I am not going to even try and hide my affection for Neil Patrick Harris and his husband David Burtka, so I hope I’m not coming off as overly biased. Not only do the two manage to top themselves every year in the Halloween costume department, they take twins Gideon and Harper on some kick-ass vacations. This past weekend was no exception, as the Harris-Burtka clan traveled to Miami for the Food Network & Cooking Channel’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival.
You’d think that if the family was going to Florida, the kids might prefer going to Walt Disney World, but it sure looks like they were having a blast, as evidenced by a picture Neil posted of his 6-year-old son and daughter leaping into the pool.
Neil, currently the celebrity spokesperson for Heineken Light (a sponsor for the festival), managed to get a little sly product placement in, drinking from the brand’s distinctive green bottle in front of a sign touting the brew. The caption on the photo demonstrated NPH’s ever-present sense of humor, reading, “Nothing says ‘Bienvenido a Miami’ more than a #HeinekenLight… well maybe the sign behind me is a close 2nd.”
Further cementing my love and adoration, Neil and David, who is actually a trained chef, sponsored a Bloody Mary Brunch – a/k/a Heaven on Earth – during the fest and posted a family selfie on the way to the festivities. Talk about a “Sunday Funday,” am I right?
It seems this food festival could have trumped Walt Disney World as a better vacation for Gideon and Harper because they are quite the foodies. Back in 2015, David told food blog The New Potato that he loves to cook for his husband and kids and no foods are really off-limits. David says ceviche, grilled fish and lots of sous vide proteins are on the menu. When asked if he felt his kids were foodies, David enthusiastically replied,
My kids are crazy eaters. They have incredible palates. Gideon eats everything you put in front of him. His passion for cooking and eating good food is in his soul. His favorite foods: Clams, sushi, octopus, grilled pork, steak, Parmesan cheese, ginger, mint, cinnamon and coconut. Harper likes very strong and briny flavors. Some of her favorites: Oysters, sardines, prosciutto, capers, duck liver, miso, and anything chocolate.
David has further instilled a love of good food in his kids by recently setting up a Chopped Junior-themed playdate for the twins and their friends. Neil told PEOPLE Magazine that the six young participants – split into two teams – were presented with mystery baskets of ingredients, just like on the show. Unlike the show, “The teams each had a mentor—David’s culinary assistant Susan and Michael Symon‘s sous chef—because that’s how we roll sometimes,” Neil joked. He went on to add, “They had all these special ingredients, and I was the sole judge, and they did three courses.” Team Gideon took the victory, cooking one of Papa Neil’s favorites, nachos, which he describes as his “kryptonite.” Harper got kudos for her team’s plating skills. They’re six. Six. David posted a collage of the junior chefs on Instagram. Between these photos and my addiction to Masterchef Junior, I’m feeling culinarily inadequate right now.
I love these guys and I love this family. I like to travel, I would consider myself a foodie, and I love to dress up for Halloween. How do I score an invite to their house?
Photos: Getty Images, WENN.com
Its weird to me that he is shilling Hieneken light – to be that does seem like his ‘brand’ at all.
Having said that, anything for a buck huh? And they look like a ridiculously happy family, so more pwoer to him/them.
In Europe, Heineken is a pretty cool brand. Good Dutch lager. Maybe they’re trying to make it happen in the US too?
Love this couple and their beautiful children. Such happy souls!
Could they please adopt me? They look like a happy family who like to be together. Really lovely. Also, if NPH wants to team up with Joss Whedon again sometime soon, I wouldn’t complain. We need some of those kinds of laughs!
They are such a happy couple, with ridiculously happy and adorable kids – it gives you hope for HW. I hope they will be as loving and united in 50 years:-)
Every Halloween I look forward to seeing what they came up with for costumes.
Those kids always look so happy. Cute family
God I love them so much, I would be absolutely devastated if they ever break up! They really do seem happy and like the perfect little family. Neil is everything, I hope we see more of him on the screen soon, he’s great with comedy and I’d also love to see him in a more dramatic role.
do not even think it! i love them, so down to earth and so adorable. both good looking with beautiful, happy kids.
NPH is hilarious as Count Olaf, which was recently released on Netflix. The Series of Unfortunate Events is delightfully fantastic if you have read the books, but probably a fun watch even if you haven’t:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4834206/
Somebody is not going to like this but I hate this posing with kids for millions of your fans to gawk at. I didnt like it when the Jolie Pitts, Garner Afflecks did it and I sure as hell dont like it now. Frankly this is a 100 times worse than those couples. These other couples would never post a play date on social media. This is Kardashian territory.
Or, just maybe, this is NOT “Kardashian territory,” but rather doing their level best to help normalize their family to those who think they are an “abomination.” The more they show empirical proof that their happy family is just like every other happy family on Earth, then perhaps today’s youth won’t carry their parents’ bigotry to the next generation. Just a thought.
Hear, hear!!! +1
honeybee i want to squeeze you so much for your words.
Spot on
How do you fit four people in a bench back seat and have enough seat belts? At six, should they still be in booster seats?
Maybe they posed for the picture before the car was moving so the four of them could get in the shot?
Also, they could be using booster seats. Harper looks like she is elevated so she could be in one while Gideon might sit in his once NPH moves to the front seat, after the picture is taken.
Or maybe, as it happens on South Beach, you are literally riding three blocks from one hotel to another and they decided to belt Gideon with Neil. Either way, from my perspective- their kids, their choice.
I thought it was a limo?
They got the pic, moved the kids to the opposite seats. ?
Isn’t the daughter’s swimsuit just the cutest? I would have love love LOVED to have that when I was six…
Remember that Halloween party where they had a dead Amy Winehouse cake? Don’t let the cuteness fool you – these folks are jerks.
Unfortunately, I think NPH is kinda jerky. I always remember that episode of the first season of Top Chef Masters where he (as a guest judge) seemed to be a little bit of an ass to the chef contestants. I was taken aback, because I really liked him and David together, and I had thought NPH was a sweet guy. Not sweet. From that episode, though, David (who was also there, just as a guest) seemed a nice, thoughtful guy.