March 2017 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional

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Issue 3 Volume 17

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It Takes a Village to Put Together UNLVino Pictured here are 2017 UNLVino Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence Honorees Jon Taffer, Mitsuo Endo and David Hoenemeyer; and the UNLV students and instructors of the UNLVino class that make it all happen. Check inside this issue for a preview of the 43rd Annual UNLVino, Nevada’s oldest and largest wine festival. “Take a Sip for Scholarship” and support this annual food and beverage spectacular that provides needed scholarships for students.

March 2017

CONTENTS AND COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLISHER MIKE FRYER

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WELCOME BACK to our March 2017 Issue of The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional, where you will find new journalists and a new column, as well as in-depth industry coverage with interesting articles, photos, news and something for every type of professional in the Food Service Industry.

Cover

March is a very busy time for industry shows and expos regionally, including Pizza Expo, Nightclub & Bar Show, Vegas Food Expo and our favorite, UNLVino. With its three days (evenings) of unique food & beverage offerings, a fundraising project that was started over 43 years ago by Larry Ruvo of SGWS and UNLV, it is not to be missed. Their motto is “Take a Sip for Scholarship.”

The three-day event kicks off on Thursday, March 30 with Bubble-Licious at The Venetian’s Doge’s Palace under the stars with plenty of the bubble including world class Champagnes, sparkling wines and Proseccos, along with tastes from awardwinning restaurants from The Venetian and Palazzo. As an added attraction, Jon Taffer will be receiving the Dom Perignon Award of Excellence.

On Friday, March 31 Sake Fever will be held at the Red Rock Resort pool featuring Japanese sake, beer, wine and an array of tastes from some of the best Asian restaurants in Las Vegas. Mitsuo Endo, Owner of Aburiya Raku and Sweets Raku will be honored with the Dom Perigon Award of Excellence.

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Let us not forget the Grand Event of all…The Grand Tasting on Saturday, April 1 at Paris Las Vegas where you will be tasting some of the best wines in the world along with beer, sake and cocktails. The buffet-style taste presentation is created by the UNLV Culinary Students. This year’s Dom Perigon Award of Excellence is David Hoenemeyer, President of Bally’s, Paris and Planet Hollywood. Check out our inside spread on page 14 to learn more and see you there!

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We are delighted to welcome our new Professional Journalists and their column.

Page 6 will take you to the “The Cork Dorks,” our own professional women in the wine business: Erin Cooper and Christine Vanover, who are members of an up-and-coming organization called “Women Gone Wine,” which gives women a better knowledge of wines and the business of wine to help level the playing field…Welcome on board, Ladies!

CHEERS! MIKE FRYER

Page 4 Hot off the Grill!

Page 5 Food for Thought What to Serve Around Easter?

Page 6 The Cork Dorks Women Gone Wine

Page 8 Assistant Cheesemaker for a Day at Drake Family Farm PART I

Page 10 What’s Brewing

Page 12 Brett’s Vegas View

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Page 16 Chef Talk Graded Steaks

Page 18 Wine Talk 2017 UNLVino Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence Honorees and a Chat with Martin Koleff

Page 19 Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country’s Women Create Their Own Heritage

Page 20 Foodie Biz

Page 22 Product Spotlight Bob’s Beer Bits and Sips Beers to Enjoy as Spring Springs Forth

Page 24 Human Resources Insights Keep the Faith: the Humanity of HR

Page 25 The Bottom Line How to Run a Successful Booth at a Food Festival

Page 26 Events

Page 21 Product Review

Ad Index ACF Chefs of SoCal

Page 14 COVER FEATURE 43rd Annual UNLVino Event

Book Review 100 Things to Do in Las Vegas Before You Die

March 2017 I The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional 3

The Socal Food & Beverage Professional 7442 Grizzly Giant Street Las Vegas, NV 89139

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HOT OFF THE GRILL!

March 2017 Mike Fryer

Sr. Editor/Publisher

Restaurant Editor Ben Brown had the pleasure of attending Santa Barbara’s 6th annual Winter Wine Classic. The event took place in the heart of the city’s quaint downtown, just steps from the ocean. Santa Barbara’s famed wine country, coupled with its proximity to Paso Robles, Napa and Sonoma, made for an ideal selection of 90+ point wines. Spectacular food, of course [read: heavenly lobster bisque] were much abound as well.

Thank you for joining us in this issue of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional.

For any questions or comments please email mike@socalfnbpro.com

Juanita Fryer

Assistant To Sr. Editor ACF Chefs Liasion/Journalist juanita.fryer@socalfnbpro.com

Juanita Aiello

Bob Barnes

Editorial Director bob@socalfnbpro.com

Attending the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show recently Sr. Editor Mike Fryer was reminded of just how important travel is to the Food & Beverage Industry, and along these lines more and more travel shows and expos are highlighting the “taste experience” of travel. He was able to meet several groups from different countries offering a specific “Dining Tour” of a country and its regions. After all, that’s how we have developed our exceptional palate for food & taste variations. Stay tuned for our new upcoming column “Travel & Taste.”

Ben Brown

Restaurant Editor ben@socalfnbpro.com

Sushisamba at The Palazzo recently started a seven-course Japanese Whiskey Paring Dinner Experience which was collaborated

by Operations Director (among other top management titles) Hayes Swope and Executive Chef Joel Versola whom we have known and followed for more than 15 years here in Las Vegas. Both are very talented men who know good food and great Japanese whiskey. Each whiskey plus the food bites have been developed just for this experience and are available with 48 hour notice with a weekly pairing rotating weekly. Here we are pictured at the end of the dinner looking satisfied!

Adam Rains

Creative Director juanita@socalfnbpro.com

Beverage Editor adam.rains@socalfnbpro.com

Advertising sales@socalfnbpro.com

Article Submissions/Suggestions articles@socalfnbpro.com

Calendar Submissions calendar@socalfnbpro.com

Website webmaster@socalfnbpro.com

Press Relase Submissions news@socalfnbpro.com

General Information info@socalfnbpro.com

@socalfnbpro

The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Legal Editorial Advisor Andrew Matney

Journalist Apryl Bruso

Accounting Manager Michelle San Juan

Journalist Brett’s Vegas View Jackie Brett

Journalist What’s Brewing David Mulvihill

Journalist Food for Thought Les Kincaid

Journalist Hungry for PR Jen Morris

Journalist John Rockwell

Pre-Press Technician Brandon Yan

Journalist Good for Spooning LeAnne Notabartolo

Journalist East Eats West K. Mike Masuyama Ph.D.

Photographer Audrey Dempsey

Journalist Chef Talk Allen Asch

Journalist Linda Duke

Journalist Heidi Rains

Journalist HR Insights Linda Bernstein

Journalist Green Restaurant Association Michael Oshman

Journalist Wine Talk Alice Swift

Journalist Lisa Matney

Journalists Elaine & Scott Harris

Photographer Bill Bokelmann

Photographer Joe Urcioli

Journalists The Cork Dorks Erin Cooper & Christine Vanover

Master Sommelier Joe Phillips

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT What to Serve Around Easter?

Since spring is almost here, can Easter be far behind? Or is it the other way around? Either way, the two are as entwined as roses and Valentine’s Day, as Halloween and pumpkins, as winter and Christmas.

What’s so wonderful about Easter dinner is that these recipes help you put your family favorites on the table with whatever main dish makes your family’s mouth water, or whichever savory selection brings back the most beloved memories. Settle in for a beautiful dinner and share some recipes with your family and friends.

Speaking about food, did you know that a whopping 76% say they bite off the ears of the chocolate bunny? That’s where they take their first mouthful, followed by 5% who eat the feet first, and 4% who eat the tail first. Guess it doesn’t matter if you get to eat it. Ham is the meat most often served at Easter followed by a lamb dish.

To start out this annual meal, here is a step up from the traditional appetizer you likely have served. Try it and add it to your annual surprise for the family and guests, but this can be used about any time of the year.

Top Bartlett pear slices with baked pancetta, crumbled goat cheese, and a drizzle of honey for an easy, salty-sweet appetizer recipe that tastes delicious and looks gorgeous.

Save the final step of drizzling honey over Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese and Pear for each guest to do. www.socalfnbpro.com

By Les Kincaid Les Kincaid is a food, wine, and golf expert and cookbook author. He hosts the nationally syndicated wine radio show Wines Du Jour each Thursday from 7 to 8 pm. You can enjoy his website or his broadcast at www.leskincaid.com les@leskincaid.com www.facebook.com/leskincaid www.twitter.com/leskincaid

Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese & Pear 12 thin slices pancetta (about 1/3 lb) 1 Bartlett pear 1/2 (4-oz.) package goat cheese, crumbled Freshly cracked pepper Quality honey Garnish: fresh thyme sprigs Arrange pancetta slices in a single layer on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a paper towel-lined wire rack using a spatula. Let stand 10 minutes or until crisp.

Core pear with an apple corer. Cut pear crosswise into 12 thin rings.

Arrange on a serving platter. Top evenly with pancetta and goat cheese; sprinkle with pepper. Drizzle with honey just before serving.

Yield: 6 servings

March 2017 I The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional 5

The

By Erin Cooper & Christine Vanover

Cork Dorks

Women Gone Wine

Erin Cooper and Christine Vanover have been residents of Las Vegas since 2007. Vanover is also a UNLV Alumnus.

Both women are Territory Managers for the Resort Wine Team at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, members of Women Gone Wine and the founders of Twinkle Toast. info@twinkletoast.com • www.twinkletoast.com Facebook: @TwinkleToast Twitter: TwinkleToastLV Instagram: TwinkleToastLV

Photos by Erin Cooper

suppliers. Previous event hosts include, Betty O’Shaughnessy, owner of O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery; Annie Favia, viticuluralist for Favia Erickson Winegrowers; Karen Cakebread, proprietor of ZIATA Wines; and the ever-lovely Diane Keaton, owner of The Keaton Wines.

According to Forbes, in 2015 a mere 27% of senior management roles were held by women in the food and beverage industry worldwide.

Statistics like this were one of the motivating factors for Kristi Smith, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Director of High Image Accounts, to pioneer the creation of Women Gone Wine in Las Vegas. Women Gone Wine hosts premier events for prominent women in the food and beverage and hospitality industries. Created for women by women, WGW promotes wine education, leadership and growth to create a positive, femaleoriented business environment. Quarterly events feature a female guest speaker who has positively influenced the wine community either through vinicultural practices, winemaking or proprietorship.

Chloe Helfand, Lead Sommelier at Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres has had the opportunity to watch WGW grow since its inception, and “cannot give enough thanks to Kristi Smith and the team at SGWS for creating an environment for women to feel invited, nourished and supported…in this everchanging food and wine climate here in Las Vegas.” Elyse Vandenberg, Lead Sommelier at Estiatorio Milos at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, recently relocated from Reno, Nevada, and is among the group’s newest members.

“The women in our wine community have been very kind and supportive to me since my move here about two months ago. I know that Women Gone Wine is an important event that encourages friendship and camaraderie while also developing business relationships, and I am excited to be a part of it.”

The latest WGW gathering was held on February 6th at Lakeside inside Wynn Las Vegas and was hosted by Kathryn Hall, proprietor and vintner of HALL and WALT Wines in Napa Valley. Hall’s family first purchased a vineyard in the 1970’s, and she has been involved in the California wine industry ever since. As if she wasn’t busy enough, Hall

has also established herself as a distinguished attorney, community activist and the United States Ambassador to Austria. Attendees were able to meet Hall, hear the story of her career and taste through a gorgeous lineup of wines from her impressive, not to mention delicious, portfolio. In addition, they also received a signed copy of Hall’s book, A Prefect Score, which recounts the past twenty years of her and her husband’s winemaking experience from amateurs to recipients of the coveted perfect score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

What does the future hold for WGW? Smith is determined to expand the group’s focus to include spirits, sake and beer, and would love to offer its members more educational opportunities nationally and abroad. An even larger goal is to launch additional chapters of WGW in other SGWS markets. Smith said, “As much as we [women] have accomplished in the past few years, we still have a long way to go in terms of representation in this business. In my career, some of my greatest mentors were men. I am extremely grateful to them, and would like to be and help promote that female presence in leadership that was lacking when I first began working in the industry.”

If you would like more information about Women Gone Wine or wish to become a member, please contact Kristi Smith at kristismith@sgws.com.

Since its creation in 2011, membership has grown from fifteen women to over one hundred, and now includes a sister chapter in Reno, Nevada. With the support of Larry Ruvo and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Smith was given the ability to directly impact our local community of women aspiring to grow their careers as anything from Sommeliers to General Managers to Directors and Vice Presidents alike. Members are given an opportunity to network with their peers and to find potential mentorship in their superiors while also connecting with high-profile 6 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I March 2017

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By John Rockwell

Assistant Cheesemaker for a Day at Drake Family Farm PART I

He is an ardent fan of the waiver theater culture in Los Angeles. He is new to cheesemaking, but has been a homebrewer for over twenty years.

through town, I hit Riverside’s Farmers Market on Main Street. It is not as big as other outdoor markets, and I didn’t have high expectations of finding something portable that could fit in the back pocket of my cycling jersey. But then I had an idea: what about cheese? I happened by what I previously knew as “the goat cheese booth” and bought a chunk of what looked like a gouda-style cheese. It was called “Idyllwild,” named after one of the three 10,000-foot mountains that surround the Inland Empire region. Upon subsequent visits to the booth, I noticed a couple of things: First, Peter Geiger, the seller at the downtown market, is very patient with customers, allowing them to taste and make decisions using their senses. Second, the cheese is so good it almost sells itself—it breaks misconceptions about what goat cheese can be. That first visit I bought a chunk of Idyllwild (an aged hard-cheese style), and over the next few months, I tried the others. I finally told Geiger about my own cheesemaking journey and he suggested I call the farm and offer to help make some cheese. So I did just that.

When I arrived at the farm around 9:30 a.m. during my Christmas break, I was greeted by Randy Hoach, who gave me the grand tour. The farm is a rented space that sits on ten acres and houses around 360 milk-giving does (plus a couple hundred more goats if you count bucks and kids). Milking goats come in two varieties—Nubian and Saanen. According to Drake, the Nubians have trouble giving milk for a few months each year, so he finds Nubians that give milk for a longer period of time and crossbreeds them with the Saanens. The ribbons in the business office are a testament to the fact that his goats are superior animals. They give around 1,000 gallons of milk each week, which is then pasteurized and made into six varieties of cheese.

The part after the tour was what I had really been looking forward to: meeting Mike Carrasco and helping him set up the Brie-style cheese.

Carrasco is a friendly person who is trained as a chef, and initially saw cheesemaking as a temporary job before going full time. When he was promoted to head cheesemaker, those goals shifted. His cheesemaking process and kitchen setup is efficient and smart. Despite his friendliness, chefs in their kitchen always intimidate me, so I asked a lot of questions and did what I was told to do.

The cheese kitchen is tightly packed with equipment—two large steamjacketed cheese vats and one smaller one, a full dishwashing sink as well as a handwashing sink, a gigantic pasteurizer, an industrial-sized mixer, and vacuum packer. Everything can be accessed within a couple of steps.

My first task after donning a kitchen hat and facemask was to wash and sanitize everything that might touch the cheese: the drip pans, cheese

photos by John Rockwell

The idea for this column began as a simple story about an incredible day I spent making goat cheese at Drake Family Farm in Ontario. But to only write about the hours with head cheesemaker Mike Carrasco and operations manager Randy Hoach would shortchange some of the important parts of this story. In previous columns, I’ve mentioned the tenuous connection between food producer and customer, and how disconnected Southern Californian consumers can be from their food.

When consumers reconnect with small-scale food producers there is great potential for good—we can learn about how our food is made while also learning what good or even great food can be. It is my theory that educated consumers are willing to spend more money on a superior product when they can taste a difference and see the power of their dollars at work in the local economy.

Dr. Daniel Drake, who runs both a very successful veterinary practice and a very risky goat cheese business, is a passionate voice for this small world of local food producers. “The people that buy our products do care,” says Drake. “They care about us and they want us to stay around, they want to sustain us, and they are willing to vote with their paychecks and pay more for the products.” He also thinks the expense of the products and the people it supports must be a part of that picture: “You’ve got to educate people about how much it costs to make goat cheese, and why it’s $6 a tub at the farmers market instead of a dollar.” Much of that cost is in the slow care of the animals, from the feed mixtures to the cleanliness of the milking process and the care of the milk once it is taken from the goats.

This cheese adventure really began with my bike, a local farmers market, and a new brewery in Riverside. Last spring I was meandering through downtown Riverside rolling toward a new warehouse brewery’s soft open, and realized it might be a good idea to grab some food. As I rolled

John Rockwell is a native Southern Californian and career English teacher working in the Riverside area.

In his spare time, he rides his bicycle to breweries, restaurants, and cheese shops, and is always looking for culinary delights within riding distance of the vast network of SoCal bicycle trails.

Peter Geiger sells locally-made Drake Farm goat cheese at Riverside’s Saturday Farmers’ Market.

At 10:30 on a recent Saturday, the supplies are already running low. I spent about 15 minutes chatting with Geiger, and in that time, the rest of the Glacier was sold, along with some chèvre and a few bars of Mozzarella.

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A small cake of ash-rind Drake Farm Mt. Baldy pairs really well with a dry IPA or the spicy notes of a Saison.

As these Crottin-shaped cheeses mature, the ash encourages the white candidum mold to be replaced with blue mold, adding a spiciness to the cheese paste.

The goats actually look forward to the routine of the milking space, and their alertness reminds me of other intelligent and friendly domesticated animals.

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After being milked, the goats drink whey recycled from the cheesemaking process.

Drake Family Farm sits on ten acres in the heart at the edges of Ontario and Chino. Unfortunately, many of the dairy farms in the Inland Empire have sold their properties to housing developments. The goats have plenty of space to move around and California’s temperate weather allows them to live healthy lives.

molds, and plastic cheese mats. The cheesecloth used in draining the Brie is laundered and sanitized in-house, as the dairy also has linens to clean from the milking process. In home cheesemaking, I use sushi mats, but those would be a true pain to wash individually. After washing these items and getting the draining mats set up to properly drain the Brie, it was time to form the Bries.

The evening before, cultures and rennet are added to the milk. Tuesday is the day the farm makes Glacier (Brie), Mt. Baldy (ash-rind), and all of the chèvre because the there is only one additional ingredient in the Glacier and Mt. Baldy—white Penicillium Candidum mold. The evening before, after the milk has formed curds, they are captured in hundreds of semipermeable nylon bags. Because goat milk makes softer curds than cow milk, this is a great way to retain more of the curds for processing. The whey released from the curds still has nutritional value and is recycled into a tank and then fed to the goats.

The curds have a consistency of oatmeal. They are then scooped into not-so-traditional Brie forms, and traditional Crottin forms. The Brie forms are not traditional because they are actually plastic food containers which have had their bottoms cut off.

Even in my home cheesemaking kitchen, cleaning the drainage holes in a traditional Brie mold can be timeconsuming. These containers are smart, efficient, just

the right size, and best of all, cheap and replaceable.

The cheesemaker’s main job when incorporating new curds into the forms is to keep the consistency of the curds the same, so they drain evenly. As the new curds are mixed into the ones opened a few minutes before, it was my job to make sure this texture remained consistent. I think I pleased Carrasco most of the time, but occasionally he would critique my fills, showing me where I was under or over. This wasn’t a “stand and watch” experience: I formed every one of the Glacier and Mt. Baldy cheese that was made that day.

After I was done with setting up the cheese, I thought I was done, but I was wrong. The buckets of water in the cheese vat in the center of the kitchen were apparently part of the whey removal process for the chèvre. We moved countless water-filled buckets off of the cheese, turned the bags of curd, and then replaced the weights.

Apparently four arms got the job done in record time because when Hoach dropped by to check our progress, he was surprised that we had already flipped and re-weighted the chèvre. Later in the afternoon, the staff would be by to mix flavored ingredients into the chèvre and prepare it for market.

My day had almost come to a close, but I still needed to visit the aging rooms and do some cheese tasting with my new friends. That will be the subject of the next month’s column.

Drake Family Farm cheese can be found at the following SoCal farmers’ markets—most markets are open 8-1: Riverside Farmers’ Market (Saturdays) Claremont Farmers’ Market (Sundays) Pasadena Farmers’ Market (Saturday) Santa Monica Farmers’ Market (Wednesdays)

Hollywood Farmers’ Market (Sundays) Santa Barbara Farmers’ Market (Saturdays) Ojai Farmers’ Market (Sundays) Temecula Farmers’ Market (Saturdays)

Head cheesemaker Mike Carrasco holds up a wheel of Idyllwild in the farms temperature- and humiditycontrolled cave.

Looking at it from the outside, you would never guess the Drake Family Farm creamery has enough space to house a milk storage tank, a pasteurizer, and several large pieces of cheesemaking equipment.

Finely-textured goat cheese curds are captured in large nylon bags where the remaining whey can be expelled.

If you process milk for cheese, chances are you’ll need something with which to pasteurize the milk. This machine looks a lot like a mash tun in a brewery, only there is no false bottom. A machine records milk temperatures and sanitation/cleaning temperatures for regulators who make an occasional visit.

Whey still has protein content, so throwing it down a drain would be foolish. It can provide added nutrition to the herd of goats.

Brie and crottin molds are filled with curds and left to drain their remaining whey. When finished, the product is beautiful.

If these look like food-grade plastic containers with their bottoms removed, that’s because they are.

Even when the professionals make cheese, they find smart ways to get their best results. This reminded me that improvisation is sometimes important.

The curds for the chèvre need to be as free from whey as possible, so the bags are weighed down with fancy cheesemaking devices known as water buckets.

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March 2017 I The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional 9

By David Mulvihill

what’s

BREWING

David Mulvihill strives to experience and write about the ever-evolving face of SoCal craft beer. He also covers Orange County for Celebrator Beer News as well as Southern California for Southwest Brewing News. Contact him at dbrewhill@gmail.com.

Photos by David Mulvihill

Simmzy’s Burbank new head brewer Brian Herbertson (r) with Simmzy’s chefs at the recent L.A. Beer & Food Festival.

L.A. Beer and Food Festival The Los Angeles County Brewers Guild’s inaugural L.A. Beer and Food Festival took place in late January at the historic Mack Sennett Studios in Silver Lake. Built as a silent movie studio in 1916, the rustic artistic charm of its interior provided a complementary setting for attendees to enjoy beer from L.A. County member breweries, as well as food from participating restaurants and brewpubs.

Two separate spaces were utilized inside for the breweries and brewpubs to share their wares.

The smaller stage showcased delicious bites and accompanying beer pairings from Eagle Rock Brewery Public House, Ladyface Ale Companie, Wolf Creek Brewing Company, Kinetic Brewing Company and Twisted Oak Tavern. Each brewpub offered a recommended pairing beer as well as others to enjoy. Standouts included beer braised short ribs and a couple of tasty desserts, including a spiced cake made with Wolf Creek’s Winter Wonderland spiced ale. Pairing beers were Wolf Creek’s Midnight Howl Black IPA and the aforementioned Winter Wonderland. Cyrena and Jean-Luc Nouzille, the Ladyface Ale Companie crew, brought some tasty lamb meatballs that paired very well with their own black IPA.

All of the non-restaurant breweries lined the walls of Mack Sennett’s larger stage area. Two factors truly contributed to the enjoyment of this event. First, attendance was capped at a very manageable figure that resulted in virtually no lines. Second, each brewery pouring station was staffed by its own brewers, owners and brewery staff. This provided ample opportunity for attendees to comfortably converse with the folks that made the beer.

Space constraints prohibit speaking about all of the great beer on hand during this event.

Needless to say many breweries, both new and established, brought their A-game beers. With 46 breweries in attendance and at least two beers from each brewery, it was impossible to taste everything. Newcomer Dry River Brewing Co (Boyle Heights) brought out a couple of surprisingly well-finished brews. Dry River’s tart saison-style Lady Roja highlighted botanicals in its mix, while Arantia, a beautifully aged dry-hopped sour cuvee, imparted great body and a depth of flavors that continued to awaken ones palate well after it finished. These two beers verify Dry River’s commitment to slow brewing. Fermenting and aging in used oak barrels, the team appears committed to waiting for a beer to be ready before bottling

10 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I March 2017

and bottle-conditioning for release. Dry River is looking to have its tasting room open this spring. Bob Kunz and the team at Highland Park Brewery didn’t disappoint with two HPB beers from opposite ends of the flavor spectrum, Big No No Baltic Porter and Neon IPA. Eagle Rock Brewery’s La Suerte, the Imperial Mexican Stout with Chocolate, Vanilla, & Chile brewed for its recent 4th Anniversary had some enticing culinary appointments. It was poured along with Le Banquet Bier, an amber brett-saisonstyle beer brewed in collaboration with L.A. Ale Works.

Vagabond Cheese was also on the floor with artisanal cheeses for the lactose tolerant to enjoy with any number of beers being dispensed.

The rest of the food was outdoors. 3941 Tamales provided samples of its signature chicken tamales and pork tamales. Fat Dragon had spicy Szechuan cold noodles to open the taste buds.

The chefs from Simmzy’s Burbank were out, along with brewer Brian Herbertson, and woodfire grilled Thai turkey burgers. Brian (formerly head brewer at Riverside’s Wickes Brewing) was recently recruited to assist Simmzy’s with its first restaurant brewery. As head brewer he will assist with the installation of the inhouse brewery and will soon be back at work www.socalfnbpro.com

In a prior issue I detailed some of the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District Breweries, only two of which I had previously visited. On the occasion of Boomtown Brewery’s tasting room opening, two more have been added to the list.

Saturday, February 4th, marked the opening of Boomtown’s tasting room. Rather than facing freeway traffic from South Orange County, this reporter and his wife opted instead to take advantage of the $10 Metrolink weekend fare (which also includes transfer-free access to the L.A. Metro Rail lines). Less frequent weekend Metrolink scheduling requires departing early and returning via Union Station well before 5 p.m. There is plenty to keep you occupied before the breweries open at noon. Consider taking the red line to Pershing Square and having breakfast, coffee or an early lunch at Grand Central Market. You can also take a quick tour of the Bradbury Building across the street.

One stop south of Union Station on the gold line is Little Tokyo/Arts District Station. This is where you can begin your brewery hopping.

The Arts District area has experienced a

complete transformation in the past year or two.

It is now occupied by many shops, restaurants and beer-centric destinations. In-between brewery visits, consider lunch at Wurstkuche (800 E 3rd Street), or The Pie Hole, just across the street. Wurstkuche has an interesting assortment of classic and gourmet sausages as well as a great beer list. It tends to get crowded, so another quick and satisfying choice is The Pie Hole. It has a nice selection of both savory and sweet pies. There are many other dining options within the neighborhood. Also, just down the block is Salt & Straw, a great place to pick up an ice cream before returning to the train station.

From Little Tokyo/Arts District Station, there are breweries in every direction. Mumford Brewing is a 10 minute walk SW. Angel City Brewery is just 5 minutes directly south of the station (on Alameda). Arts District Brewing is another 5 minutes SE of Angel City (on Traction).

Our first brewery stop this day was Boomtown Brewery, about 8 minutes walking NE from the station. A happy crowd was already enjoying the welcoming new space when we arrived.

The tasting room is outfitted in a communal wood-tone setting that includes long tables in the center, couches and easy chairs around the perimeter with a pool table, shuffle board and a substantial bar. 12 Boomtown beers were offered. These included the well-appointed pilsner-style, Mic Czech Pils; on the lighter end of the spectrum, Smaller Half, a tasty session IPA with some nice dry citrus notes; and an amicable 7% ABV IPA, Limelight IPA. At press time Boomtown’s tasting room schedule showed open hours Thursday through Sunday. Adjacent

to the tasting room is another substantial event space that is used for special events and can also be rented.

As stated earlier, Boomtown’s brewery was opened in 2015 by managing partners Samuel “Chewy” Chawinga (also Brewmaster), Charles Lew, Alex Kagianaris and John Rankin.

Boomtown Brewery is located at 700 Jackson Street.

From Boomtown we headed about 12 minutes south to Arts District Brewing (after a brief stop to share a chicken ‘n waffles pot pie at The Pie Hole). ADB’s “old L.A.” industrial setting provides a comfortable setting for visitors and locals to enjoy some amazing beer, food from Fritzi’s take-out window in the corner, Skeeball, darts and ping pong. The loading dock outside has been converted to outdoor patio, an additional setting for patrons to enjoy. There is even a full bar, but at the forefront is the beer, expertly crafted by Devon Randall, formerly of Pizza Port Solana Beach in San Diego County.

There is lots of beer to choose from. Among the golden ales, English pale, and lighter-style brews was the 3.4% ABV Stumblin Dublin, an Irish-style red ale on nitro. It was traditionally structured, light and creamy, with essences and body reminiscent of finer reds in Ireland.

An ample selection of IPAs included Redbird, citrusy in hops and nicely supported by its rye backbone. On the dark side were a selection of porters and stouts including Dalia, a classically brewed Baltic-style porter.

Also in the Arts District is Iron Triangle Brewing. It’s a much longer walk, so this brewery is more accessible via car or Uber.

Ladyface Ale Companie Owners Cyrena & Jean-Luc Nouzille.

(l-r) Naga Reshi and Dave Hodgins of Dry River Brewing.

(l-r) Boomtown Brewery co-owner Brewmaster Samuel Chawinga and his brewer Kurt.

Boomtown Brewery’s new tasting room is now open in Downtown L.A.’s Arts District.

Boomtown Brewery’s new tasting room is now open in Downtown L.A.’s Arts District.

The team at Wolf Creek provided delicious food and beer at the L.A. Beer & Food Festival.

brewing beer in Burbank, one of the few L.A. municipalities that has been lacking in locally sourced craft beer. Waffle Love served some of its sweet Belgian liege waffles while Poppy + Rose served fried chicken and stout waffles. The food side was rounded out with pork chili verde from Sausal and wings from BrewWings.

The next big event (or events) for the L.A. Brewers Guild is L.A. Beer Week, June 17th – 25th.

Boomtown/Arts District

www.socalfnbpro.com

March 2017 I The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional 11

Brett’s

By Jackie Brett Jackie is a freelance public relations specialist and writer specializing in the Las Vegas entertainment and travel scene. Her writings have appeared in magazines and newspapers nationwide and on numerous websites. She is also an instructor covering Special Events at CSN- College of Southern Nevada.

Email: jackiebrett@cox.net

Lady Gaga with her global Joanne World Tour has two dates at T-Mobile Arena Aug. 11 and due to demand, Dec.16.

Together again, Queen + Adam Lambert on an arena tour will stop at T-Mobile Saturday, June 24.

Pitbull will return to The AXIS at Planet Hollywood July 21-Aug. 5 with an eightnight limited engagement of his original Vegas show, Time Of Our Lives.

Grammy award-winning artists Jon Bon Jovi and Gwen Stefani will perform during Keep Memory Alive’s 21st annual Power of Love fundraising gala Thursday, April 27 at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Def Leppard on tour will visit the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday, June 17 with Poison and Tesla.

Steely Dan has a nine-night residency of their Reelin’ In The Chips show at the Opaline Theatre at The Venetian April 12-29.

Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer Steve Miller will headline The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Tuesday, Aug. 8 with guitarist-songwriter Peter Frampton.

Entertainer Frankie Moreno has a six-week Thursday-night engagement at the Golden Nugget through April 13.

Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine will bring his Robert Irvine LIVE interactive show to the Tropicana Theater Thursday, April 6.

Jeff Civillico after knee surgery will resume his Comedy in Action show Wednesday, April 5 with a location move to the Anthony Cools Experience showroom at Paris.

Rock legends Blondie and Garbage will coheadline the Rage and Rapture Tour at the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Saturday, July 8.

The newest edition of Legends in Concert at the Flamingo has its first opening theatrical number in the show’s 34-year history choreographed by Lacey Schwimmer.

Hip-hop innovator Future with his new selftitled album will end his Nobody Safe Tour at T-Mobile Arena on Friday, June 30.

British rock band Bush’s rescheduled performance date at The Foundry at SLS is Friday, June 2.

Croatian singer Severina will appear at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan Saturday, April 29 and American rock group Band of Horses will perform Friday, May 26.

Restaurant Happenings

photo by Anthony Mair for Maison

Focusing On Entertainment

Japanese restaurant Zuma at The Cosmopolitan created and co-founded by Chef Rainer Becker is the company’s first time on the West Coast.

The Venetian added Chef Lorena Garcia, the Strip’s first Latina celebrity chef, on its outdoor 21-foot-tall celebrity chef wall. This spring she is opening Chica featuring Latin cuisine.

Chef Charlie Palmer’s reimagined Aureole at the Mandalay Bay now offers a tasting table experience. The transformed space offers three distinct dining experiences: bar and lounge area, main dining room and fine dining Fountain Terrace.

Las Vegas’ original sushi burrito concept, Jaburritos, opened its first restaurant on the Strip at The LINQ Promenade.

Copper Whisk Café, a new dining concept with southern charm serving up breakfast all day and comfort food 24 hours, opened at The Orleans.

Freedom Beat at Downtown Grand started a monthly road trip theme dinner series. Upcoming places will include: April 5, Colorado; May 3, Wisconsin; June 7, New York; July 5, Philadelphia; and Aug. 2, Washington.

Freedom Beat also introduced their newest music and food program The Gibson Biscuits and Jam Sessions taking place every Monday night from 10 p.m.–1 a.m. with Gibson hosting and providing instruments and a special housemade biscuits menu.

Du-Par’s Restaurant & Bakery at the Golden Gate downtown since 2010 for financial reasons closed but there is still a Du-Par’s at the Suncoast.

12 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I March 2017

Assorted News Items Axe Monkeys open daily is Las Vegas’ first and only axe throwing facility with 23 indoor throwing lanes.

Redneck Riviera at the Grand Bazaar Shops on the second floor above Wahlburgers and owned by John Rich of country duo Big & Rich is open and hosting live country music daily.

Asian-themed Lucky Dragon is expanding its VIP Gaming Lounge and Dragon’s Alley will have a short-term full closure to make room for the new noodle bar while the current main dining space is repurposed as expanded space for Pearl Ocean.

Stations Casinos is giving bingo a comeback with a 432-seat Bingo Room at Santa Fe Station and has one planned for Palace Station.

The 43rd Annual UNLVino Wine Tasting fundraiser will return March 30-April 1 with events: Bubble-Licious at The Venetian; Sake Fever at Red Rock; and Grand Tasting at Paris.

Downtown will have the seventh annual Great Vegas Festival of Beer April 7-8 with more than 500 craft beers from 110 breweries and the returning Life is Beautiful Music & Art Festival Sept. 22-24.

Professional darts players will compete in the U.S. Masters at the Tropicana, July 13–15.

Finally Elvis has a short street in the Las Vegas Valley named after him replacing Riviera Boulevard signs, which will go on display at the Clark County Museum.

Former LPGA pro Jody Niemann is the first woman general manager of a major golf course in Las Vegas, which is the Dye-designed Royal Links.

Award-winning Serenity Spa by Westgate on the third floor pool deck is now open to the public daily.

Tory Sport, a performance active wear brand from New York City launched in 2004 by Tory Burch, will open at the Fashion Show Mall. www.socalfnbpro.com

Saturday, May 6 | 4PM – 8PM Pool | Live DJ | Photo Booth Tickets $60 in advance, $70 at the door Tickets available at

11011 West Charleston Boulevard / Las Vegas / 702.797.7777 redrock.sclv.com • Like us on Facebook.com/RedRock MUST BE 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER. MANAGEMENT RESERVES ALL RIGHTS. © 2017 STATION CASINOS.

LEE’S

BEER &

TEQUILA EXP ERIENCE

UNVino 2016, Larry Ruvo (Senior Managing Director, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits), Stowe Shoemaker (UNLV Hotel College Dean), and Michael Severino (Senior Director of Special Events and Marketing, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits)

43rd Annual UNLVino Event

By Alice Swift | photos courtesy Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

UNLVino. The name has been marked as one of the most anticipated food and beverage event that doubles as a fundraiser for the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration (UNLV Hotel College) for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Who would have thought the event would have grown so much since its initial inception in 1974, started by former Hotel College Dean Jerry Vallen and Larry Ruvo, now Senior Managing Director of Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits. Going on its 43rd year, UNLVino continues to be the longest running food and wine festival in Las Vegas. This year, I also had the opportunity to speak with Michael Severino, Senior Director of Special Events and Marketing for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, who also has a longstanding history of involvement with UNLVino and a relationship with both Larry Ruvo and Jerry Vallen. He gave me some insight on the evolution of the event and some exciting things to come for this year’s 43rd UNLVino series.

The Beginnings

The Event and Its Evolution

The concept of a wine tasting class as a whole, not even the event concept, was so new back in the 1960s. The first Hotel College wine education classes began off-site, and the relationships built over the course of its development led to the creation of UNLVino.

The collaboration between Vallen and Ruvo led to the first event in 1974, which was held at the original Southern Wine and Spirits warehouse, with less than 50 guests.

Since the inaugural UNLVino one-day wine tasting event at the Southern Wine and Spirits warehouse, the event has evolved into a multiday event with various themes. In the past couple years, UNLVino has settled on three primary events, which will all once again take place this year.

From there, the event began to grow and expand, with location and event expansions.

After outgrowing the warehouse location, UNLVino was relocated to the Thomas & Mack Center, to Bally’s, and to Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, where the Grand Tasting is still held today.

• Day 1– Bubble-Licious, The Venetian Las Vegas (Thursday, March 30), which is the sparkling wine themed event.

• Day 2 – Saké Fever, Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa (Friday, March 31), which is the saké themed event.

• Day 3 – The Grand Tasting, Paris Las Vegas (Saturday, April 1), which is the general wine-themed event.

14 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I March 2017

Did you know that there were other themed events during previous UNLVino years?

• Auss-Some and Then Some – In 2003 and 2004, this event showcased Australian wines. It was later replaced by Saké Fever, which continues this year.

• Bar-b-q – In 2013, BAR-b-q debuted at the Keep Memory Alive Center located at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, featuring celebrity chefs and master mixologists. It returned in 2014 and was held at Caesars Palace, at the Garden of the Gods pool.

• 40th Anniversary Grand Tasting Event – For the 2014 UNLVino, the Grand Tasting was held at the beautiful Keep Memory Alive Center designed by Frank Gehry. www.socalfnbpro.com

“UNLVino means, literally, taking a sip for scholarships. It is one of the most creative and educational fundraising events in Las Vegas, and we’re the oldest and largest event of its kind.” – Michael Severino 1999 UNLVino Event Planning Class begins at the UNLV Hotel College Almost 20 years ago, a dedicated UNLVino class (now called TCA390, Exhibit Marketing and Management) was created within the UNLV Hotel College program to allow students the ability to obtain first-hand experience in event planning and the management of the large-scale food and beverage event.

Students go through an extensive interview/ vetting process before being allowed into the class. The students then become managers throughout the semester, with dedicated areas of leadership responsibility for UNLVino, such as fundraising, marketing, vendor relations and culinary planning/execution.

The course is led by one front-of-the-house instructor (Todd Uglow) and one heart-of-thehouse instructor (Mark Sandoval), each with extensive experience in event planning and culinary experience, respectively. However, the majority of the responsibilities are handed over to the student managers to own. This course is definitely one of the great benefits to living in Las Vegas and attending the UNLV William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, which offers undergraduate and graduate (Master and Ph.D.) degrees.

What’s New This Year?

With the transition of Southern Wine and Spirits to Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits in early 2016 brings new and improved benefits to UNLVino! Each year, the UNLVino events continue to impress, and this year is no different. With this year’s increased product portfolio, there will be more brands represented and some new ones too. There will also be a larger food selection, with more tastings and participation from additional restaurant venues.

March 29, 2017 - Special Event!! One of the most exciting new offerings this year by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is a special Riedel training with George Riedel himself! If you aren’t aware, Riedel is a specialized wine glass company who caters to the beverage, restaurant and general consumer industry.

They just celebrated their 260 year anniversary in 2016, and have lasted throughout the years due to their technological advances and innovations in wine glass designs. The event will include a tasting of wines selected by Master Sommelier, Joseph Phillips, and be held on Wednesday, March 29 at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. Tickets are $175 each with limited seating. Call 702-876-4500 to purchase.

Ultimately, What’s It all About? The Students, of Course!

The balance of the academic contribution from the Hotel College and industry contribution of Southern Glazer’s over the years has really grown UNLVino to become a recognized event, a brand in fact. For many, such as Severino, it’s become a tradition, and one that people in Las Vegas and visitors to the state come to look forward to.

The event has truly evolved over the years; however, one thing has not changed. UNLVino continues to ultimately be focused on the students. The event is planned, managed and executed by students. The preparation of food, pouring of beverage, marketing, advertising, PR, etc…are all done by the students.

What better way to gain practical, industry experience working with the hospitality industry than with an event that is planned, coordinated and worked at by the students, and one that ultimately gives back to the students? In addition to the UNLVino class composed of student managers, hundreds of UNLV Hotel College students are recruited as volunteers for the event as well. “Take a Sip for Scholarships” is the motto of UNLVino, and proceeds from the UNLVino event are donated back to the UNLV Hotel College to pay for student scholarships.

Let’s continue to support the continued tradition of UNLVino by attending this annual food and beverage spectacular, and take that sip for scholarship for the students of the UNLV William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration. Hope to see you there!

To learn more about this year’s UNLVino Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence Honorees, check out my WineTalk column in this month’s issue.

Until next time, Cheers~!

Alice

UNLVino Fun Fact!

Did you know that the inaugural BubbleLicious event in 2004 was held at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas? The 30th anniversary event featured special guests Mayor Oscar Goodman and Noriyuki “Pat” Morita from The Karate Kid. They both sabered a bottle of champagne at this event.

According to Severino, despite the Grand Tasting being one of the most popular events of the UNLVino series, over the past few years, Saké Fever has really grown to become its own reputable event. Not only has there been an increase in beverage vendors, but there has been a surge in emphasis on the food. Just last year alone, there were over 30 restaurants who participated, from hotel restaurant outlets, to restaurants within the local community. The connection to the local community has also been a growing goal of UNLVino, and beyond food and beverage, local artists and vendors have also participating in the events in recent years.

For more information, go to unlvino.com. www.socalfnbpro.com

March 2017 I The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional 15

By Chef Allen Asch

Chef Talk Graded Steaks

16 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I March 2017

Chef Allen Asch M. Ed., CCE is a culinary arts instructor that has earned degrees from Culinary Institute of America, Johnson and Wales University and Northern Arizona University. He is currently teaching at UNLV. He earned his Certified Culinary Educator Endorsement from the American Culinary Federation in 2003.

One of the worst things that you can do when you buy expensive meat is to overcook it or cook it improperly, which will allow all of the fat and juices to seep out during the cooking process. As I talked about in one of my first columns I am into using sous vide cooking to avoid getting foods to too high of a temperature while cooking, but still maintaining a bacteria-safe cooking zone. One method to cook a higher quality steak is to sous vide cook it at about 130 degrees for up to 2 hours and then finish cooking it in a hot skillet. Cast iron works very well for this. If you do not have a sous vide cooker another method is to start with a steak that has come to room temperature and put it in a 250 degree oven for about 45 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees and then finish it the same way in a hot skillet. This method helps avoid the internally marbled fat from melting out of the meat and creates an evenly cooked steak from the outside to the center.

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I am a big fan of good quality beef. I love the center cuts of the animal from the loin and the rib sections. One of the great things about living in Las Vegas is that you can grill year-round. The meat cuts with the words loin or rib are always the ones that catch my eye and make me lick my lips. Usually when I buy a good quality steak I try to get one that has been graded by the Agricultural Marketing Service, a division of the Department of Agriculture that is responsible to check the quality of cotton and tobacco, dairy, fruits and vegetables, livestock and seed and poultry. This service is not performed for free; the agriculture owner is responsible for the costs associated with grading. For this reason not all products are graded, which is not required. Inspection, the process used to make sure products are wholesome and safe to eat, is required of all products except for fish and shellfish.

Meat graders charge between $66 and $79 per hour to grade and this cost is passed on to the customer to offset the extra money spent. This is why farmers will not grade every animal, only the ones raised to be of a higher quality. There are 8 grades of beef, but the only ones anyone will pay for are the top three: Prime, Choice and Select. A good portion of the meat raised will not get a grade and are called “no-roll” due to the grader not rolling the ink stamp saying which grade was met. Of all the cows and steers raised, 1.8% will be rolled with a Prime stamp on it. Within Prime and Choice there are three levels of meat: plus, even and minus. The next grade is Choice which accounts for 38% of the beef carcasses. The third quality is Select which accounts for 15.5% of the cattle. 3.2% will grade below this and 41.5% will not be graded. Make sure that you are aware the cut of “Prime Rib” is not necessarily Prime; it was named as a marketing ploy to try to upsell the cut. Chefs usually call it a standing rib roast since not all ribs are Prime.

If a store is going to pay extra for a graded piece of meat they will always put the grade on the label, so if you do not see any of the three grades it probably was not graded at all. Very few retail outlets package the Choice cuts in Styrofoam and then put them in the self-service meat section; they will usually put the Choice cuts in the meat case. Prime cuts of meat are usually not available at typical supermarkets. Although they might be available at butcher shops, the bulk of this grade is sold to the restaurant industry.

The factors for grading are very simple, but a novice would have a hard time grading meat quickly, which when you are paying by the hour you want to have the grader work as quickly as possible. After the animal is slaughtered, it is cut in half from neck to rear hoof. The next step is to cut the animal between the 12th and 13th rib, creating the forequarter (front) and hindquarter (rear). The grader will look at the eye of the rib and discern the grade by the internal marbling, amount of kidney fat and the age of the animal, which the grader can tell by the ossification of the cartilage seen around the cut. 30 months is the oldest age for the best grade.

Feel free to contact Chef Allen with ideas for comments or future articles at allena@unlv.nevada.edu

Steak & Table Knife Re-Serration / Sharpening

W Tropicana Ave

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Wine Talk with Alice Swift

By Alice Swift Alice Swift has been a resident of Las Vegas since July, 2011, and is currently an instructor as well as a Ph.D. student at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration. She also works as Learning Design & Development Business Partner for MGM Resorts University. Check out her website at www. aliceswift.com for the dish on wine, technology, or even both! She is happy to take suggestions for article topics or inquiries.

2017 UNLVino Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence Honorees and a Chat with Martin Koleff, Consultant to Raku Las Vegas This year, UNLVino honors three new recipients of the Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence. Read on for a brief bio of each honoree, and a special interview with Martin Koleff (restaurant stylist) of Raku.

Grand Tasting: David Hoenemeyer

After his initial career experience working for Hilton Hotels and Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, David Hoenemeyer relocated to Las Vegas in 1996, working as Director of Operations for The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

In 1998, he started with Harrah’s Las Vegas as VP of F&B/Retail, working his way up to Assistant GM, and later General Manager of Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas. In 2010, Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino was added to Hoenemeyer’s responsibilities, and in 2011, Hoenemeyer was promoted to Regional President for the three properties. What better venue to honor him than at his very own Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino?

Saké Fever: Mitsuo Endo

Chef Mitsuo Endo is probably most well known in Las Vegas for his restaurants Aburiya Raku and Sweets Raku. Endo started as an apprentice in Tokyo in 1988, learning Kaiseki Japanese cuisine. At 30 years old, he decided to follow his dream and move to the U.S. to open his own restaurant(s). After working in Seattle and New York, Endo met Chef Koji Imai in 2002, who became his mentor and joined his group as Executive Chef of MEGU Tribeca and Midtown.

After 5 years, Chef Endo decided it was time to branch out. In 2008, Endo debuted his very own Aburiya Raku. The concept took off almost immediately, as the Izakaya concept was new to Las Vegas at the time. In 2013, Endo opened Sweets Raku, which was highly innovative, being a restaurant that served a prix fixe menu of desserts only.

Chef Endo at Saké Fever has participated as one of the first locally owned independent Japanese restaurants since the Saké-themed event first began.

Both Aburiya and Sweets Raku booths draw an endless line of people at UNLVino waiting patiently for the delectable charcoal-grilled skewers and desserts.

18 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I March 2017

Special Interview with Martin Koleff, Restaurant Stylist and Marketing Mastermind Behind Chef Mitsuo Endo’s Aburiya Raku and Sweets Raku This month, I had the opportunity to speak with Martin Koleff, consultant for Raku restaurants, as well as many other Japanese restaurants in Las Vegas. Maybe you’ve heard of some of them: Monta Ramen, Kyara Japanese Tapas, Goyemon Sushi House, Itsy Bitsy: Ramen & Whiskey, etc.

As Chef Endo’s right hand man and media representative, I chatted with him about the Raku concept and what UNLVino means to the both of them.

What makes Raku so unique? Koleff says they “have fun,” while delivering quality food and service. High-end Izakaya used to be rare in Las Vegas. Now, their reputation speaks for itself. Raku is often frequented by culinary/hospitality industry professionals in addition to regular customers. Every employee goes through extensive training.

Koleff said it best in that “there’s a lot of sommeliers, servers, managers, etc. who go through [rigorous] training, and they expect the same level of service quality as well [when going out to eat].”

Advice from Chef Endo? “Being copied is the best thing that you can get from people.” Since the opening of Raku, there are now several comparable competitors in Las Vegas. Rather than thinking of them as competitors, Endo has made friends and built up a close-knit family with others in the Japanese restaurant industry community.

What does UNLVino mean to you? For Koleff and Endo, “We’re in the culinary world. If students can get a scholarship, it’s very worthwhile and helping. There’s a lot of kids out there who can’t afford it; this is our way of supporting the kids at UNLV. We donate [and do our part] by participating, which also drives the consumer participation in the UNLVino event.”

Fun Fact! Other than Koleff’s restaurant consulting (for over 30 years), he is also a Japanese premium sake sales representative (distributed by Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits). His latest restaurant concept is Yuzu Kaiseki in Henderson. Check it out at: www.yuzukaizeki.com.

Until next month, Cheers~!

Aburiya Raku booth, 2014 Saké Fever Alice

photo by Juanita Aiello

photo courtesy Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

You may know him as the “Bar Rescue” guy, but Jon Taffer is wellrespected for his hospitality consulting.

Restaurants/bars are the focus of his popular TV show; however, Taffer has consulted for many other venues (nightclubs, entertainment venues, resort facilities, etc.).

After taking on a part-time job (as a bartender) while in school for political science, he began management positions at The Troubador and Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood.

From there, he began consulting and then entrepreneurship with his own bar in 1989, the first of many businesses to come.

As President of the Nightclub & Bar Media Group, which puts on the annual convention and trade show in Las Vegas, Taffer has made a huge impact on the nightclub, bar and entertainment industry in Las Vegas and beyond.

photo by Alice Swift

Bubble-Licious: Jon Taffer

www.socalfnbpro.com

WE DIDN’T INVENT TEQUILA Tequila has been around for centuries, but we took the time to get it right, crafting a small batch spirit that’s worth sipping slowly. It requires Mexico’s finest 100% Weber Blue Agave, hand-selected and distilled in custom copper stills for a smooth finish every time. We didn’t invent tequila,

The perfect way to enjoy Patrón is responsibly. Handcrafted and imported exclusively from Mexico by The Patrón Spirits Company, Las Vegas, NV. 40% abv.

WE JUST PERFECTED IT.

By Ben Brown

| Foodie Biz |

Benjamin Brown, MBA is Restaurant Editor of The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional. A seasoned writer and consultant, Ben works with Fortune 500 companies and mom & pop shops alike in Marketing, Analytics, Consumer Insights, PR and Business Development.

Contact Ben at Ben@socalfnbpro.com or follow him @Foodie_Biz.

Palm Desert Food & Wine Festival Returns for 7th Year in March

The seventh annual Palm Desert Food & Wine Festival takes place March 24-26, 2017 in Palm Desert, CA. Organized by Palm Springs Life, the event features three days of spectacular food and drink that celebrates the region’s exploding culinary scene.

Headlining the event will be Gail Simmons— Food Expert, Food & Wine’s Special Projects Director and judge on Bravo’s Top Chef.

She will be joined by an extensive lineup of accomplished chefs who will be putting on an exciting lineup of cooking demonstrations throughout the weekend. Additional participants include Aarti Sequeira, Gale Gand, Zack Bruell and Melissa King among many others.

Palm Desert Food & Wine begins on Friday, March 24 with the four-course James Beard luncheon. The luncheon is followed by two days of grand tastings, featuring delectable items from more than 40 restaurants, created by renowned chefs from all across California and the country.

More than 60 premium wines and champagnes will be offered as well, and participants will be able to interact at length with the vintners and chefs. The event will take place in Palm Desert’s El Paseo shopping district. For more information visit palmdesertfoodandwine.com.

Wild Living Foods: If You’re Going to be Vegan for a Day…

Wild Living Foods is perfect for Downtown Los Angeles, and vice versa. Part coffee shop, part salad bar, and part vegan fast casual, with a setup straight out of the Venice Beach boardwalk, the vibe here is analogous to an urban watering hole. Groups from all walks gather to enjoy meatless burgers, creative salads and some of the best hot drinks that can only be described as ‘remedy bar magic.’

The diverse menu covers sandwiches to sushi, but comes together under the motif of fascinating ingredients—kelp noodles, Brazil nut cheese and pumpkinseed chorizo take things to another level.

So, if you’re going to be vegan for a day, or even just a meal, Wild Living Foods is your place to go without breaking the bank. The care and attention that goes into every item, plus the sheer novelty of the crowd, is certainly worth a visit. For more information visit Wildlivingfoods.com.

Bacaro Gains Another Sister Restaurant: Bacari GDL in Glendale

Bacari GDL is the newest concept launched by owners Robert and Danny Kronfli, and Executive Chef/Owner Lior Hillel, who famously brought Bacaro to Downtown Los Angeles. Located at the Glendale mall The Americana at Brand, the Italian-inspired restaurant focuses on fire-roasted dishes made in the new wood stone oven, and incorporates Mediterranean influences from Executive Chef Hillel’s Israeli heritage.

Executive Chef Hillel’s extensive menu features a new collection of Bacari’s “cicchetti,” or Italian small plates. And while the menu is almost entirely different from its sister restaurants, Bacari GDL keeps favorites such as the open-faced Bacari burger and the mac & cheese. Unique to this location is a large wood stone oven, which is used to cook hand-crafted pastas and pizzas, including foie gras cresto de gallo pasta and bacon and double cream brie pizza.

A third restaurant, Bacari PDR, is located in Playa Del Rey. For more information visit Bacarigdl.com.

Winter Wine Classic Enjoys 6th Successful Year in Santa Barbara Wineries across California gathered in Downtown Santa Barbara on Saturday, January 21 for a festive showing of high-end libations at the 6th annual Winter Wine Classic. Held outside the Fess Parker Hotel, a luxury resort just steps from the beach, the Winter Wine Classic brought together a solid lineup of purveyors for a mid-sized crowd of joyful guests. Drink, food and fun certainly highlighted the event, with several labels and restaurants to revisit again.

A slew of 90+ point wines made their way to the event, as did bottles that retailed for more than $100. On the culinary end, Enterprise Fish Co. led the way with a stunning lobster bisque that was perfect for the winter weather. Patxi’s Pizza Santa Barbara served up some excellent Chicago deep dish, and showed some fun resourcefulness when they placed a delivery order in the middle of the event to replenish their inventory.

The 7th Winter Wine Classic is already being planned out, to take place January 2018. For more information visit CaliforniaWineFestival.com.

20 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I March 2017

www.socalfnbpro.com

Product Review

By Bob Barnes

Rao’s Specialty Foods

The iconic Rao’s has been pleasing lovers of Italian cuisine in NYC since 1896 and was featured on our January issue cover in celebration of its Caesar’s Palace/Las Vegas restaurant’s 10th anniversary. What you may not be aware of is that in addition to its three restaurants, Rao’s has an extensive line of products which will allow you to recreate some its delectable Italian cuisine at home.

Home cooks will appreciate the wide range of the line which includes categories of sauces; pasta; marinades & dressings; oils & vinegar; and roasted peppers, vegetables & tomatoes. These products can be used to recreate many of the dishes served at the Rao’s restaurants and on the Rao’s website you’ll find more than 90 recipes.

You can pick some of the products up at one of the Rao’s restaurants and at Smith’s, Albertsons, Whole Foods and on several online sites such as Amazon and Jet. To view the whole line and order go to www.raos.com (with free shipping for orders over $50).

Havana Club Anejo Clasico Puerto Rican Rum

The Arechabala family founded their company and built their first distillery in Cardenas, Cuba in 1878. The family was forced to flee during the Cuban Revolution and now their rum recipe has been dusted off and revived to produce this premium, dark rum that celebrates the exuberance of Cuba’s golden age. It is a blend of finely crafted rums produced from a carefully controlled fermentation of sugar cane molasses that is distilled and aged in oak barrels in Puerto Rico for one to three years. After the aged rums are blended together, the blend is aged in oak barrels for a second period of at least three months. I found the result to be a very smooth, mellow tasting rum with a slightly sweet flavor complemented by oaky notes with hints of almond and vanilla. I enjoy drinking it neat, but the makers suggest it is an ideal rum for classic cocktails.

Havana Club Anejo Clasico Puerto Rican Rum is distributed in Southern Nevada and Southern California by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. The suggested retail price is $21.99 for a 750ml bottle. For more info and cocktail recipes, visit www.havanaclubus.com/us/en or contact your Southern Glazer’s rep.

Book Review 100 THINGS TO DO IN LAS VEGAS BEFORE YOU DIE

by Laura Carroll and Adam Kealoha Causey

By Bob Barnes Part of the 100 Things to Do Before You Die book series, both visitors and locals should enjoy reading this book with 100 topics about our favorite city. The 144-page guidebook is divided into sections titled Food and Drink, Music and Entertainment, Sports and Recreation, Culture and History, and Shopping and Fashion. As a lifelong resident of Las Vegas I especially enjoyed the items that I found nostalgic, like peeing on the Berlin Wall at Main Street Station, the world’s largest gift store (Bonanza Gifts), a listing of vinyl record stores and a synopsis of nearby ghost towns.

Readers of this magazine will likely be most interested in the Food and Drink section, which has topics including Asian Cuisine in Chinatown, Soul Food Restaurants, Local Beer, Ramen Shops, Hawaiian Themed Eateries, Dive Bars, Celebrity Chef Restaurants and Las Vegas’s Classic Restaurants.

My only caveat is that in a city that seems to reinvent itself from week to week, it’s challenging to publish a book on things to do or venues to eat or drink at, as it’s inevitable some will have closed by the time the book is released, which I found to be the case with a handful of mentions in the book.

About the Authors: Laura Carroll is a native Las Vegan and has worked in the media for nine years, most recently at Nevada’s largest news organization, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, as a tourism and retail reporter before transitioning into a career in public relations.

Adam Kealoha Causey is an award-winning journalist who transplanted to Las Vegas to work at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. There he reported on and later edited news about crime and courts, health and medicine, and government and has also written for the Florida Times-Union and the Times (Shreveport, Louisiana).

For more info and to purchase the book, visit http://store.reedypress.com/all-titles.

ISBN: 9781681060279, softcover 8.5 x 5.5, 160 pages, $16.00

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March 2017 I The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional 21

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT | There is no confusion when it comes to Major Pan-Asian Infusions!

More than just a broth, Major’s PAN-ASIAN BASE range is the perfect way to add an exotic twist to any dish. Create healthy, fun, on-trend street-worthy recipes in seconds.

It’s OH so SIMPLE and versatile: • use in casseroles, stir-fries, pasta dishes, noodles and soups • create seasonings and dressings • brush onto protein, vegetables or fish as a marinade • stir directly into sauces Making the chef’s life that little bit easier, Major Products blends the ingredients so you don’t have to. From coconut to lemongrass, cilantro, chili pepper, ginger, herbs and spices, and available in four mouthwatering flavors: Beef, Chicken, Pork and Vegetable, you can not only maximize on flavor but stay on budget and save on time. www.majorproducts.com

Bob’s Beer Bits and Sips

Beers to Enjoy as Spring Springs Forth

By Bob Barnes Reuben’s Brews Blimey That’s Bitter Triple IPA The name of this beer brings to mind the Keystone Light commercials that aired in the 1990s lambasting craft beer by depicting the bitter beer face as being the unpleasant result of drinking a beer with bitterness. Flash forward to 2017 and now bitterness in a beer is something to be proudly celebrated. And bitter this beer from the Seattle-based Reuben’s Brews brewery is, but I found after giving it a chance to warm up the bitterness smooths out. First released in 2014, at 80 IBUs, it’s loaded with flavors of pine and citrus from Amarillo, Chinook, Citra and Simcoe hops of which a total of six pounds are added per barrel, with 90% of them added in the last 10 minutes of the boil and later, providing plenty of hop flavor to go with that aforementioned bitterness. These days IPAs, the largest selling craft beer style, come in all kinds of variations: regular IPA, session IPA, black IPA, white IPA, double IPA and a style you don’t see that much of, triple IPA. This Triple IPA is loaded with 2 Row, Caramel, Munich and Wheat malt giving it its 10.5% ABV and a malt backbone to help balance the copious amounts of hops. I’m not the only who likes this beer.

It won a Gold medal at the 2016 World Beer Championships and was named the Best Imperial IPA in the Pacific Northwest in the 2014 US Beer Tasting Championships.

Full Sail Session Black Cherry Black Lager This 5.4% ABV seasonal release from the line of the Hood River, Oregon Full Sail Brewing Company featuring lower ABV session beers, is a variation of its Black Lager, but with a dash of cherry flavor. The fruit is noticeable in the aroma but subtle in the flavor and still allows the notes of roasty bittersweet chocolate to shine. The brewery suggests pairing it with lightly grilled red meats, roasted root vegetables, lighter cheeses (such as brie, mozzarella and ricotta) and chocolate desserts. Hurry up to check this one out; it’s available through March on draft and in the Session Mashup variety 12-pack.

Früli Strawberry Another session fruit-enhanced brew, this one comes from the 300-year-old Belgian Brouwerij Huyghe brewery, located in Melle (near Ghent), which has been in the De Laet family for 100 years. As is the norm with Belgian white (wheat) beers, it contains crushed coriander and crushed dried orange peels. After the first top fermentation takes place and the beer is transferred into tanks, strawberry juice is added for a second fermentation. The fruit juice brings a beautiful rose appearance and enticing strawberry aroma. As for its flavor, at only 4.1% ABV it’s easy drinking and pleasantly sweet, for the bitterness of the coriander and orange peels are just enough to offset the natural sweetness of the juice and prevent it from being cloying.

22 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I March 2017

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By Linda Westcott-Bernstein

Human Resources Insights

Linda Westcott-Bernstein has provided sound human resources advice and guidance to Fortune 500 companies and others for over 25 years. Linda has recently re-published her self-help book entitled It All Comes Down to WE! This book offers guidelines for building a solid and enduring personal work ethic. You can find her book on Amazon or Google Books.

Phone: 702-326-4040 Email: Vegaslinda89129@yahoo.com

Keep the Faith: the Humanity of HR

I am hoping that I don’t sound too jaded in this article, but there are times when my faith in the good of mankind has truly wavered.

If you are observant like I am, you may have noticed a trend these days in the impatience of those around us and deceitfulness in others, whether it is while driving on our fine roads or partaking in the services of a local business.

The following are examples of exactly what I am talking about.

A few days ago, while driving home from work, I was accosted by an aggressive and obnoxious driver. My wonderful and caring parents raised me to show courtesy on the road to others and use common courtesies, for example, such as signaling while changing lanes. These attributes reflect our consideration for others while traveling on the road. Suddenly, as I changed lanes by signaling, I saw an angry driver signaling me by rapidly flashing his headlights in my rear view mirror. He appeared to be annoyed that I made a lane change in front of him. Acting as if he owned the road, he cut into the right lane and went around me, coming very close to my rear bumper, and proceeded to cut very close in front of me and then just speed away. Mind you, I did not even attempt to change lanes without prior use of my signal and not until I had confirmed that the lane had been clear. This careless driver had just hastily jumped into the same lane as me and decided that he owned the road and that I should get out of his way.

I also had an experience with our local postal service while shipping a care package to our sponsored child in Nicaragua. This package was filled with much needed clothing, shoes and socks for the child, as well as a soccer ball for recreation. We spent about $50 on these meager items and I went to the post office to mail this small box of items internationally using first class postage and the proper customs declaration forms. The postage amounted to almost $50. On the recommendation of the clerk and with a closer inspection of the tracking status of our package online, I discovered about a month after shipping the package that it had never left Las Vegas, NV, including the postal facility where I had shipped it from.

To my amazement, the postal service will not guarantee their work and will do nothing about the fact that they either lost or someone stole our package. I could understand if the package had been lost in transit, but it never left the facility! They will not even refund our $50 postage for what amounts to an unfulfilled promise to deliver this item. What amazes me is that they couldn’t care less, nor have any intention of upholding their business purpose and promise, for which I’d paid them money— to deliver my package. No other company can function like this nor even continue to operate with a business model such as this…“So sorry, nothing we can do.” For the record, this is not the first time that I’ve experienced a failure in services of this nature with this organization.

So, how does one keep the faith? How do we find confidence in humanity when unfortunate things happen to good people? Now, my examples above are just minor compared to the truly bad situations that we can find ourselves in, but they test our faith nonetheless. My continued faith is founded in my unwavering commitment to God and my ultimate belief in the good in people. I also believe that all of our experiences, good ones and bad ones, are a test for each of us and it is how we react to these “tests” that determine the outcome and direction of our life. I think it has a lot to do with our ability to forgive, and maybe even attempt to feel compassion, for those who do not live up to our standards. This is the true challenge and the reward in life: if we can rise above and not be consumed by hatred or contempt for others.

I truly believe that the key to our future, our humanity, is to forgive. We must all create the future we desire: one filled with compassion and consideration for others. It is our ability to rise above the hatred and selfishness of the day, and focus on showing our best behaviors and our kindness, for the greater good for all of mankind.

HR Question of the month:

Please send your HR questions and concerns, or share your thoughts on your human resources challenges via email to the following address. Send input to vegaslinda89129@yahoo.com. Your comments, questions or concerns will help determine the direction for my next month’s column and earn you a copy of my book. Include your mailing address when sending your responses.

24 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I March 2017

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The Bottom Line How to Run a Successful Booth at a Food Festival

By Ben Brown Benjamin Brown, MBA is Restaurant Editor of The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional. A seasoned writer and consultant, Ben works with Fortune 500 companies and mom & pop shops alike in Marketing, Analytics, Consumer Insights, PR and Business Development. Contact Ben at Ben@lvfnb.com or follow him @Foodie_Biz.

Food festivals, wine festivals and the like are a quintessential part of the culinary world. In the same way that music festivals elevate each artist in attendance, food festivals are an excellent way for restaurants, wineries, breweries, distilleries and other purveyors to boost their brand and get their name out to their target audience.

But as is the case with essentially every marketing initiative, food festivals come at a cost. In the same way that guests pay for their entry to bottomless food and drink, restaurants and other vendors must pay to be part of this bustling scene— on top of covering all costs associated with food, labor and insurance.

photo by Juanita Aiello

If you’re going to make that kind of commitment, you’d certainly want it to be worth your while. You’d be amazed to see some vendors that invest thousands, if not tens of thousands, into food festivals but fall short on execution. So if you want to see food festival guests become paying customers at your restaurant, follow some of these best practices to maximize conversion.

Understand the food festival mentality

Keep your booth stocked

Most guests enter a food festival with an entirely different mindset than with a restaurant. Namely, they want to try as many booths as many times as they can before the event shuts down, rather than linger over a single experience. Especially in the first hour of the event, where guests are hungriest and most eager to bounce around, they engage less with each vendor and instead focus on sheer quantity that they can consume. Sound piggish? You bet, but this is simply the nature of these events, so it’s best to use it to your advantage rather than fight it.

Focus on high churn for the first hour of the event. Simply crank out food/ drinks samples as fast as you can, serve with a smile and of course field any questions that guests may have on their own. Let your product speak for itself. If guests like what they taste, they will come back for more and will be far more willing to engage in conversation and potentially visit your restaurant afterward.

Never run out of food, ever. No matter how good you were out of the gates, guests will be extremely dismayed if you close up shop before the event is set to end. Budget for more people to attend than expected, and inform your staff to continue serving for even a few minutes after the event ends, if possible. Guests take note of who is most generous in these circumstances.

Festivals are also one of the only times when small portions actually work to your advantage. Since food is bottomless, guests aren’t steered away from tiny servings. In fact, you should actually strive for smaller portions in order to 1) avoid wasted food and save on costs, and 2) encourage guests to visit you again for another round.

Serve your best food In all likelihood, most festival guests will not have previously dined with you, so you want to make the best first impression possible. Serve the best item from your menu. Yes, this may be more expensive, but in the long run this will best help you accomplish your goals of customer conversion.

Some restaurants serve more than one item at their booth. If you do this, tread carefully. It’s much better to place complete focus on one great item rather than dividing your attention among two okay items. Only pair items that go very well together. For drink purveyors, offering multiple items is not only more commonplace, but encouraged. www.socalfnbpro.com

Serve an experience, not a sales pitch

Guests generally pay top-dollar for food festivals, and don’t want to take out their wallets once they walk in. While drink purveyors can certainly post signage for selling bottles on-site, most retailers should go into a festival with the mindset that they’re there for brand exposure and not immediate sales.

To further illustrate this point, one particular chocolate vendor served samples of its truffles at a festival last month, but tried to upsell every guest by offering two whole truffles for a dollar. Not only did guests refuse the offer, they frowned upon the brand itself for trying to make a few extra bucks in this way.

Many more ‘festival hacks’ exist, but try these low-hanging fruits the next time you find yourself in this setting. You’ll find that whether on your property or in foreign territory, the same principle applies: the customer is always right.

March 2017 I The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional 25

EVENTS

AD INDEX

There are several major food & beverage events coming up in the next few months. Here is a sampling of some of the events we highly recommend so if planning to attend you can start booking now.

Deep Eddy Vodka www.deepeddyvodka.com

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Major Foods www.majorproducts.com 702-838-4698

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March 8-12 the Natural Products Expo West, held at the Anaheim Hilton & Marriott and Anaheim Convention Center, will include the newest trends in natural food & beverage products. www.expowest.com

Hornitos Tequila www.hornitostequila.com

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Patrón Tequila www.patrontequila.com

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March 12-15 Catersource Show 2017: Catersource has chosen to relocate this year to New Orleans where this largest catering-related products show will include regional and national products specifically for catering. The Conference will be held March 12-13 and the Trade Show March 14 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and March 15 from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. If you are in or planning to be in the catering business, this is a show you won’t want to miss! www.catersource.com

Jay’s Sharpening Service www.jayssharpening.com 702-645-0049

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Perrier-Jouët www.perrier-jouet.com

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Lee’s Beer & Tequila Experience leesliquorlv.com

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Power of Love Gala keepmemoryalive.org/pol UNLVino www.unlvino.com

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March 27-29 the Nightclub & Bar Show comes to the Las Vegas Convention Center for the largest beverage and bar show in the world, with unlimited tastes and treats! Don’t miss it. www.ncbshow.com March 27-30 the Pizza Expo returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center with the world’s largest pizza, ingredients, products, and service expo, including demos and contests plus samplings all day long! www.pizzaexpo.com March 30-April 1 the 43rd annual UNLVino, an event that raises money for UNLV college scholarships, will consist of three main events: Bubble-Licious, a celebration of Champagne and sparkling wine on March 30; Sake Fever, an event featuring myriad sakes, Japanese spirits and cocktails on March 31; and The Grand Tasting, highlighting a collection of premium beverages alongside cuisine from UNLV’s culinary students and celebrated Vegas restaurants on April 1. http://unlvino.com

To advertise email sales@socalfnbpro.com

American Culinary Federation Chefs of SoCal

The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional is proud to be associated with these fine organizations: ACF-American Culinary Federation Chef de Cuisine Association of California Chapter Culinarians of San Diego Chapter Chefs de Cuisine Association of San Diego Chapter 26 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I March 2017

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