic soda’s Tropical Punch flavor. Sabalenka is an investor in Olipop. She says she also loves Olipop’s Crisp Apple flavor. “I always go for Dobel tequila whenever I have a moment to celebrate a big win,” she tells me.

HexClad’s Cuisine Court during the tennis event hosted several dining options, including lobsters rolls from New York’s Fly Fish and Capon’s Burgers from Las Vegas’ Fontainebleau–both brought to Desert Smash on behalf of chef Josh Capon. Chef Tiana Gee brought her Southern flare by serving up SoulPhil’s adobo short ribs and grits. And Chef Eduardo Ruiz of LA’s Chicas Tacos whipped up beef birria and queso tacos plus a vegan cauliflower and mushroom taco on blue corn tortillas.

Hexclad is expected to focus more of its marketing efforts in the sports world.