Food & Drink: Incoming chef Bruce Kalman

GET TO KNOW BRUCE KALMAN, THE VALLEY’S NEWEST CHEF TO WATCH

BY GENEVIE DURANO

LA-based chef Bruce Kalman has been dipping his toes into Las Vegas’ culinary scene. If There’s some great food and amazing chefs, everybody’s passionate and very close-knit, which is nice.” He likes a Texas-style salt-and-pepper rub on briskets and beef ribs, and pulled pork served with Carolina not for the current pandemic, In fact, it was another local chef— barbecue sauce. “I’m not saying it’s local foodies would surely be flocking Esther’s James Trees—who convinced strict this or strict that, because I’m to his restaurant, which would have Kalman to move here. The two collaba creative chef,” he says. “I’ll also been open by now and declared the orated on a pop-up dinner at Trees’ probably have chipotle chicken drums newest dining-scene darling. Tivoli Village restaurant Ada’s back in and hot links, and we’re making some

In culinary circles, Kalman is best February, and a future collaboration mac and cheese and baked beans and known for the acclaimed Union in Pasis likely ahead. coleslaw—all the usual suspects.” adena, California, and Knead As for his plans in Las Vegas, Those lucky enough to snag dinner & Co. Pasta Bar + Market Kalman already has a conkits from his Secret Burger event in LA’s Grand Central cept in mind: barbecue. this past weekend got a sneak peek at Market. He’s also “I started helping Kalman’s barbecue acumen, and there done his share of Dave Grohl from the are still two events left this month: the television compeFoo Fighters with his family-friendly Pepperoni and Lasatitions, winning barbecue,” Kalman gna Cups on August 23, and a pasta on Chopped, says. “He does it for class on August 26, in which the chef Knife Fight and charity and for fun. guides diners in preparing a threeBeat Bobby Flay, So I started helping course meal of stone fruit and burrata and he finished in the top 5 on Season ( C o u r t e s y ) him, and I just got hooked on it. And you salad, ricotta cavatelli alla vodka, and Meyer lemon and bay leaf panna cotta. 15 of Top Chef. Oh, and know for me, food is food, The cooking series is Kalman’s way there’s that Rising Star Bruce Kalman right? It’s just different of not just getting to know his new Chef award from the ingredients, slightly community, but also passing along James Beard Foundation. different preparations, but the same his passions to those who might need

For now, the chef is whetting our amount of care and passion should go inspiration at home. “That’s kind of appetite with a cook-at-home series into all of it. For me, anything that’s my mission, to really just show people through Secret Burger (secretburger. soulful, I’m down, [whether it’s] barhow easy it is to do,” he says. “Once com), which kicked off August 12 becue or Italian food.” you have the understanding of the with a make-your-own mozzarella Kalman’s love of smoked meats basics, then like anything else, it’s just workshop and pickled giardiniere. doesn’t adhere to one particular style. practice.” (The versatile chef, who specializes in Italian cuisine, also owns an artisanal pickle company, BK Brinery, Kalman teaches families how to make lasagna cups which supplies restaurants across the in his cook-at-home series. (Courtesy) country).

Kalman, who moved to Las Vegas in February, is discovering a secret locals have been harboring for a while—that the culinary scene here is an all-points experience, not just on the Strip.

“I think there’s a lot of culture here. And the interesting thing is, I’ve come here many times and didn’t realize what was going on aside from the Strip too much,” he says. “When I did, that’s kind of what sold me, honestly, seeing what’s off-Strip and seeing the communities and the restaurants.

Kalman’s upcoming Secret Burger cook-at-home

series includes a pasta class. (Bronson Loftin/Courtesy)

Korean Fried Chicken at Kamu

(Edison Graff/Courtesy)

A BITE BETWEEN SONGS KOREAN FAVES AND OTHER MEMORABLE BITES ROUND OUT THE KAMU EXPERIENCE

BY BROCK RADKE

Exactly what kind of food is right to complement a night of karaoke? “Any karaoke bar is meant to be a gathering of friends, so … traditionally there’s a lot of shareable items,” says Marty Lopez, executive chef at the new Kamu Ultra Karaoke lounge. “The menu is always meant to be shared, and everyone picks at whatever has been ordered.

“We wanted to take that same concept of family-style, almost communal dining and put some nicer touches, make it more suitable for a luxury clientele. We’re not just frying up some chicken wings and tossing them on a plate. It’s a very thoughtful process.”

Kamu is like no other karaoke spot in Las Vegas, or anywhere else. Perched in the corner of the Grand Canal Shoppes at Palazzo near SushiSamba, the versatile destination features 40 private rooms, including six massive VIP suites, for karaoke fans to gather in small groups, sing, dance and drink all night. In the grand Vegas tradition, Kamu takes karaoke to the next level, and that requires next-level food.

Lopez is just the man to make it happen. The classically trained chef has been working in some of the city’s most prominent kitchens since 1999, from standout steakhouses like Delmonico and 35 Steaks + Martinis to regal French dining rooms like André’s and Alizé. He also helped open Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace, another experience that provided him with all the culinary wisdom needed to create something singular at Kamu.

“It’s such a far throw from where I come from, but for me, I always wanted to explore the Asian side of my cooking and really get into it and expand,” he says. “It’s nice to get in touch with those roots a little. To me, it’s cooking what I make at home so it feels like no big deal, but it’s about what I can do to finesse it a little more, do something out of the box and use those authentic flavors to really do it justice.”

Wings, sliders, fries, pizza and fried chicken are ready and waiting, but Kamu is inspired by traditional Korean-style karaoke bars, so cuisine

plays a prominent role. Kalbi-style marinated and grilled beef shows up in tacos ($35) and as a platter of short ribs ($40), and Lopez stresses that the marinade is not just sim- plified soy sauce like you might find elsewhere on the Strip: “Our kalbi is probably the most authentic you’ll find in a two-mile radius.”

Crafting legit japche ($35)—sweet potato glass noodles in butter let- tuce wraps with garlic chives, shiita- ke mushrooms, carrots, spinach and a quail egg—was another ambitious endeavor. An even more of a rare find on the Strip is dukkbokki (or tteok-bokki), stir-fried rice cakes in spicy gochujang with soft-boiled eggs and scallions.

Lopez says he’s selling a lot of the obvious American snack favorites, but everything on the menu is get- ting attention because while Vegas visitor volume may be down, there are still plenty of educated diners hitting the Strip “willing to try all these different things.” The pop- ularity of oysters on the half shell ($36/dozen) served with traditional cocktail sauce and red wine mignon- ette caught the chef by surprise. “But they are the perfect shareable bite. They even come individually prepacked straight from the ocean,” he jokes.

The luxurious scale of the experi- ence is the draw at Kamu, which has emerged as an unorthodox Vegas nightlife champion during the COVID era. But the equally extrava- gant cuisine is an unexpected treat.

“We’re really proud of what we’re doing as far as the food is con- cerned. It touches on a lot of differ- ent tastes and things you can be in the mood for, whether you’re going casual or want to go all out and get chilled shellfish platters and toma- hawk steaks,” Lopez says. “There’s something there for everyone.”

Grand Shellfish Tower: Cold poached Maine lobster and U-15 prawns, Chef’s Favorite oysters, Alaskan King crab legs and snow crab leg clusters, Kamu cocktail sauce and

red wine mignonette (Edison Graff/Courtesy)

FOOD & DRINK

KAMU ULTRA KARAOKE Grand Canal Shoppes at Palazzo, 702-445-7664. Daily, 6 p.m.-8 a.m.

THE WAITING GAME

HOW THE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS SEASON’S CANCELLATION AFFECTS ATHLETES ON THE VERGE OF SCHOLARSHIPS

BY RAY BREWER

Fernando Carmona Jr. stepped in front of a pass for a steal and dribbled down the basketball court with opponents in quick pursuit. The Las Vegas High School forward outraced everyone to the basket and soared for a dunk.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound sophomore’s athleticism was obvious. Coaches say he has good speed for a post player, along with outstanding hands and hustle. It’s a great skill set for basketball, but his family felt he was squandering some of his abilities by sticking to one sport.

Carmona’s dad, Fernando Sr., is a longtime high school football coach in the area. His brother, George, was an allstate linebacker at Cheyenne High before playing at UNLV. They’re both now part of the coaching staff at Las Vegas High, and they pleaded with Carmona to join the football team, even it was just for one week.

Last summer, Fernando Jr. went to practice and fell in love with the sport.

His maiden season as a tight end produced 13 catches for 152 yards and one touchdown—not huge numbers, but not bad for a football newbie. More importantly, it produced game film to show to college recruiters. Coaches at San Jose State liked it so much that they offered Carmona a scholarship. New Mexico State and Portland State followed suit.

Carmona’s senior season was supposed to produce more stats and film, as he became a focal point of the Wildcats’ offense. But now, that has all be shelved by the pandemic, pumping the brakes on the recruiting process for Carmona and other class of 2021 hopefuls.

Even if the season resumes in the spring, it will be after the last college signing day in February. And that leaves Carmona, who was on the verge of earning a scholarship offer from a Power 5 Conference school, in a sort of limbo. His decision is more than picking a school; it’s determining whether to commit now to a lower-tier program or wait in hopes that a spot opens up at a school in a high-profile conference that offers athletes more exposure.

“A lot of the coaches looking at me can see the upside,” Carmona says. “They looked at my basketball tape and see that I am a hustler. They see the athleticism and how that could translate to football. They just need more football tape.”

The postponement of the season has left other local prep football players without any college offers. Many college coaches prefer to see prospects for themselves, flying into town to take in a game as part of their evaluation.

“Coaches want to see you in person,” Las Vegas coach Erick Capetillo says. “Those Division I coaches want to go through their checklist when looking at a kid.”

With many states having punted on the 2020 high school football season, athletes are verbally committing to college programs at a record pace, fearful that other recruits could take their scholarship spots. Even lower-conference schools are receiving pledges at a record pace.

“The kids don’t want the opportunity to disappear,”

says David Hill, an assistant coach at Desert Pines who also helps athletes across the city find college programs. “This is the highest commitment rate in college football history. New Mexico had no kids committed at this time last year. This year, they have almost 20.”

Players typically use the spring and summer to participate in recruiting camps and take college visits, which allow coaches to see the athletes’ build up close. Instead, many are taking to social media for simple photos in a doorway to demonstrate their size, or by posting films of workouts at local parks.

With many college campuses closed and most events canceled, being creative in promoting oneself has become vital.

“Twitter has become my best friend,” Carmona says. “You have to put yourself out there. I have a lot of schools on the cusp [of offering]; they just don’t know enough about me.”

One of Carmona’s teammates, quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins, is in a similar situation. After passing for 2,600 yards with 39 touchdowns and just five interceptions as a junior, schools such as Southern and a few Division II programs have made him offers, some of which aren’t full-ride scholarships. Another strong effort during his senior season could have brought more possibilities.

Las Vegas athletes in other sports are also feeling the crunch of the cancellations. In basketball, whose high school season finished in February two weeks before the shutdowns, athletes missed the critical spring and summer club recruiting circuits. Most years, some athletes play more than 50 games with their club teams, including events during open recruiting periods scouted by hundreds of college coaches. That’s when the heavy lifting occurs in offering scholarships. Now, a lot is being handled—at least initially—through word of mouth.

“The pandemic has exposed the relationship with [college] programs and the track record that club programs have,” says Lamar Bigby, coach of the grassroots Las Vegas Knicks. “Coaches are forced to trust that relationship, because they can’t see kids. They go to programs that have produced multiple Division I kids.”

Bigby has a unique perspective on the process. His daughter, rising Centennial High senior Taylor Bigby, is a top-20 recruit nationally who has verbally committed to Oregon and plans to sign in the fall. Such elite players aren’t affected by the virus because they can handpick a school, or even wait to visit a campus before they sign. But the players on Bigby’s AAU team aren’t in the same boat, with many working toward more exposure. “The impact falls to those unsigned prospects who are starting to blossom now,” he says.

Games will return eventually, and recruiting will pick up. But for class of 2021 prospects, the window to prove themselves isn’t as wide open. Hill says there’s hope the NCAA will push back the football signing day from February into the spring. “You don’t want to remove all hope from a kid,” he says.

New firm aims to reinvent the way homes are bought and sold

BY BRYAN HORWATH T echnology continues to disrupt the way business traditionally has been done in many industries, and real estate is no exception. Homie, a Utah-based company launched in 2016, is an online-based, flat-fee real estate brokerage co-founded by Bonanza High School and UNLV graduate Mike Peregrina. Its goal is to make homeownership “easy, affordable and accessible,” Peregrina said.

One of the largest demographics for Homie is firsttime homebuyers, who account for roughly 60% of the company’s homebuying business, Peregrina said.

Fees vary by state, but according to Homie, the seller of a $300,000 home can typically save $6,000 to $15,000 by using the noncommission-based platform instead of a traditional real estate agent.

Homie also offers title, insurance and mortgage finance services.

Vegas Inc recently talked to Peregrina to learn more about the expanding company—it launched in the Las Vegas market in March—and his journey as an entrepreneur. With the way the pandemic is shifting so many industries to online and contactless models, will the traditional way real estate brokers have operated be forever changed?

I think the market is so big, the answer is that people will still work with traditional agents. In terms of market share and tilting the scale, we went from zero market share to about 6% market share in just four years in Salt Lake City. We have almost 1% market share in Phoenix. I have no doubt we’ll be a top-10 player in Las Vegas in no time. I think the customers on the Homie platform, typically between the ages of 25 and 55, will transact with Homie again and again. Homie has licensed agents on the buy-and-sell side, but employees don’t work under a commission-based system. The company is kind of reimagining how homes are bought and sold. Why?

I had a healthy portfolio of homes but ended up losing it all in the subprime mortgage crisis. In late 2008, I woke up with this idea that it’s my responsibility to fix the real estate industry.

I started writing down what I thought was wrong with the industry—the misaligned incentives, the commissions, all the service providers that have their

hand in the cookie jar, whether that’s title and escrow or insurance or home inspection and warranty.

The real estate agent and the loan officer, all those fees they get, are north of 10%. I realized that the customer isn’t at the center of the transaction.

I had studied architecture at UNLV previously, but I went back in 2009 to get a degree in finance. After graduating, I worked as an investment banker and then worked in venture capital. I came across the pitch decks for Airbnb and Lyft and Uber, and I was just fascinated with the shared-economy concept.

Where did the name Homie come from?

If you think about the word, it means someone who has your back, a trusted friend. If you look at people between the ages of 25 and 55, many of us grew up calling each other homie.

Are you worried about the housing market in Southern Nevada and what could happen because of the COVID-19 economic downturn? In April and May, transactions were down 40 to 50%. June was a little bit healthier, but I think the recovery is well on its way now. Average sales price is still up. Interest rates are also still very low, so I think the housing market will continue to push forward. Depending on what happens with vaccines, I think there will be a lot of pent-up demand as the economy begins to open up more. We could have an incredible [fourth] quarter and an incredible 2021. There you go, right? That’s my spirit as an entrepreneur. I don’t think the sky is falling.