The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional April 2019

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Issue 4 Volume 19

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The Billion Dollar Brand:

Rande Gerber Discusses Casamigos Tequila

April 2019

CONTENTS AND COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLISHER MIKE FRYER

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Back Cover

WELCOME BACK TO OUR APRIL 2019 SPRING ISSUE OF THE LAS VEGAS FOOD & BEVERAGE PROFESSIONAL. As the weather warms up for the summer season our taste for beer, wine and food increases and we are fortunate to be in a city that loves all three! As you will see by our journalists’ columns this month, cold craft beer, Rose’ wine and international cuisine are high on the list this season. Please note all the upcoming Food & Beverage events happening in Las Vegas and visit them if you can. You won’t regret it!

COVER FEATURE THIS MONTH IS DEDICATED TO CASAMIGOS which was created by Rande Gerber and friends for those who appreciate the authenticity of their story and the fact that it's brought to you by those who drink it. Our own journalist, Ben Brown, goes one on one with questions for Rande Gerber that we are sure you will enjoy, especially as we head into one, if not the most popular Hispanic event: “Cinco de Mayo.”

Alice makes her picks for spring wines and Rose’ telling us that, with the rough winter weather we have had all around the US, many of us are eager to welcome the spring season in, with the sunny days, beautiful flora and fauna, and of course, the warmer temperatures. With that springtime weather comes the need for the lighter, crisper wines, such as Rosé.

Spirits Confidential has Max Solano giving us a rundown on the San Francisco World Spirits Championships, after having spent several days with an incredibly esteemed and renowned panel of 47 spirits judges at the 19th Annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This year marks Max’s seventh year judging this competition. You can read more on Max’s experience in this Part 1 with Part 2 coming in our May issue.

Twinkle Toast reviews the upcoming season with “Stop and Smell the Rosé," reminding us that flowers are blooming and temperatures are rising, which most certainly means that our taste buds will soon turn to bright and crisp Rosés for refreshment. Rosé is a fabulous everyday wine that pairs well with a plethora of different dishes and cuisines and we are thrilled to see a growing number of options available in the market.

We welcome another great column by Professional Journalist Don Chareunsy, covering Chinese New Year “On the Strip,” as he points out that while Americans know that New Year’s Eve is Dec. 31 and New Year’s Day is Jan. 1 every year, not as commonly known is that Chinese New Year ranges from Jan. 21 to Feb. 20 (Chinese New Year occurred Feb. 5 this year). But did you know that Lao New Year is celebrated over three days each year from either April 13-15 or April 14-16? (It’s April 14-16 this year.)

We invite you to the upcoming World Tea Expo here in Las Vegas, which you won’t want to miss!

CHEERS! MIKE FRYER SR. EDITOR/PUBLISHER

Page 4 Hot off the Grill!

Page 14 Twinkle Toast Stop and Smell the Rosé

Page 5 Wine Talk with Alice Swift Alice’s 2019 Spring Wine Pick–Rosé Page 6 What’s Brewing Page 7 Spirits Confidential with Max Solano A Look Into San Francisco World Spirits Competition Part 1 Page 8 Brett’s Vegas View Page 10 Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Nevada Introduces Two Premium Wineries

15 www.lvfnbpro.com

Page 15 Chef Spotlight Dermott Driscoll Page 16 COVER FEATURE The Billion Dollar Brand: Rande Gerber Discusses Casamigos Tequila Page 18 The 24th Annual Educational Taste of Excellence Page 19 Chef Talk Cod Page 20 Asian Dining on the Vegas Strip

Page 11 Front & Back of the House Anyone up for a class of wine?

Page 21 USBG Las Vegas

Page 12 What’s Cooking

Page 22 Best of the Best

Page 23 The Bottom Line Should I Hire Friends and Family?

Page 24 May I Recommend...

Julian Serrano Tapas Page 25 Human Resources Insights Everyone Deserves R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Page 26 The Restaurant Expert Managers Need a Strong Foundation Page 27 UNLV Epicurean Society Page 28 Product Review Page 30 Events Ad Index

April 2019 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 3

The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 7442 Grizzly Giant Street Las Vegas, NV 89139 www.lvfnbpro.com

HOT OFF THE GRILL!

Mike Fryer

Sr. Editor/Publisher

Pictured here is Jamie Roberts, Head Brewer of the newly-opened Scenic Brewing. Turn to page 6 to read more about Jamie’s background and what he plans to accomplish in his first head brewer position.

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

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

Bob Barnes

Editorial Director bob@lvfnb.com

Juanita Fryer

Adam Rains

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

Beverage Editor adam.rains@lvfnb.com

LVF&B Pro Editorial Director Bob Barnes stopped in at Big Whiskey’s American Kitchen & Bar at Town Square and discovered the new eatery more than lives up to its name, which also has a double meaning. Pictured her is Beana Reveles, a server who enjoys her place of employment so much she often comes in to enjoy the food and drink on her days off! Read all about Beana and Big Whiskey’s on page 12.

Juanita Aiello Creative Director juanita@lvfnb.com

Advertising sales@lvfnb.com

Article Submissions/Suggestions articles@lvfnb.com

Calendar Submissions calendar@lvfnb.com

Website webmaster@lvfnb.com

Press Relase Submissions news@lvfnb.com

General Information info@lvfnb.com

@lvfnb

The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Journalist Wine Talk Alice Swift

Journalist The Bottom Line Ben Brown

Accounting Manager Michelle San Juan

Journalist Brett’s Vegas View Jackie Brett

Journalist Best of the Best Shelley Stepanek

Journalist UNLV Epicurean Society Savannah Reeves

Journalist May I Recommend...

Blake Myers

Journalist The Restaurant Expert David Scott Peters

Journalist Good for Spooning LeAnne Notabartolo

Journalist Front & Back of the House Gael Hees

Photographer Audrey Dempsey

Journalist Chef Talk Allen Asch

Journalist Don Chareunsy

Journalist Sk Delph

Journalist Spirits Confidential Max Solano

Photographer Bill Bokelmann

Journalist Pat Evans

Photographer Joe Urcioli

Journalists Twinkle Toast Erin Cooper & Christine Vanover

Journalist The Catering Coach Sandy Korem

Journalist HR Insights Linda Bernstein

4 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

www.lvfnbpro.com

Wine Talk

with Alice Swift

By Alice Swift Alice Swift has been writing Wine Talk since 2011, and has a passion for education and hospitality/ F&B. In 2016, she obtained her Ph.D. in Hospitality Administration from UNLV and moved from the “ninth island” to the island of Oʻahu. She now works for Kamehameha Schools as an instructional designer/project manager, and teaches part-time for UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality.

See more at www.aliceswift.com.

Alice’s 2019 Spring Wine Pick–Rosé

With the rough winter weather we have had all around the United States, many of us are eager to welcome the spring season in, with the sunny days, beautiful flora and fauna, and of course, the warmer temperatures. With that springtime weather comes the need for the lighter, crisper wines, and this season, I would like to revisit Rosé wines. Why does sparkling wine only have to be consumed for celebrations, and Rosé wines for summer only? I believe any wine can be enjoyed any time regardless of the occasion, the season, etc. If you like, try it!

Surprisingly, Rosés have gone through a mini surge in recent years. Controversial branding of Rosés in the 1970s has led to some misguided stereotypes of the wine. Some people might think that Rosé is one style of wine; however, interestingly enough, there are a multitude of styles, just like most all other wine varietals.

This month, I will briefly share on the different methods to make Rosé, and a brief history of the wine that history brought a specific style of Rosé to fame with the term White Zinfandel.

The Winemaking Styles of Rosé

First things first–Rosé is NOT a grape varietal. It is a wine-making style with different processes to make it. This winemaking style has existed in Old World wine regions (e.g. France) for a very long time, but has only been commercially introduced to the U.S. wine market since the 1970s. The color resembles a “rosé,” or pink color that ranges from a very pale orange tint to a deep pink, almost purple color. Similar to other wines, Rosé styles vary, from still to sparkling, and range from bone-dry to sweet.

There are three major ways to make Rosé wines: 1. Skin Contact (also known as Maceration) This method sounds exactly the way it sounds. Red wine grapes (black-skinned) are crushed and the skins are left soaking in www.lvfnbpro.com

the juice for a short period of time prior to pressing (~2 hours up to 1-2 days). The skins are then removed before the fermentation process, unlike the red wine making process where skins are retained during fermentation.

2. Saignée In order to produce a more complex wine with increased intensity and tannins, the Saignée method (translated from the French term for “bleeding”) is used to “bleed off” a portion of the “pink” grape juice from an early stage of the red wine making (where the skins and seeds are fermented with the grape juice) before the color becomes too intense. The pink grape juice is then fermented separately, and typically results in a darker, stronger Rosé wine. This is a controversial method, however, as some believe that maceration is the best method to produce Rosé wines.

3. Blending The blending method of Rosé wines is exactly as it sounds, the blending of wines–typically a small portion of red wine into white wine.

This practice is illegal in some regions of Europe, but this method is still used in some regions, such as Rosé Champagne in France.

The United States has less regulations around blending practices and may use this method to make Rosés still or sparkling wines.

Is White Zinfandel Rosé?

Have you heard of the term White Zinfandel before? Ironically, this wine is not “white” either, and is likely one of the first surges of Rosé wine in the 1970s, though this purely happened by accident. Bob Trinchero, of Sutter Home Family Vineyards, who was experimenting with their Zinfandel grapes, was forced to relabel the wine with an English phrase rather than French, and the name White Zinfandel was born. After an accidental stuck fermentation of white

Zinfandel wine that was set aside, meaning the sugar in the wine was not entirely fermented out, Trinchero decided to bottle the wine anyway with ~2% residual sugar. This apparently made all the difference, and the US consumers began to favor this “White Zinfandel” Rosé that was a “blush pink” color and slightly sweet.

Other similar terms were coined by other wine producers, such as White Merlot, or Blush wine, but White Zinfandel was the name that stuck, selling out year over year after 1975.

This popularity was great for many American consumers, and continues to be one of the largest categories of blush wine consumption today in the United States. However, this specific style made by Sutter Home also did result in the misconception for many years that all Rosé wines were a sweet, easy drinking and “economical” wine, which was not the case.

Luckily, in recent years, with the increase of millennials developing a more exploratory, sophisticated palate for wines and other alcoholic beverages, a wider variety of Rosés are making a comeback! Consumers are growing their appreciation for the other styles of Rosé from all over the world, such as France, Italy, Oregon, etc. Consumers are more aware of other styles such as dry Rosés, and the Rosé wine category as a whole continues to maintain its consumption demand.

While Rosé is a great, refreshing wine that can help keep you cool during the summer, it truly is a wine that can be consumed year-round. White fish, rosemary chicken, and strawberry salad with a vinaigrette dressing are all pairing ideas that come to mind when I think of Rosé wines.

This month, stop in to your local wine shop or supermarket and pick up a bottle of Rosé wine!

Until next month, Cheers~!

Alice

April 2019 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 5

By Bob Barnes

what’s

Bob Barnes is a native Las Vegan, editorial director of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional, regional correspondent for Celebrator Beer News and covers the LV restaurant scene for Gayot.com.

BREWING

photo by Joe Urcioli

photo by Suzy Hendrix/Unlokt and compliments of SkinnyFATS

He welcomes your inquiries.

Email: bob@lvfnb.com

Lagasse’s Stadium Beer Dinner Featuring Joseph James

Our friend Chef Scott Pajak is set to wow us with another of his beer dinners at Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo on May 6. This time he’s pairing five Joseph James beers—Weize Guy, American Flyer, Citra Rye, Hop Raider and Hop Box—with arugula and blueberry salad, Asian marinated shrimp with sweet soy glaze, BBQ ribs with homemade creole mustard potato salad, blue cheese crusted filet on roasted cauliflower puree and double chocolate Grand Marnier-infused cake. The dinner will begin at 6 p.m. and the cost is $65. To RSVP call the restaurant at 702-607-2665.

SkinnyFATS Offering Unique Brews

SkinnyFATS locations are popping up all over town, and currently number six, spanning across the Vegas Valley. What initially peaked my interest was the beer selection, which while not expansive (about a dozen taps and an equal number of cans/bottles at each location), are not the same old choices you see everywhere. During my recent visit to the location in The District (in the former Lyfe Kitchen spot) some of the interesting brews available were Able Baker Atomic Duck IPA (locallybrewed), Saugatuck Brewing Neapolitan Milk Stout and Almanac Beer Company Farmer’s Reserve No. 5 Fruited Sour. Each location has its own beer list, which rotate frequently, and I’m told customers can request beers to be brought in and management will try to accommodate.

To enjoy more brews, your best plan of action is to partake in the beer flights, which allows you to choose any four beers for $20. Another cool aspect is you can view the current beer selection at each location by accessing the untappd app (just search Skinnyfats beer board).

The name is a clue to the type of menu the fast-casual restaurants offer, with half the menu devoted to healthy choices 600 calories or less and the other half to happy. I tried a mix of both, enjoying the Tu-Nuts with ahi poke, avocado and spicy aioli in a cucumber boat (healthy), Filet of Fire sandwich with filet mignon, fried jalapeno and avo pico (happy) and Balls 2.0—fried spinach and corn risotto balls with pesto aioli (happy).

I give high marks to the food and unique beer selection and the cheerful décor brightened with lime green hues, repurposed wood walls and real hanging plants. As for the concept, it appears to be a good idea to offer a menu for those wanting healthy choices and also not leaving out those wanting to splurge a bit. skinnyfats.com 6 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

Scenic Brewing Company Now Open

For the past two issues I’ve been providing updates on the opening of Scenic Brewing and now I can report that the new brewery celebrated its opening on March 15. The 15-barrel brewhouse at Durango and Desert Inn is using the same equipment as the former Old School Brewing, but has converted from a three-vessel system to a two-vessel. Doing so made space to fit in more fermenters, doubling the previous tally of three to six, allowing for more of its brews to be tapped.

Weeks before the opening I met with Head Brewer Jamie Roberts, who after earning a degree in Food Science & Technology (specializing in fermentation) at Oregon State University moved to Las Vegas and worked his way up from volunteer to assistant brewer at Joseph James Brewing.

Jamie has left Joseph James on very good terms, and in fact, Joseph James Director of Brewing Matt Marino referred him and consulted on the initial brews, which were actually brewed at Joseph James while finishing touches on Scenic’s brewing system were being completed.

Jamie says the 20 taps will be 100% devoted to local beer, and eventually will pour 10-12 of his own. The opening lineup includes Yeast Bud IPA (a collaboration with Joseph James), Blonde Ale, Imperial Coffee Stout, Cocoa Nut Brown and Lemon Ginger Hefe. Jamie’s future plans include brewing an assortment of lagers, including a Mexican lager, and also a Hazy IPA. An interesting tidbit is that Jamie is likely the tallest brewer in Southern Nevada, and his 6’7” height necessitated cutting down the brewing platform by a few inches, as he kept bumping his head.

As for the restaurant, the non-smoking, family-friendly eatery has a sports focus, with TVs throughout, but is also decorated with scenic pictures of locales from around the world. The “scenery” in both the décor and name is likely a tease to make you think about traveling, as Scenic owner Leo Falkensammer’s family founded Prestige Travel. He also has some of the local Marie Callender’s restaurants, but if you think the menu will be a repeat of Marie’s, it’s not, but is a mix of flatbreads, brats, burgers and entrees such as fish & chips and baby back ribs. scenicbrewery.com As always, great beer happens in Vegas! www.lvfnbpro.com

SPIRITS CONFIDENTIAL with Max Solano A Look Into San Francisco World Spirits Competition Part 1

As I am on a flight back to Las Vegas from San Francisco, I am collecting all my thoughts and emotions while they sit fresh on my mind.

I have just spent the last several days with an incredibly esteemed and renowned panel of 47 spirits judges at the 19th Annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This year marks my seventh year judging this competition, and based on the talent pool and well-established careers of so many of these busy judges, it truly is like herding cats when it comes time to round us all up at the Hotel Nikko for the four days of the competition.

This year’s competition boasted 2,700 + spirits entries from all categories across the globe, which will break last year’s record number of entries. It’s truly a testament to how popular and reputable this competition has become. Once all the entries have been received, the full-time competition crack staff properly stores, catalogs and splits up the spirits into their categories and sub-categories ahead of time.

As the judges congregate for breakfast on the very first morning of the competition, we get an opportunity to say hello and catch up with a lot of our colleagues that we have not seen since the previous year’s competition. Then, the Chairman of the Competition and Editor In Chief of The Tasting Panel Magazine, Anthony Dias Blue, welcomes us with his usual words of wisdom and briefs us on any changes and updates, after which the first-year judges are introduced and welcomed. Might I add, that there’s very little turnover in judge’s seats, so there is a quite lengthy waiting list of extremely highly-qualified spirits professionals that have been patiently waiting for the tap on the shoulder.

After Andy (Anthony) graces us with his speech, the Director of Spirits judges, Tony Abou-Ganim, aka “The Modern Mixologist,” provides us with a little welcome speech of his own, and we are off! The 47 spirits judges are divided this year into 15 panels consisting of 3-4 judges. Typically, the aim is to always have at least 1-2 judges on each panel who specialize in specific areas of distilled beverages to evaluate those same categories.

This competition is a beast! So much so, that the organizing committee must recruit a small army of volunteers to help with the many tasks including pouring all the spirits, serving them, clearing the glassware, resetting tables and the many other necessary duties. These volunteers are not being paid, yet we see so many of the same volunteers every single year that we’ve gotten to know them and become fond of them.

Our mini panel “E” of judges this year was www.lvfnbpro.com

By Max Solano Max Solano is a principal mixologist at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Nevada and is considered one of the most respected and premier authorities in the West Coast on all matters whisky.

He also serves as a Spirits Judge at the coveted New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, International Whisky Competition and world-renowned San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

headed by well-known American whiskey author and Bourbon celebrity (also, one of my closest friends) Fred Minnick, along with Whistle Pig ambassador for California and spirits expert, Tony Devencenzi. Also joining us on our panel was David Mahoney, Wine & Spirits writer for multiple magazines including Tasting Panel Magazine and Esquire. And, of course, yours truly!

There is a lead volunteer for each table with 2-3 assistant volunteers. Now that we are seated at our table, we are greeted by veteran lead volunteer, Doug, who is our dude! Doug’s primary responsibility is to manage our panel’s designated flights and keep tally of each of our overall score for each spirit we blindly taste and evaluate. The four of us receive our list of flight categories and quantities (see photo) to be tasted over the next two days before the third day, which is sweepstakes. Each of us on our panel are all tasting the same flights, one at a time, at the same time. Once each of us are all done with scoring our flight’s spirits, we summon Doug and he notes each of our individual scores one spirit at a time by giving it a medal designation that would be the average of our four scores for each spirit. It’s a little more complexed than my description, but it’s a good system and we do a thorough job in making sure each spirit gets its due diligence. We are always provided the spirits categories we taste, the ABV % of each spirit and any special notes that we may need.

Lastly, any spirit the four of us unanimously deem to deserve a Gold Medal gets a “Double Gold” designation (highest distinction) and gets a chance to be sent to sweepstakes on Sunday and compete for “Best Of….” I have outlined the information, below.

Platinum Awarded to the very few entries that receive a Double Gold medal for three consecutive years.

Double Gold Awarded to the entries that receive a Gold medal rating by all members of the judging panel these are among the finest products in the world.

Gold Exceptional spirits that are near the pinnacle of achievement; these products set the standard for their categories.

Silver Outstanding spirits that show refinement, finesse and complexity; these winners are among the best examples of their categories.

Bronze Well-crafted spirits that are commercially sound, modestly attractive and free from significant flaws; these winners are excellent examples of their categories.

• Best of Class: The best example of each spirit type.

• Best in Show (the Competition’s highest honors): Chosen from the Best of Class winners, these awards highlight the best spirit in each of these five categories: Unaged White Spirit, Aged White Spirit, Whisky/ Whiskey, Brandy and Liqueur.

• The Tasting Panel Magazine Distillery of the Year: Recognizes the single distiller earning the most points, measured by the number and level of awards won.

• Importer of the Year: Recognizes the single importer earning the most points, measured by the number and level of awards won.

• Director’s Award of Excellence: Honors an outstanding portfolio of quality and diverse spirit.

In next month’s issue, I’ll uncover the sweepstakes session and some of the big winners from this year’s competition, my notes and overall thoughts. Stay tuned... ~ Cheers!

April 2019 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 7

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.

Email: jackiebrett@cox.net

ENTERTAINMENT

The Downtown Las Vegas Events Center will partner with Insomniac Events during Spiegelworld’s third Strip production will be Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) week and hold the adults-only, circus-variety “Atomic Saloon a techno show featuring Adam Beyer and Cirez Show” with character Boozy Skunkton opening D Thursday, May 16. EDC will be held at Las Sept. 8 at the Kraken Music Hall in the Grand Vegas Motor Speedway May 17-19.

Canal Shoppes at The Venetian.

Filipina powerhouse vocalists Pops Fernandez and Vina Morales will perform Saturday, May 25 at the M Resort. Fernandez recently became part of the 50 “Wall of the World” global entertainment experts on CBS’s new talent show, The World’s Best.

The Tony Award-winning hit Broadway comedy, “The Play That Goes Wrong,” will make its Las Vegas debut at The Smith Center April 18-24.

DINING

Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox (PMJ) is a new world-toured show starting mid-April at The Mirage running Tuesdays–Saturdays weekly in the 1 OAK Nightclub. Bradlee calls PMJ “pop music in a time machine.”

Jennifer Lopez’s first tour in more than six years, “It’s My Party: The Live Celebration,” will honor her 50th birthday and have a Las Vegas stop Saturday, June 8 at T-Mobile Arena.

International show “Fuerza Bruta” opened in the tent in the Excalibur parking lot for a sixmonth limited engagement. Audiences stand while experiencing an immersive interactive large-scale theatrical production happening overhead and around them.

KAOS opening at the Palms with a dayclub and nightclub has lined up exclusive powerhouse residencies with recording artists including J. Balvin, Ozuna, Above & Beyond, Cardi B, G-EAZY, Jauz, Kaskade, Marshmello, Skrillex, Slushii and Southside.

Magician Shin Lim, current champion of America’s Got Talent and of the Champions challenge has residency dates at The Mirage May 31–June 2, July 26–28 and Aug. 30-Sept. 2.

Ventriloquist Terry Fator celebrated his 10th anniversary as a headliner at The Mirage last month with his new show “An Evening with the Stars.” His newest puppet is Dean Martin.

Space-ship-themed “OPIUM” at The Cosmopolitan celebrated its first anniversary with an off-planet Martian party held in the adjacent Rose.Rabbit.Lie. supper club.

George Clinton will visit Brooklyn Bowl with his “One Nation Under a Grove” tour Sunday, Aug. 18. This will be the last stop on his final tour before he retires after 50+ years.

Actor–comedian Kevin James returns to The Mirage Saturday, April 27 at 10 p.m. as part of the Aces of Comedy Series held in the Terry Fator Theatre.

Maxie’s, with contemporary modern diner décor, opened last month at The LINQ Promenade next to the High Roller observation wheel serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and Grab-andGo menu 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Phoenix-based Macayo’s Mexican Restaurants, after nearly 60 years, closed its Sahara location and will do the same with the Charleston Blvd. location in the future.

Triple 7 Restaurant and Microbrewery inside Main Street Station Casino Brewery and Hotel offers unique beers monthly and started a new “Brewtifully Crafted Collection” rewards program.

Executive Chef Partner Gina Marinelli opened her first dinner restaurant, La Strega, in Summerlin. Marinelli’s Italian culinary journey started in her family’s kitchen.

Celebrated chefs Antonio Nunez and Scott Commings have introduced a boozy-brunch concept Thursday-Sunday at their restaurant The Stove in Henderson.

NoMad Restaurant inside the NoMad hotel epitomizes “grandeur” with a majestic library setting-dining room featuring 23-foot ceilings and walls completely covered with bookshelves packed with 25,000 books.

Hugo’s Cellar at the Four Queens and Joe Vicari’s Andiamo Italian Steakhouse at The D Las Vegas made OpenTable’s 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America for 2019.

8 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

ABOUT TOWN

Paris Las Vegas, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, unveiled a $1.7 million nightly free light show at the Eiffel Tower occurring every 30 minutes from sunset to midnight with synchronized and choreographed twinkling and colored lights.

Trago Lounge is the new 24-hour contemporary bar and lounge at the Tropicana accommodating up to 120 guests with 10 televisions, 22 video poker machines and DJ music nightly 8 p.m. to midnight.

BLVD & MAIN Taphouse and View Lounge opened at The Strat on the casino floor. Both places honor the nearby Downtown Las Vegas Arts District with pieces commissioned by local artists.

AREA15 unveiled the next phase of its experiential 200,000-square-foot retail and entertainment complex, which is the 43-foot-tall “A” on the front entrance.

The Hard Rock Café guitar sign, located in front of the Hard Rock Café for 27 years, is newly restored, re-electrified and now displayed at the Neon Museum.

Allied Esports’ PlayTime with KittyPlays started the original monthly event series hosted by popular gamer, Kristen “KittyPlays” Michaela at HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas. Each show will include celebrity guests, competitive game play, fan participation and be streamed in front of a live studio audience.

A portion of Clark Avenue connecting Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and The Smith Center is being renamed Robin Leach Lane to honor the veteran journalist.

Believer Festival 2019 will investigate dire concerns of modern life in five locations including over a three-day event April 25-27.

Affluent international womenswear brand Joseph Ribkoff has partnered with Marshall Retail Group and opened its first stand-alone boutique at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. www.lvfnbpro.com

•Wholesale distributor of exceptional quality dried spices and specialty foods to the finest hotels and restaurants •Owned and operated by a former chef with over 20 years of experience •Custom packed Herbs and Spices •Custom Spice Blends •Private labeling •Now Certified Kosher

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Nevada Introduces Two Premium Wineries Masut: A Return to the Earth

By Blake Myers Barney Fetzer and his wife, Kathleen, journeyed to Mendocino County, California in the 1950s so he could work in the booming logging industry. No one could have predicted the decades-later outcome of that trip west.

Because of his Italian heritage, Barney had an inborn love of the land and of wine. In 1968 he finally decided to follow his dream of producing wine, as many generations before him had done back in the “old country.” So he established Fetzer Vineyards, and over the ensuing twenty plus years until his death in 1981, worked unrelentingly to build his brand.

Eventually he was joined in the winery’s operation by Robert, one of his 11 children.

But by 1991 the winery’s production had become so large that Robert increasingly yearned to return to the roots of the small, family-owned vineyard his father had started. As a result, he sold the Fetzer Vineyards name to Brown Forman. Then, in 1994 he bought a 1,200-acre property close by, and named it Masut, a Native American word meaning “dark, rich earth.”

His goal was to grow the finest Pinot Noir possible, and in 1997 began planting the first vines. Tragically,

an accident took his life in 2006 at age 50.

His family decided to honor his legacy by continuing his vision, and in 2009 founded Masut Vineyard & Winery. Under the leadership of two of Robert’s sons, Ben and Jake, in 2009 they released the first vintage from the vines Barney had planted in 1997.

The 2015 Masut’s Pinot Noir is the first vintage they’ve released to Nevada.

To proudly introduce this product of the original 20 year-old vines, Jake traveled recently from California to speak at a wine seminar held at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits of Nevada. The winery grows multiple Dijon clones on the property; the 2015 vintage we tasted was a blend of several of them. The total bottling consisted only of 1,500 cases.

The wine has a citrus nose, followed by flavors of black cherry, berry and currant. It has medium acidity and low tannins, and produces a pleasantly soft finish.

With its characteristic lighter note, this Pinot merits your consideration.

The Fine Wines of Rioja Show Well at The Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits Academy

photos by Elaine & Scott Harris

By Elaine & Scott Harris

Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits Academy in Nevada is certainly one of a kind. This stateof-the-art facility and its renowned staff of Sommeliers, Mixologists and Cicerones hold classes for Industry professionals and invited guests who want to obtain higher levels of certification and knowledge, and it was here that we recently enjoyed a tasting of the fine wines of Rioja.

Every wine region has their iconic wineries and Marques de Riscal is one of them. Brand

Ambassador Jose Luis Muguiro brought these fine wines from Rioja to the SGWS Academy.

It is one of the oldest Rioja wineries founded in Elciego (Álava) in 1858 by Guillermo Hurtado de Amézaga and one of the first to make and age red wines using Bordeaux techniques.

Barón de Chirel wine first appeared in 1986, the result of experimental production using a selection of grapes from very old vines, between 80 and 110 years old. The wine is aged for 20 months in Bordeaux barrels made of French oak.

10 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

It presents with dark cherry color in the glass, on the nose, toasted spicy aromas, ripe, darkberried fruit jump out. The palate is creamy and elegant with light tannins on the finish.

Marqués de Riscal Reserva is made from Tempranillo vines first planted before the 1970s.

The Reserva spends two years in American Oak barrels, which gives the wine its characteristic, classic Rioja style that produces a fresh, fine, elegant wine suitable for ageing. The color is bright red cherry in the glass then moves to a nose with elements of ripe red fruit and toast.

The finish is long, featuring soft tannins and a hint of oak.

The Grand Reserva uses grapes from 80-yearold estate vineyards. It is put into American oak casks where it ages for two and a half to three years, then a minimum of three years bottle ageing before release. Deep purple in the glass followed by a nose featuring hints of black fruit and spice that prepare for a finish with long soft tannins.

It’s not all just about the wines with Marques de Riscal. They also have a 43-room hotel that is part of Starwood Hotel’s Luxury collection. The luxury boutique hotel features a fine dining restaurant headed up by Michelin Chef Francis Paniego who shows off the traditional gastronomic delights of the region.

A combination of visiting these iconic wines within the chic academy confines provided all who attended an increased knowledge and resect of fine wines from Rioja. www.lvfnbpro.com

Anyone up for a class of wine?

Interestingly enough, Gina Marano wasn’t always a drinker of wines, and even four years ago, was certainly not a wine aficionado. It was a circuitous, curious journey that took her from a person who had had a glass of wine or two to a certified instructor with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and the owner of the only wine school in the valley, The Wine Academy of Las Vegas.

You could probably say that this started out as a cerebral decision, rather than one of passion or delight in the senses. In 2015, Gina and three other students in the Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, participated in—and won—the spa development competition at the Global Wellness Summit in Mexico City. Nine months prior to the final presentation of their proposal, these students started imagining the components of a new concept spa to be set in Mendoza, Argentina. And what is Mendoza known for? Wine!

The project’s focus quickly morphed into an integrated resort with the area’s wines to be the basis for the spa’s treatments and products.

The team designed a logo, developed menus for the resort’s many eateries (with wine pairings), created wine-based spa treatments and researched the health and beauty benefits of wines. Much of the research into the region, its wines and the related health benefits was conducted by Gina. She also studied the financial aspects of a resort of this magnitude and made multi-year projections for income and expenses.

The final presentation highlighted Ch’ulel Mendoza: A Vinotherapy-Inspired Resort Spa. As Gina’s interest in wines was growing, she started taking advantage of opportunities for learning about wine: pairings, tastings and mini-workshops held at the college; a trip to Trinchero Winery for a three-day intensive education in growing grapes, making wine and marketing the finished product; and as a Ph.D. student, the opportunity to teach an online wine class in the college’s Master’s of Hospitality Administration program.

“I took my WSET Levels 2 and 3 courses while I was getting my master’s,” said Gina. “I flew back and forth to Chicago for Level 2 but took Level 3 online. I had a good experience with it, but it was difficult. This is where the idea for the Wine Academy got its start,” she said.

Gina is currently 60% of the way through the 18-month Level 4 course. She flies back and forth to California for tests and classroom time, all while working on her dissertation for her Ph.D. WSET’s program of study includes Level 1, Award in Wines; Level 2, Award in Wines and Spirits; Level 3, Award in Wines; and Level 4, Diploma in Wines and Spirits. Someone www.lvfnbpro.com

By Gael Hees Gael Hees is a Las Vegas freelancer, specializing in written, graphic and audiovisual communications. She has written for national publications and has won numerous awards for tourism-related printed materials and videos, is accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America and is a certified hospitality educator. gael.hees@icloud.com

photo courtesy Gina Marano

Front & Back of the House

wishing to take an even higher level of study can become a Master of Wines through the Institute of Masters of Wines, but only after receiving the WSET Diploma in Wines and Spirits designation or the equivalent.

The inaugural class for the Wine Academy was held in March with 9 students taking WSET Level 1. This six- to seven-hour course provides a foundation in wine tasting and pairing and is great for anyone just wanting to explore wines in more depth. The course is also attended by longtime food and beverage professionals.

“The mix of people in the class with different levels of experience made for great questions and discussions,” said Gina.

Level 1 and 2 classes are scheduled through December of this year. Level 3 courses are in progress, hopefully starting in the late summer; and future plans are being made for Level 4.

In addition to in-person courses, The Wine

Academy offers online courses. “Because I have both taught and taken online wine courses, I feel confident offering this,” Gina said.

“There is a specific platform for accessing the information and there will be recorded lectures, assignments, required wine purchase lists for tasting, and a forum for group discussions,” Gina concluded. Students can take these classes anywhere in the world but are required to be in Las Vegas for the exam.

According to Gina, “The more you learn about wine, the more you are able to enjoy the wine you are drinking. You know the history of the wine, the producer, the style. It’s more enjoyable because you know the behind the scenes story – more than is on the label or the little placard at the store. It helps you get in touch with that wine on a much more personal level.”

To find out more about the Wine Academy of Las Vegas visit wineacademylv.com or reach Gina Marano at info@wineacademylv.com.

April 2019 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 11

By Bob Barnes

What’s Cooking

Bob Barnes is a native Las Vegan, editorial director of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional, regional correspondent for Celebrator Beer News and covers the LV restaurant scene for Gayot.com.

He welcomes your inquiries.

Email: bob@lvfnb.com

Big Whiskey’s American Kitchen & Bar at Town Square Offering Something for Everyone “I’m only going to have one, so make it a big one.” So the legend goes, of how this establishment was named for a likeable character who earned the nickname “Big Whiskey,” but in actuality, with a list of more than 160 different whiskey, bourbon, rye, blended scotches and single malts, it certainly lives up to its moniker. The company originally opened in Springfield, Missouri in 2006, and this location at Town Square is its 10th opening, first foray into Nevada, and also first on the West Coast. Opening in early March, Big Whiskey’s is part sports bar, part whiskey bar, and part family-friendly restaurant, so it pretty much has something to please all in your entourage.

Situated in the former Pot Liquor space across from Yard House, the bar features an impressive display of the aforementioned voluminous whiskey selection, as well as whiskey barrels positioned near the entrance and even high up on the wall near the ceiling. Further inside you’ll find wood tables and chairs, rustic red brick pillars, a chandelier made out of mason jars, a diagram of the distilling process and the musings of Big Whiskey gracing the walls such as “The last time I turned down whiskey, I didn’t understand the question.”

Server Beana Reveles and Bob Barnes

The huge whiskey list is a bit daunting, but a nice touch is having suggested flights, like the one I enjoyed called Dash of Wine, featuring three whiskeys finished in wine casks.

The food menu is almost as voluminous as the spirits list and features a host of American classics and bar fare favorites, with something to fit nearly anyone’s mood. Appetizer standouts are cheese bites containing white cheddar, buffalo chicken wontons sprinkled with bleu cheese crumbles and southwest egg rolls stuffed with chicken. Two main courses I highly enjoyed were the chicken wings, which are available boneless if you prefer, and come in 14 flavors (we had the Thai chili); and baby back ribs—slow cooked pork ribs chargrilled and basted with honey whiskey BBQ sauce that were as good as any I’ve experienced. The rest of the menu is a collection of salads, steaks, seafood, pastas, tacos & quesadillas, burgers, wraps and sandwiches; and there’s even a kids menu with kid favorites like spaghetti, chicken fingers, mac & cheese and grilled cheese (refer back to my comment about having something for everyone). Finales worth saving room for are the not your Grandma’s pecan pie with salted caramel and caramel sauce and banana whiskey foster made with brown butter caramelized bananas and flavored with a caramel sauce made with the locally-produced Ambros Banana Whiskey.

It’s always nice to see a chain restaurant support local. In addition to the hometown Ambros Banana Whiskey, there are 18 beer taps, almost half of which pour brews from local breweries including Bad Beat, Big Dog’s, Joseph James, Lovelady and Tenaya Creek. The cocktail list also has some local flair, with some Vegas-only drinks with Vegas-themed names, such as the Fleury Float, Vegas Born, Nevada Peach, Golden Knightarita and Running Rebel Devil.

The patrons aren’t the only ones having fun here. Our server Beana Reveles attended college in Springfield, MO and enjoyed partying at the original location and knew she wanted to work here as soon as she learned Big Whiskey’s was not only coming to town, but would be situated only 10 minutes from her house. Beana says, “The (franchise) owner Tony is such a genuine and nice, hard-working man with a beautiful family. He truly cares and you can see that when he's in the restaurant. It's refreshing to work for someone like this! Not to mention the food is delicious and the staff is awesome too! My husband makes fun of me because even on my days off, I want to go there for the food and drinks and environment!” Beana is truly delightful and you’ll be lucky if you get to see her when you show up.

photos by Dick Palcic

Good value is easy to find here, with kids menu choices all $6.99, apps mostly around $10, wings from $9.99 and everything else mostly in the $12-$16 range. Even deeper discounts are available during happy hour, which is all day on Sunday, Monday-Friday from 3-6:30 p.m. and nightly from 10 p.m.-close, with half off 14 apps and $3 off select drafts, wine, mixed drinks and signature cocktails.

Hours are Sun.-Thur. 11 a.m.-midnight and Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-1 a.m. https://bigwhiskeys.com/location/las-vegas-blvd 12 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

www.lvfnbpro.com

Edge Steakhouse at Westgate Displays the Excellence of Chef Steve Young and Its Dry Aging Steaks Edge Steakhouse Executive Chef Steve Young never ceases to impress us with his talent and accomplishments, which include Best New Chef/Rising Star at the 2017 Silver State Awards and being named to the Vegas Inc. 40 Under 40 list sponsored by the Greenspun Media Group; and since his arrival, the restaurant has been placed on the Gayot Best Las Vegas Steakhouse list and was recently ranked as the No. 1 steakhouse in Las Vegas on TripAdvisor.

New to the Edge team is Carlo Cannuscio, who does double duty as both the GM and Sommelier. Carlo adds a delightful presence and is well-prepared to pair your meal with some of the excellent wines from the double Wine Spectator Award-winning wine list, as he did during our tasting.

photo courtesy Edge Steakhouse

The charming chef is always a joy to visit, but I must confess I mainly go for his culinary offerings. During our recent tasting Chef treated us to roasted bone marrow with short rib and onion jam, Spanish octopus cooked sous vide with Kalamata olive, baby beet salad with whipped ricotta and pistachios, cauliflower soup that exuded richness and luscious flavor, pork belly with goat cheese and ricotta fritter, Baja striped bass with little neck clams and lemongrass (a potential new dish) and 40-day dry-aged bonein NY strip and Prime rib-eye. The Prime meats are aged in-house, and on display for all to see, visible through a window located just outside of the restaurant’s entrance with each cut labeled with the date its aging process began.

Executive Chef Steve Young

Dining and Fine Art at Pasta Shop

It’s truly a family operation, with Ann and daughter Bianca overseeing the day-to-day operations, with support from sons Clayton and Trent. Highlights of the menu include alfredo pappardelle with cheese and butter sauce; chicken Davida— sautéed chicken breast topped with fried eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and polenta; chicken Marsala—mushrooms, onions and chicken served over linguine in a thin Marsala wine sauce with a touch of cream; and roasted Brussels sprouts in a sesame balsamic glaze with roasted cashews. Price points are well worth your investment, as entrees include salad and garlic cheese bread and hover between $10-$20.

Open for lunch Tue-Fri and dinner nightly. pastashop.com www.lvfnbpro.com

Co-owner and artist Ann Alenik

photos courtesy Pasta Shop Ristorante

Where else in a community with a newly burgeoning art culture can you dine while viewing eclectic art, all of which is available for sale. The eatery I am describing is none other than Pasta Shop Ristorante & Art Gallery, located in Henderson at 2525 W. Horizon Ridge. Open since 1989 (from 1989-2009 at Tropicana & Eastern and 8 years at its current location), it’s stood the test of time as it recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. You will likely be entranced with the artwork throughout the room, which are the custom creations of Ann Alenik, but equally delightful is the culinary contribution of her late husband, David Alenik. A 1978 graduate of the prestigious Johnson & Wales culinary school, David was Frank Sinatra and Steve Wynn’s personal chef back in the day and worked at the Golden Nugget’s gourmet rooms Stefano’s and Elaine’s before going out on his own to open his own restaurant. After his passing in 2017 the family has honored the recipes he perfected and legacy of warm hospitality.

April 2019 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 13

Twinkle Toast Stop and Smell the Rosé

By Erin Cooper & Christine Vanover 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

Italian winemaking.” Tormaresca means “towers by the sea” and refers to the many seaside watch towers along the Adriatic Sea. What is your favorite food pairing with it?

Negroamaro is known for its signature minerality and this wine offers flavors of strawberry and raspberry with balanced acidity. My favorite pairing is with a spicy seafood pasta dish or as an aperitif.

photo by Erincooperphotography.com

2017 Bieler Pere & Fils Sabine Rosé Jay Martino: Trinchero Family Estates Portfolio Specialist

Flowers are blooming and temperatures are their art. We know we’re working in an rising which most certainly means that our taste unusual medium. That’s part of the fun. Cans buds will soon turn to bright and crisp rosés for are changing the way we experience wine. refreshment. Rosé is a fabulous everyday wine They’re pushing us outdoors to savor every that pairs well with a plethora of different dishes refreshing sip under an open sky. and cuisines and we are thrilled to see a growing What is your favorite food pairing with it? number of options available in the market. We recently caught up with a few of our local supplier Pair it with a fresh summer salad, or try it partners and discussed their current favorites in with tangy goat cheese. this flourishing category.

2017 Tormaresca Calafuria Rosé

Crafters Union Rosé Brian Singleton: District Manager for Josh Wiley: NV Field Sales Manager, Ste Michelle Wine Estates—Nevada On-Premise What makes this rosé stand out from

Is this rosé more retail or on-premise focused?

Both. It is perfect for pools, golf courses and patios for on-premise and is also the ultimate companion for a weekend hike, backyard bar-b-que or a lounge day by the pool. Crafters Union Rosé is a premium wine that blends artistry and craftsmanship with everyday life, and brings that quality to a can.

Which grape varietals are included in it?

A blend of varietals crafted to bring you a crisp, fresh wine, full of flavor.

Are there any “fun facts” available about the winery or winemaker?

It takes a certain amount of vision and artisan ingenuity to choose the right grapes and transform them into a deliciously uncommon wine. To imagine a visual representation of what that wine is at its core. Crafters Union is the culmination of grape growers, winemakers, designers, artists—true crafters—who put a bit of themselves into

others in the market?

In a vast sea of domestic rosé and countless options from Provence, this rosé captures the essence and flavors of Salento in Puglia.

One hundred percent estate grown fruit from the indigenous Italian grape varietal, Negroamaro, helps set this option apart from others in the market. The 2017 vintage was also included in Wine Spectator’s 100 Top Values of 2018.

Which grape varietals are included in it?

100% Estate Grown Negroamaro from Masseria Maime Are there any “fun facts” available about the winery or winemaker?

Cala, meaning bay, and furia, meaning fury, was inspired by the 700+ bays and inlets dotting the coast of Southern Italy in Puglia, the “heel of the boot.” Tormaresca was founded by the Antinori family in 1998.

The family has been in the wine industry for over 630 years and 26 generations and is commonly touted as the “first family of

14 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

Where can one find this rosé in the market?

It is on-premise focused with no retail presence. We are really looking to provide a classic style rosé that is for everyone, every day.

There are a plethora rosés in the market and many producers have forgotten that rosé should not only be of great quality but also be inexpensive as they are meant to be consumed on a daily basis. The clever slogan, “Rosé All Day,” that our society has adopted cannot be achieved with the rising prices in this category. Fortunately, Bieler Sabine Rosé allows one to enjoy the true essence of what a rosé should be without breaking the bank.

Which grape varietals are included in it?

41% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 19% Cinsault, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Rolle Are there any “fun facts” available about the winery or winemaker?

Charles Bieler’s rosé connection goes back to the early 1990s, when his father, Philippe Bieler, founded Chateau Routas, an acclaimed producer of Grenache-based rosé and red wine in the Coteaux Varois region of Provence. In 1998, they brought their dry rosé to the United States at a time when Americans perceived all rosé as sweet wine for the unrefined palate. Charles rode around in a Pink Cadillac touting the nuance and complexity of rosé until he turned this misconception on its head.

What is your favorite food pairing with it?

I love rosé with Thai food. Traditional Pad Thai, Larb, Tom Yum Goong, Khao Pad (Fried Rice), Pad Krapow Moo Saap, Yam Nua, and the list goes on.

What would you describe as the ideal moment or environment to enjoy this rosé?

I think nothing says rosé more than pool season. Whether it is poolside, in a cabana at a day club or in the comfort of your own backyard, I say “yes way to rosé!” www.lvfnbpro.com

Dermott Driscoll Dermott Driscoll started his cooking career with a simple breakfast of sausage, scrambled eggs and toast at five years old. The Brooklyn Bowl executive chef never saw a career path in any other industry—an industry he’s spent more than three decades in—but of course it helps he had a special neighbor growing up to set his culinary sights in the right direction—maximizing proper ingredients and cooking from scratch.

After securing degrees from Santa Barbara City College and New England Culinary Institute, Driscoll worked for a variety of restaurants in California and Washington before serving as executive chef of House of Blues Restaurants and Foundation Rooms. The House of Blues gig led him to Las Vegas, as it was an easy hub to travel to all the nationwide restaurants.

How’d you get into cooking?

It’s kind of a really weird story. I learned from my grandmother when I was five. She was just teaching me how to make breakfast for my grandfather and one morning I got up an hour before them and made the complete breakfast she had taught me the day before.

And you knew then?

I started really getting into it as early as 14 and we had a really very lovely neighbor, who most people know as Julia Child. I had a little influence from her. My mom and Julia, they used to go to the supermarket together.

What’d you learn from Julia Child?

It was like an adventure going to the supermarket with her, how picky and how much time she spent with produce and looking at things and checking them and making sure the quality was there and never taking a back seat and accepting something that was mediocre. She’d change plans on a dime and it’s important in this industry to have that background. If you don’t find the quality product, you don’t have to compromise, you go in a different direction and serve the best product.

What else did you learn from your grandmother?

She taught me a lot about roasting meats. It was just doing everything that was popular in the 60s, not too much processed foods. She did a lot roasting turkeys and having them for sandwiches and open face turkey on toast. She’d freeze gravy in ice cube trays. She was very frugal, not cheap, but she knew how to how to utilize everything.

That has to be a core tenet in your kitchens, right?

It does show in my food costs and we have very little waste. We know how to utilize everything.

How’d you end up in Vegas?

I was regional chef for House of Blues in charge of the whole country and I was with them for over 12 years. It just seemed better to commit to Las Vegas so I could travel to all the other venues through the Southwest hub. I was that guy who had a suitcase in my trunk because I’d be told at noon I needed to be in Houston by dinner service.

And how’d you end up at Brooklyn Bowl?

It’s been amazing; I was the first employee hired here. My previous GM at Las Vegas House of Blues came over and I interviewed with Paul Bromberg in the international terminal at the airport as he was headed to open London Brooklyn Bowl. I haven’t looked back and haven’t had this much fun in a long time.

It’s a unique venue, what's it like cooking there?

It’s a lot of fun. We really enjoy what we do. The big motto is you bowl with your right hand and eat with your left. No food in the bowling ball.

[They] bring amazing talent in the building, so it’s nice to see the shows and be at the feet of the artists. I’ve stood within five feet of Robert Plant www.lvfnbpro.com

Twitter: @patevans Instagram: @patrickmevans

photo courtesy Brooklyn Bowl

Chef Spotlight

By Pat Evans Pat Evans is a writer based in Las Vegas and Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a regular contributor to Grand Rapids Magazine, October and The Manual often writing about food, beer and spirits. He has written one book, Grand Rapids Beer, and has more on the way.

and amazing musicians and talented people where most places you don’t get such close access. We have a stereo in the kitchen that is piped through, so we enjoy the concerts in the kitchen.

What about challenges?

You have to know the audience, but that’s something I’m very familiar with all those years at House of Blues. You have to know the bands and their fans.

What’s cooking up this year at Brooklyn Bowl?

We’re looking at changing up the menu a bit, trying some new things.

We’re trying creative things on the special event menu that we’ll try to put into the menu and keep growing and keep teaching. I always want to say I want to teach my replacement. As soon as I train them, my life is easier and theirs is easier because they train the people underneath them. It allows us to experiment more and before you know it, what you put in place just keeps going and going.

April 2019 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 15

The Billion Dollar Brand:

Rande Gerber Discusses Casamigos Tequila

By Ben Brown Photos courtesy Casamigos

Casamigos founders George Clooney and Rande Gerber Casamigos made global headlines when it sold to British beverage company Diageo in 2017 for $1 billion. Many know Casamigos for its celebrity co-founders: Oscar-winning actor George Clooney and Rande Gerber, husband of model and actress Cindy Crawford. The two longtime friends launched Casamigos in 2013, never thinking it would balloon into the global enterprise it is today.

What many may not know, however, is the brand began as nothing more than a pet project. The name Casamigos, which translates from Spanish to “house of friends,” is a direct reflection of its humble beginnings. The tequila line was meant to be nothing more than a custom-made drink for George and Rande to share with family and friends at their neighboring twin mansions, known collectively as ‘Casamigos,’ which sit along the coast in Mexico’s Cabo San Lucas.

Okay, ‘humble’ may be a stretch. Creating a custom tequila to go with your twin custommade beachside mansions is certainly an ‘as celebrities do’ kind of thing, and possibly the fanciest iteration imaginable of best friends coming up with a secret handshake before diving into their bunk beds on a sleepover.

When compared to a $700 million buyout with an additional $300 million for sustained demand over the next 10 years, however, the idea that Casamigos was never really meant to leave the house is pretty hard to wrap your mind around.

Gerber noted that while this was a passion project, it was one that he and Clooney took very seriously. Their hunt for the ideal flavor profile was meticulous to say the least, and defined what would ultimately become the brand’s product foundation.

“It took two years for our master distiller to make it perfect,” Gerber said. “We went through 700 samples.”

Once Gerber and Clooney found the flavor they were looking for, Casamigos became the star of the show when they hosted crowds in their own Casamigos. “Tequila-filled nights with friends is how Casamigos was born,” Gerber said.

Casamigos made the transition from label shared among friends and family to full-fledged business when the distiller contacted Gerber and Clooney with an interesting issue: They were drinking too much tequila for it to not be a business. “[The distiller] said, ‘Either you guys are selling this or you’re drinking way too much. We’re sending you 1,000 bottles a year and we can’t keep doing that and calling them samples. So you need to get licensed to sell,’” Gerber said.

Yes, Gerber and Clooney were going through 1,000 bottles of tequila a year, without selling it.

“After that I called to ask George what he wanted to do,” Gerber continued. “[Clooney] said, ‘Let’s get licensed; if we only sell one bottle it doesn’t matter. As long as we get to keep drinking our tequila, we’re happy.’ So we started the company and it took off immediately.

People knew that we had something special. Not your typical tequila.”

And take off it did. Gerber and Clooney’s attention to detail in creating the tequila’s flavor profile paid off in spades.

“Our tequilas are made from the finest handselected 100% Blue Weber agaves grown in the rich red clay soil and cool climate of Mexico’s Jalisco Highlands for a minimum of seven

16 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

years,” Gerber began. “[Consumers] love and appreciate the authenticity and quality of our brand…One sip and you will understand why.”

Casamigos currently offers four different selections: Blanco Tequila, Reposado Tequila, Añejo Tequila and Mezcal. Gerber, a seasoned tequila aficionado at this point, detailed the production details and flavor profiles of each.

“Casamigos Blanco Tequila rests for two months and is crisp and clean with a long smooth finish.

Casamigos Reposado Tequila, aged seven months in the finest American oak barrels, is soft, slightly oaky with a medium to long smooth finish. Casamigos Añejo Tequila, aged 14 months in the finest American oak barrels, has a beautiful pure and refined complex aroma with a lingering smooth finish. Casamigos Mezcal, made in Oaxaca, Mexico with 100% Espadín Agaves, rests up to two months and is balanced and elegant with delicate notes of smoke leading to a long silky finish,” Gerber said.

He was also quick to note that Casamigo was designed for the average consumer. With its roots as a drink passed around friends and family, Casamigos was never intended to be ‘too sophisticated’ for the average Joe to enjoy.

“We are drawing consumers from all tiers and all categories,” Gerber said. “We are seeing that Casamigos is not just being consumed by people that love tequila. People that have enjoyed other types of spirits are turning to Casamigos because of its quality.” He also claims that drinking Casamigos all night “will not leave you hungover in the morning.”

Casamigos as an everyday brand is accurately reflected in the stores that carry it. This is not a tequila found only in specialty stores, but www.lvfnbpro.com

Casamigos was created

by friends for friends

and people appreciate the authenticity of our story and the fact that it's brought to you by those who drink it.

~Rande Gerber rather in places people from all walks frequent on a regular basis. You’ll find Casamigos at Walmart, Target, Costco and just about every major grocery chain. You’ll find it at mom-andpop liquor stores, as well as haute bars, clubs and restaurants. The brand’s everyday identity combined with its celebrity luster has fueled its ubiquity. And the price point, which ranges from ~$30–45 a bottle, reflects a special level of quality while remaining within reach of the average consumer.

With their fine-tuned product becoming an instant hit, the next step for Gerber and Clooney was to scale the brand to reach a broader audience. They found themselves in the fortunate position of having access to many of the world’s top celebrities, who could leverage their reach to place Casamigos in major publications and across social media and reach millions of followers.

“We have a lot of friends who are talented in a variety of ways. From artists to musicians, to athletes, they all have one thing in common, they love Casamigos and want to share it,” Gerber said.

www.lvfnbpro.com

Gerber’s humility aside, Casamigos has found itself in the hands of just about every A-lister out there. The Casamigos website has a dedicated ‘House of Friends’ web page, which profiles the brand’s appearance at a slew of see-andbe-seen celebrity events. Parties surrounding the Oscars, Grammy’s, Golden Globes and SAG Awards, South by Southwest, Sundance, South Beach Food & Wine and numerous highprofile birthdays are just a few from a seemingly endless list of happenings that any marketer would salivate over.

Gerber and Clooney’s comradery continued strong as the brand continued to grow. In a world where going into business with your friends comes with high risks, and a failed project can potentially ruin a relationship, the duo continued to put fun at the top of the list.

“If we find that we are disagreeing on something, we will usually have a Casamigos... then another...then another,” Gerber said. “And at the end, we have somehow agreed.”

The process continued until that fateful period in 2017, where a passion project became a billion-

dollar business. Diageo, the British beverage giant that owns iconic brands such as Guinness, Bailey’s, Ciroc and Tanqueray, took an interest in Casamigos and ultimately bought the brand to join its product portfolio.

Interestingly enough, even after such a landmark sale, Casamigos remains status quo for Gerber and Clooney in terms of their responsibilities with the brand.

“Our involvement remains the same,” Gerber said. “Absolutely nothing has changed. We have incredible partners in Diageo. We love what we do and it’s all we drink, so it’s business as usual.”

As for what lies ahead, Gerber is optimistic that Casamigos will continue to grow and resonate with the masses. He reinforces the product story and the brand’s foundation of quality. At the same time, he’s got a few nuances coming down the pipe. Nothing he’s ready to make public yet, but just enough to provoke some interest.

“We are always thinking ahead and have some ideas in the works, but we are really proud of what we have done and are focused on the continued growth of our tequila,” he said.

Gerber plans to continue growing Casamigos with the exact same attitude that he and Clooney created the brand with in the first place.

“We will continue sharing Casamigos with the world. Casamigos was created by friends for friends and people appreciate the authenticity of our story and the fact that it's brought to you by those who drink it. Our House of Friends keeps growing,” he said.

Gerber and Clooney have sold their Cabo homes as well, but the heart and soul of Casamigos remains the same. Glamorous physical structures and gargantuan buyouts aside, the lifeblood of Casamigos is friends, family and the timeless experiences that come with them.

But a billion dollars and a lifetime with Cindy Crawford still doesn’t hurt.

Casamigos Tequila is available at most major retailers. For more information on Casamigos Tequila, visit CasamigosTequila.com.

April 2019 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 17

By Sk Delph Sk Delph knows her way around food and wine, not necessarily in that order, having lived and traveled from Sonoma, California to Boston and back to Vegas for the last fourteen years with her chef husband, turned GM here in Vegas.

She has been published in various short story anthologies and is currently working on her first novel.

photos courtesy Sk Delph

The 24th Annual Educational Taste of Excellence

On March 9, Dr. Joni Flowers, the founder of the Cultural Diversity Foundation, treated us to an event that brought together a community.

The 24th Annual Educational Taste of Excellence at Palace Station featured 17 of Las Vegas' best restaurants and caterers and over 100 domestic and imported wines and spirits, sponsored by Breakthru Beverages, Lee's Discount Liquor, Johnson Bros and Tito’s.

The event included a champagne toast, silent and live auction and the introduction of the newest recipients of the CDF scholarships. The Foundation had expected about eight hundred people to attend and saw the arrival of over a thousand.

When we hear the words ‘Taste of Excellence’ it evokes images of opulent varietal wines and the fine dining experience, and it should. For a very special group of people, it represents a standard of education and new hope for the future. The Cultural Diversity Foundation overflows with the stories of those who were assisted and triumphed over disadvantages. Dr. Joni Flowers is a true blessing to our community and deserves to be praised in every sense of the word as her passion for what she does embraced me. “Our whole focus is computer skills training, where we help underemployed and unemployed or even employed people who are ready for an extra skill set, such as Quickbooks, Office or social media....” It’s commendable that she has dedicated the better part of her life to raising money to educate and award scholarships.

The countless stories over the past 24 years of the Foundation’s history touched my heart, such as one recipient who is a survivor of sexual trafficking (she shall remain anonymous to protect her identity). With courage, she rose above this tragic experience and was awarded

a scholarship from the Cultural Diversity Foundation. Another earlier recipient is today a registered nurse helping those in need. I believe through sharing our unique stories we all can find common ground and relate to each other through our personal struggles to overcome the trials of our past.

My motivation for this article, as much as it is to tell you about an event of this magnitude, is to spread the word about the scholarships available, and more importantly, to inform those who in the future might also wish to help support this cause.

I have every confidence that by understanding how this has blessed the lives of those in their time of need, we would be moved so that others can continue to benefit in the same way.

Shall we take a stroll together and enjoy a bit of food and wine?

Live jazz music, featuring saxophonist Darren Motamedy, created instant atmosphere, and a quick glance around told us the restaurants who donated their offerings did so in lavish style, but I must confess, I headed for the wine first. As soon as I saw the famous Maison Louis Jadot’s Pouilly Fuissé with those distinct emerald gold tones, I knew I had arrived at a party. The gentle buttery flavor, followed by a burst of crisp green-apple, was kind enough to linger on the finish, but I digress... Let's get some food!

The Angry Butcher Steakhouse carved a prime flat-iron steak topped with chimichurri sauce served over Yukon Gold butter whipped potatoes and their Maine lobster chowder with roasted corn, bacon and fingerling potatoes was worth the trip in itself.

Palace Station’s Boathouse Asian Eatery elegantly plated generous portions of yellowtail and salmon sushi and served up Nigori sake and

18 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

handcrafted cocktails by Gemma Acheson, their lead mixologist.

California Noodle House offered tender Kalbi short ribs, oxtail fried rice and their mango pudding, which was a hit!

Heaven beckoned when I tasted the tamalitos from Leticia’s Cocina, coated with a tomatillo verde salsa. As I munched, I watched several people go back for seconds and thirds.

Zenaida’s Cafe's creative tofu scramble and Asian cucumber slaw were delicious!

Chef Josh Manna from Public School 702 cleansed our palates with enticing beet salad bites followed by bacon and cheddar tots.

Chef Oscar Sanchez of Oscar Sanchez Catering prepared a beautiful paella with chicken and chorizo topped with a rainbow of peppers.

Vegans were treated to Simply Pure and Chef Kenny's Asian Vegan Restaurant. The faux meat selections and creative vegetable dishes gave regular meat-eaters pause to marvel.

For dessert, Braud’s Funnel Cake Café handed out mini funnel cakes with chocolate and strawberry toppings, and Leticia’s Cocina created funfetti cake pops and birthday cake French macaroons. And to top it all off, an absolutely delectable frozen custard with toppings galore were compliments of Shake Shack.

I wasn't able to get to every booth, but I'd like give a toast to Americana, BBD's, Bonefish Grill, District One and Mint Indian Bistro for their contributions and support. If you missed it this year, attend next year for the chance to taste wine from California to France and the world over, and of course partake in the gourmet food and rejoice in uplifting the lives of those who need it the most. www.lvfnbpro.com

By Chef Allen Asch

Chef Talk Cod

Cod as a food fish dates back to the Viking times, 800 AD, but had a resurgence during the Middle Ages when Basque people from Northcentral Spain and Southwestern France started eating it. The Basque people spent long stretches on the ocean searching for whales, which was a common food source for Europeans at the time.

This occurred before Columbus “discovered” America. The cod schools that were rampant in the Northeast part of the New World is why the new settlements occurred near prolific cod fishing holes. The Vikings learned to dry the fish, which extended its shelf life, so it could be taken on long ocean journeys. The Basque people went even further and with an abundance of available salt around them learned that salting the cod extended its life and made it better for longer journeys. This factor also gave them the ability to trade salted cod with people in the places they explored for food stuff that was indigenous to their area.

Catholicism gave a big financial boost to the Basque with the increase in sales of cod. The medieval church imposed fast days, in which people weren’t allowed to eat flesh but eating “cold” foods was permitted. Since fish came from the water it was deemed as “cold,” while meat was not considered cold. Since Friday was the day of Christ’s crucifixion, during all Fridays and the 40 days of Lent, as well as various other days on the calendar, meat was forbidden, which added up to almost half the days in the year. Salt cod became almost a religious icon for Christian www.lvfnbpro.com

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

people. The most bizarre fact that I learned while researching this topic is where the name cod came from. As mentioned earlier, Catholics restrain from eating meat on certain days but they also were directed to abstain from sex. The word cod translates in many languages to words connected with sex, such as in the West Indies, in which the word for salt fish is slang for a “woman’s genitalia,” and in Middle English cod can translate to the word for “scrotum.”

The two most common species of cod are the Atlantic cod and the Pacific cod. The Atlantic lives in the cold waters and deeper oceans throughout the North Atlantic, while the Pacific cod is found in the western and eastern regions of the Northern Pacific. Cod is a cold-water fish with good amounts of vitamins A, D and E and is high in omega-3 fatty acids which are good for the body. Atlantic cod or haddock is one of the most common ingredients in fish and chips, and when it is prepared in strips it is often called scrod. Besides the value of the vitamins and omega-3 acids, cod has a very lowfat percentage, .3%, and fresh cod is made up of more than 18% protein, which is high even for fish. When the meat is dried and the moisture is evaporated out, its protein level increases to almost 80%.

Atlantic cod are the largest and live longer than all 200 species within the 10 families of the species. They can grow to a maximum length of over 6 feet while they are more common at the 3-foot marker. They also can weigh over 200

pounds and live up to 25 years. This compares to the Pacific cod, which is about half the size and 1/5 of the weight while only living to 18 years.

Cod liver oil, a byproduct of cod fishing, is used for lowering cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. It is also known to relieve heart disease, depression, auto immune disease, glaucoma, ear infections and osteoarthritis. Some of these ailments are more likely to show improvement than others. There are some negative effects associated with cod liver oil, such as an increase in blood sugar, which is not good for people with diabetes. Caution should also be taken by women that are either pregnant or breastfeeding, because if they take too much cod liver oil it will add to the amounts of vitamins A and D which are not recommended in large quantities.

Cod liver oil can also have negative results if it interacts with certain high blood pressure medicines, as well as blood clotting medicines.

Although cod is overfished, and has been overfished many times in history, when fishing bans have been enacted the numbers of cod increase dramatically. One environmental advantage to cod is that it is almost 100% edible or usable. This includes the head, the cheeks and the internal organs. The skin can be used in place of leather or it can be roasted and eaten. Any part of the fish that is left after processing is ground and used as fertilizer.

April 2019 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 19

Asian Dining on the Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is home to myriad fine-dining Chinese restaurant destinations, with a number of them new to Las Vegas Boulevard.

PART 1

Don Chareunsy lives in Las Vegas, where he has worked as an arts and entertainment editor and reporter since 2008. Before moving to The Entertainment Capital of the World a decade ago, he worked at The San Diego Union-Tribune from 2002-2007

Mr Chow at Caesars Palace

photo courtesy Mr Chow

China Tang at MGM Grand

photos courtesy China Tang - MGM International

Americans know that New Year’s Eve is Dec. 31 and New Year’s Day is Jan. 1 every year. Not as commonly or exactly known is that Chinese New Year ranges from Jan. 21 to Feb. 20 (Chinese New Year occurred Feb. 5 this year). But did you know that Lao New Year is celebrated over three days each year from either April 13-15 or April 14-16? (It’s April 14-16 this year.)

No matter the fluctuating New Year’s dates for the Asian celebrations, one thing is clear: There is much cause for celebration for the bounty of fine-dining Chinese restaurants—both old and new—on the Las Vegas Strip, along with a few notable non-Chinese but definitely still Asian destinations on Las Vegas Boulevard.

The next time you’re craving Asian cuisine on the Strip—for this journalist, that’s each and every day—keep this list handy. (By the way, we love our Chinese and sister Asian restaurants off the Strip, as well, but this story is focusing on Las Vegas Boulevard.)

China Poblano at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

By Don Chareunsy

Opened in 2016, Michael Chow’s Mr Chow in Las Vegas followed in the footsteps of locations in London in 1968, Beverly Hills, Calif., in 1974 and New York City in 1978. The ultimate in luxury and still a draw for celebrities, Mr Chow, whose Las Vegas outpost is overseen by Chef Cesar Laran, is known for its champagne cart, noodle-pulling demonstrations, Beijing duck and colorful chicken satay skewers.

Tao at The Venetian

Opened in 2010, award-winning Chef Jose Andres’ China Poblano celebrates the distinctive cuisines of China and Mexico. The Chef’s Experience, for tastes from both nations, and The China Poblano Cocktail Experience, are both available on the menu, as is a vegetarian tasting menu, which also can be made vegan. It’s eight courses for $45.

Opened in December, Mott 32 represents modern Hong Kong and a new chapter of Chinese dining. Named after the convenience store on 32 Mott St. in New York, Mott 32 represents NYC’s vibrant Chinatown and the bravery of its immigrants. Mott 32 embraces Chinese flavors and ingredients, and the Peking duck is a mustorder for its presentations and preparations.

20 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

photos courtesy Tao

photos by Anthony Mair

photo courtesy Maximal Concepts

Opened in 2018, Executive Chef Larry Ng’s China Tang offers Cantonese cuisine influenced by dishes from Sichuan, Shanghai and Beijing such as Peking duck and hammer chicken, plus all-day dim sum, entertainment and nightly noodle-pulling. The decor celebrates The Tang Dynasty’s cosmopolitan culture and 1930s Shanghai glamour with a curated Art Deco collection.

Mott 32 at The Venetian

Opened in 2005, Tao at The Venetian is the old kid on the Las Vegas Boulevard block but remains one of the highest-grossing restaurantnightclub operations year after year. Corporate Executive Chef Ralph Scamardella developed a menu incorporating China, Japan, Thailand and Korea that includes Chilean sea bass satay, Peking duck, kimchi fried rice and sushi. www.lvfnbpro.com

USBG Las Vegas

By Adam Rains Adam has a true passion for food, wine, beer & spirits. He is tiki-attaché and lead bartender at The Golden Tiki, a long-time cocktailian, and a member of the Health & Wellness Committee for the United States Bartenders’ Guild in Las Vegas.

Adam strives to learn every day and during his career he’s studied at SDSU, USBG, BarSmarts, International Sommeliers Guild, Certified Cicerone Program and the Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Academy. His mantra with both food & cocktails is, “Fresh is best.”

C L AU D I A Z E L IDON

photo courtesy Claudia Zelidon

There are a few certainties in the world but one thing you can count on is Claudia Zelidon. Even with her multiple jobs, she is always ready to support at USBG events and members.

While she was born in El Salvador, she has lived in Las Vegas since 1986, and Claudia is not only a veteran of our guild but also in the industry.

With her associate degree in Hotel Operations and working at many great properties throughout the years, she is always learning. That is part of the reason that she is in the USBG. “The thing I like about USBG is that we have so much opportunities as far as exceeding our knowledge in the bar industry and the people involved in it.”

Claudia is currently in the banquet department at Venetian, MGM and Aliante, as a server and a bartender, but she does have bartending in her blood.

She is a bartender’s daughter, and has had the chance to see many of the city’s bartending greats like Tony Abou-Ganim and Francesco Lafranconi, who she looks up to immensely.

What’s next for Claudia? She plans to continue her learning and and maybe start entering competitions. I asked her about it and she says, “The thought of it kinda works my nerves! But it is a way to continue my learning.”

Salute to you, Claudia! We know that we will see you soon! Cheers.

MICHAEL GIAMB R ONE Regarding bartending he has a great philosophy. “I literally imagine every guest as if it was me sitting there and how I would want my experience to go if I was in their shoes.”

You can find Michael mixing, shaking and stirring at The Capital Grille on Las Vegas Boulevard, but he has also recently branched out and started his private bartending company Raise The Bar. Go see him soon and bring him some peaty scotch! He will love you for it!

photo courtesy Michael Giambrone

Michael Giambrone has been in the guild for less than two years, but he has already made his presence and energy felt.

While he is originally from Rochester, NY, he has Vegas and the USBG in his blood: “The USBGLV has become my family. It brings together like-minded individuals within the same industry. The educational seminars and events are so valuable and you are often surrounded by friendly faces of people you respect.”

He loves to support local bars that hold USBG events and are stocked with USBG bartenders, like Sand Dollar, Herbs and Rye and Sparrow + Wolf.

www.lvfnbpro.com

April 2019 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 21

By Shelley Stepanek

Best of the Best

Shelley Stepanek is President of DSA, the oldest non-profit tourist association in the state, along with being on the board of ticket brokers. Shelley has previously owned three restaurants.

NOMAD BAR’s new jazz brunch on Sundays was launched recently at the Park MGM. The food and beverage menu is designed by awardwinning Chef Daniel Humm and Bar Director Leo Robitscheck and during the brunch performing is an acclaimed jazz sextet, the Hot Club. Some of the most popular dishes, all of which we tried, were the mushroom omelet, the avocado toast, tuna Cobb salad, and griddled pancakes. The restaurant is warm and comfortable, plenty of seating and the jazz brunch runs every Sunday from 10:30-2. The Bar also offers shareable plates, snacks and sandwiches and serves a regular breakfast, lunch and dinner. NoMad opened in New York and Los Angeles and we are happy to welcome them to Las Vegas.

The fabulous EPICUREAN AFFAIR is back at Red Rock Resort this year on May 16. Set poolside, this marvelous event offers guests the chance to see old and new favorite restaurants, serving up savory cuisine and cocktails from some of our best places in town. This is always a great evening to mix and mingle with friends and try plenty of new superb dishes. The proceeds from the event go to the Nevada Restaurant Association’s education and scholarship programs which leads high school culinary and restaurant management skill programs. Starting at 6 p.m. till 9, there will be over 30 restaurants participating. If any restaurant should care to participate, please reach out to info@nvrestaurants.com.

So far committed this year is Carmine’s, Capital Grill, Hash House a Go Go, Infinium, Maxie’s, Smoked Burgers & BBQ, Strip House, Tao Group, Therapy and a host of others. Tickets for VIP early admission at 6 p.m. are $120 and general admission with entry at 7 are $100. Buy before April 5 and pay only $80. Breakthru and Travelzoo will be selling tickets and possibly Groupon. There are cabanas and day beds for rent.

Monthly the VOODOO DINNER SERIES at Voodoo Steakhouse on the 50th floor of the Rio has a five-course dinner. Usually running around $100, it’s a perfect night out to celebrate birthdays or Mother’s Day. THE GREAT AMERICAN FOODIE FEST will again be at Sunset Station April 26-29. The Fest has been voted The Best of Las Vegas winner for the last four years, and with food trucks coming out by the dozens, entertainment for everyone, music, rides and vendors of all types, this is a great family event. This year there will be no entrance fee for any of the nights. Parking is hard to find, but well worth the time.

Look for it again in the fall.

photos courtesy Shelley Stepanek

A quick note about a new show at the Excalibur, here for only six months in a large tent on the Strip side: FUERZA BRUTA. It will amaze and delight you with their numerous acts, all from above you. This show came from Moscow and New York, is at 7 and 9:30 p.m. and is a standing room-only venue. Start your evening off with a wonderful Italian dinner inside at BUCA DI BEPPO on the 2nd floor. One of the happiest and entertaining Italian restaurants in town, they will be happy to make your reservations.

Tried a relatively new boutique wine bar on the west side, MORDEO. Lovely place and great hosts. Quite a nice selection of wines and a great social hour. Centered around Spanish food, the beef tartare and shrimp coquette appetizers are great. Also, on the happy hour menu are baby squid, Spanish Scotch eggs, mussels and polenta spoon. Located at 5420 W. Spring Mountain, hours 5-12.

22 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

www.lvfnbpro.com

The Bottom Line Should I Hire Friends and Family?

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.

The restaurant world presents a multitude of opportunities to hire and work with those in your immediate circle. From bringing your child on as a server to launching a new venture with your best friend, the question of whether to pull the trigger spans across all levels of involvement and corresponding risk. And as is the case with most issues in business, there is no one right answer.

Many best practices do exist, however, to make an educated decision on whether to hire friends and family, either as employees or as business partners. Let’s take a look at a few scenarios and determine where it’s appropriate to move forward.

Hiring children

Bringing your children into the business at the service level is a relatively common practice.

Being in the business is quite convenient for summer jobs, after-school work and a necessary helping hand when nobody else is around.

Consider the following best practices when deciding whether to hire your children: • Treat them in the same way that you’d treat any of your other staff. Err on the side of caution and be harder on them. They will immediately have a target on their back as receiving special treatment, so be a driving force to alleviate this bias as much as possible.

• Hire them into a role that matches their skills and experience. If they’ve never waited tables before, then perhaps they’d best start out as a busser. www.lvfnbpro.com

• If you know a member of your staff is due for • Make sure your skill sets complement each a promotion, give them the promotion and other rather than mirror each other. Friends backfill the role with your child, assuming are often friends because they share the that it’s for a temporary role. To go in the same interests and perceptions. This is great opposite direction could be a motivator for in a social setting, but is often a recipe for that staff member to leave your business. disaster in business. Pie-in-the-sky minds Bringing your children into managerial and need someone more down to earth to counter executive roles is of course acceptable as well, lofty ideas with logic, and vice versa. Likebut is observed with a higher level of scrutiny minded founders can find themselves in a rut from the outside. You should be comfortable with no idea where they went wrong. with their ability to handle the role, as well as their ability to command authority with the rest • Verify each other’s commitment, in terms of of your staff when you’re not around. both time and money. Things will go sour as Forming business partnerships soon as one partner feels like they're getting with friends the short end of the stick. This doesn't mean Friendships that turn into business partnerships that your investment needs to be identical; a have led to spectacular success for many, and friend could simply invest some capital into conversely have destroyed friendships among the business and serve as an advisor while many more. There may come a time when a you do most of the labor. The important friend or family member wants to invest in your thing is that you’re on the same page. operation or work with you on a new endeavor.

Those opportunities have all the potential in the • Have a legal agreement that defines the world, but should be perceived with caution relationship and all terms. Nobody wants to nevertheless. go to court, but it happens all too often, and contracts are quintessential in those cases.

Consider the following when debating this kind of partnership: There are of course many more scenarios to go • Ensure that each of you are qualified for over on this topic, but these extremes should your respective roles in the business. Your represent a central mindset that covers most relationship is what has opened the door, of them. At the end of the day you want to be but now that you’re in serious conversation you should treat this like a job interview. If fair to your friends and family, your staff and you have an inkling that your counterpart yourself. Things get tough when friends and isn’t a fit, then best to call things off from family are involved, but remaining objective the beginning. You’ll risk losing both the and keeping emotion out of the equation will business and the friendship otherwise. drive the best results.

April 2019 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 23

May I Recommend...

Blake Myers visited Las Vegas many times annually for over 35 years, and as his familiarity with so many restaurants grew, more and more people “back home” began asking him where to eat on their “upcoming visit.” In 1998 he began formally reviewing and recommending his best picks in a newsletter he published, and after moving here in 2008 soon established his website, Bestofvegasdining. com, through which he shares his selections with a worldwide audience.

photos by Blake Myers

Julian Serrano Tapas

By Blake Myers

Chef Julian Serrano’s culinary journey began with his graduation from the Escuela Gastronomie P.P.O. hotel management school in Marbella, Spain. Subsequently, he honed his French cooking skills at some of Europe’s finest restaurants, including Lucas-Carlton in Paris, L’Aubergine in Munich, Chez Max in Zurich and the Hotel de France in Auch, France.

After coming to the U.S. and spending a short time in Miami and Nashville, he travelled to San Francisco, where in 1983, under the tutelage of Chef Masataka Kobayashi, he helped open “Masa’s,” often rated as one of this country’s top French restaurants. While he was there, the San Francisco Chronicle awarded the restaurant four stars. Additionally, he received not one, but two James Beard awards: “Best Chef-California” and “Best Chef-Southwest.”

We first welcomed Chef Serrano and his French-Mediterranean cooking skills in 1998, when he arrived here to become the Executive Chef of Picasso at the Bellagio, where he continues his mastery to this day. His culinary skills have been recognized with the AAA Five Diamond Award, Wine Spectator’s Grand Award-Best Wine List and the Forbes Travel Guide Five Stars Award. Impressively, the restaurant received two stars from Michelin.

In 2009 Serrano was offered a restaurant space at Aria by MGM International. He responded, “Only if I can do tapas.” Considering his 13 years of ongoing success at Picasso, MGM consented immediately, and Julian Serrano Tapas Restaurant was born.

In a 2011 interview with the late Robin Leach, Serrano commented, “For about 15 years I had a goal of opening a restaurant that represents the food of Spain. The food of Spain represents

the people of Spain. The people are happy, they share, they like to go out and have a good time.

They drink wine, and they laugh. I wanted a restaurant that reflected all of that.”

country extensively represented. They are truly representative of one of the world’s great wineproducing countries. Bringing your own wine will incur a $50 corkage fee.

As Chef Serrano recalls, “The first thing I needed to do was to find the perfect designer, so I flew to Spain and began to interview. When I found Gente de Valor, I knew we were on the same page. I feel that balance in a restaurant is important. The food needs to go with the restaurant, and the restaurant needs to go with the food.”

The rest of your journey through Spain now begins as you choose from the menu’s large selection of classic and modern dishes. The expert preparation of these Spanish specialties is overseen by Executive Chef Rafael SalinesCatala, who came to Serrano’s directly from Spain nine years ago.

Serrano’s confidence in designer Valor was not misplaced. Upon entering through the restaurant’s ultra-modern portal, your senses are surrounded by an explosion of light, color and texture that evoke the vibrancy of the Spanish countryside. The mirrored and reflective glass surfaces, many hanging elements, unusual fixtures and tiles all combine beautifully to create a sleekly modern interior.

Though the visual elements are impressive, the menu is no less so with its attractive array of choices that showcase Spain’s rich culinary history.

However, your initial decision making may involve the immense wine list covering virtually every wine-producing area of the world, and divided into Champagne and Sparkling, Spanish Whites, Rose, California Whites, French Whites, Other European Whites, Spanish Red, California Red, North American Red, French Red, Italian Red, Southern Hemisphere Red, Dessert Wine and Spirits and Cordials.

But the sheer number of Spain’s worldrenowned Riojas and Tempranillos is especially staggering, with every region of the

24 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

Many diners begin with, or have an entire meal of, tapas, those small plates of food that originally were served in Spanish taverns without charge to customers when they ordered a drink at the bar.

You may wish to start with the lobster gazpacho soup, pata negra (Spain’s world-famous Iberico de Bellota ham) stuffed piquillo peppers, chicken croquetas or gambas (sautéed shrimp with garlic and spicy tomato sauce). Other tapas of note are rabo de toro (red wine braised oxtail with Iberian pork and potato puree) and carne asada (slices of prime New York steak with potato puree and a mushroom demi). And for many, no meal is complete without Spain’s national dish, paella, from which you can choose five versions.

If you still crave more, their array of mouthwatering desserts includes Spanish orange cinnamon bread pudding and orange blossom crème brûlée.

Spain’s best cuisine is available at Julian Serrano Tapas—and you’ll save the 12 hour flight time to Madrid. aria.com/en/restaurants/julian-serrano.html www.lvfnbpro.com

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

Everyone Deserves

It’s a simple concept in theory, but in reality, not so easy for many of us. We all know that you have to give respect to earn it. I also believe that respect is taught or learned and clearly not inherent in everyone. The ability to respect others is something that comes with maturity and awareness; our internal conscience or sense of right or wrong must be active in order to understand that respect is a God given right.

others or building walls which keep others out.

We also need to remember that wealth is not a measure of a person’s worth and that education is not a tool to divide us, but a method to teach us that we must always strive to be fair, considerate and compassionate to our fellow man. Only with a sound understanding of how damaging disrespect can be can we become more respectful.

My favorite way to define respect is to break it down to its foundational components. We have to have an understanding of what it feels like to not be respected and then care about the impact of that outcome. Lack of respect is demoralizing and damaging to self esteem on a long term and ongoing basis. If someone is treated poorly during their childhood or their developmental years, they may never be able to build the appropriate amount of self esteem to function effectively in our society. They may feel that they never deserve respect.

My expression for RESPECT is defined as follows…

We have to be shown what respect is to know how to give it. As we develop, grow and learn, we must be shown how respect works and embrace the fact that our differences are good and have value. We must learn that disrespect is not acceptable nor is it a basis for judging

Why is it hard to give respect in our society these days? Well, mainly because I believe it wasn’t shown to us or demonstrated to others by our role models when we were growing up and therefore we didn’t get a foundational understanding of its importance. I also think

R–remember E–every S–single P–person E–earns C–compassionate T–treatment

that long ingrained prejudices and biases in families or cultures result in lack of tolerance or compassion for others. You could even go so far as to say that respect was not in our scope of understanding or values if we’ve never engaged it or been able to embrace its value or importance.

The bottom line for respect is that we have to change our mindset about others and be willing to remove biases, prejudices, obstacles and barriers and then replace them with understanding, compassion and caring. We have to open our minds to the perspectives of others and engage in some new ways of thinking about our differences. Respect will follow when we are willing to give a little in our way of thinking and expand our viewpoint. I can envision a world where people no longer judge one another by the color of their complexion but by the content of their character. It can happen; all we have to do is want it bad enough to make an effort to change.

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.

www.lvfnbpro.com

April 2019 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 25

The RESTAURANT EXPERT

By David Scott Peters David Scott Peters is a restaurant consultant, coach, speaker and founder of TheRestaurantExpert.com, a company committed to the success of independent restaurants. Peters is a restaurant industry-recognized blogger and his writing is regularly published in restaurant industry publications, such as Restaurant Hospitality, Catersource, and QSR Magazine.

Learn more at www.TheRestaurantExpert.com.

Managers Need a Strong Foundation

Your action steps are to define what the manager’s job is, how to do it, how well you want it done and, most importantly, by when. You have to create manager checklists, clearly detailing your daily/shift expectations.

You need to have a clearly defined job description so nothing is assumed.

And last, but certainly not least, you must have a training system that ensures each manager is taught what their job is, how to do it, how well it should be done and by when.

Communication

Being a restaurant manager can be a difficult job. It can be 100 times harder when you don’t have the right tools and support in place to be successful. As an owner or GM, here are four key areas to focus on to ensure your managers are supported: 1) Culture 2) Job 3) Communication 4) Trust Below I outline each of these four areas and provide you with steps you can take to ensure you’re establishing that strong foundation.

Culture

To be a great manager, no matter whether it’s a quick-service or fullservice operation, you have to be a fit for the culture of the restaurant. If the restaurant is a fun environment, you can’t be a hard-ass. If the restaurant is extremely professional, you can’t be a jokester. If the restaurant believes in incredible service, you must be geared toward delivering a wow customer service experience. You get the picture, a great manager must be a fit for the restaurant’s culture.

In order to ensure your managers fit your company culture, ownership MUST define their core values. What are core values? Core values are your guiding principles as a person or shared principles when there are partners. These are deep rooted inside you. They are used to guide your business. You might not have them documented, but you know what they are when someone steps on one. For example, if someone calls you a liar and it infuriates you because you are an incredibly honest person, that’s a core value. Core values hit deep inside your soul.

Your action steps are to document and communicate your core values.

Once they are documented, you will post them everywhere you can: in your employee handbook, on the employee bulletin board, your website, etc. You’ll want your staff and guests to hold you accountable to your core values. But more importantly, you want your managers to emulate YOUR core values and make decisions in your business with them as their guiding principles, not their own. When your managers make decisions based on your core values, they will never be in trouble. Or you’ll find yourself in a coaching opportunity when they chose wrong, but kept your core values in mind.

Job

Great managers have to make guests, staff and ownership happy. This can often feel like organized chaos because the manager is trying to do the best job they can based on their own experience. That means, if they haven’t experienced things the way ownership has, the job they do will often fall short of expectations. In other words, ownership wants managers to have something called “common sense,” which does not exist!

26 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

Communication is critical if you want to be a great manager. If you can’t communicate what you want done, can’t give clear direction, train staff to your expectations, relate to your staff and guests, you will ultimately fail. The restaurant business revolves around being a great communicator.

Great communication starts with having the right tools in place to help the process along.

Your action steps are to implement, maintain and use a manager log each and every day in your restaurant. This way you train your managers to chase you down with the information you need to run the business, instead of you chasing them down. A manager log also ensures every manager is on the same page, even when they are off or on vacation.

Additional actions are to implement daily pre-shift meetings for all staff. Make training a daily thing. Also, document your pre-shift notes so they can be posted and initialed by all staff, ensuring every staff member knows what you are communicating even when you have a stagger start.

To really knock it out of the park, conduct manager meetings on a weekly basis. These meeting should be no longer than 60–90 minutes, have a ridged agenda and require each manager to come to the meeting prepared.

Trust

All too often when communication is poor, managers are using common sense to do their jobs, very loose systems are in place and there is a lack of trust in the ranks of management. Ugliness starts to creep into your restaurant, where AM managers start to resent PM managers because the restaurant wasn’t closed properly the night before. PM managers start to resent AM managers because the restaurant isn’t set up for the next shift. Managers also start to resent each other when there is a sense of entitlement or favoritism toward certain managers from ownership, because they are treated differently.

It is your job to create an environment of trust and a culture where each and every manager knows everyone has each other’s back.

Your action steps are to create a culture of close to open. Make sure every manager understands that all side work and daily tasks are theirs to make sure they are completed before they leave. Basically, they must make sure they reset the restaurant completely before they hand the next shift over to the next manager. If they let someone go home without finishing their side work, they must do it themselves. This way, each manager knows the others have their back, and they can trust each other no matter what. The final part of this is ownership MUST hold managers accountable to these tasks, no matter what, no matter who they are on the team.

You supply the foundation.

Ultimately, managers need the owners of the restaurant to lead the management team to be able to become and be great managers. Leaders will make sure their managers know their core values, have systems for everything in the restaurant from checklist and training to operational systems, communication tools and are willing to hold every manager accountable, no matter who they are. In other words, managers can’t be all ownership wants them to be if ownership doesn’t lead and give them the foundation to be great. www.lvfnbpro.com

By Savannah Reeves

photos courtesy Savannah Reeves, Travis Tagala, and Justin Leung

Savannah Reeves, a Hospitality Management student at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, represents the Epicurean Society, a collection of food and restaurant enthusiasts. As the journalist on their leadership team, Savannah desires to share the club’s experiences with the public. Growing up in central California, she discovered her passion for hospitality and decided to pursue that passion in Las Vegas.

As a junior majoring in hospitality and a new executive member for Epicurean Society, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share one of the things I enjoy most: food! I had originally expected this organization to simply be a meeting of others who enjoyed food as much as I did. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out it had so much more to offer. Epicurean Society offers networking opportunities, insightful learning experiences and always a new adventure.

One of my first steps into a leadership role was when I interacted and connected with students within our program. I was welcomed to a bi-annual event, Breaking Barriers, hosted by the Harrah College of Hospitality’s very own Eta Sigma Delta Honor Society.

Traditionally, the event had been a social mixer for hospitality club leaders; however, this year’s event welcomed general members as well. Multiple organizations have maintained their presence in Breaking Barriers, including: The Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association and the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality.

It has always been Epicurean Society’s pleasure to provide small bites for the event. This year was no different. We prepared a group of cold dishes: a cold penne pasta salad with artichokes, caprese skewers, Caesar salad and tiramisu.

Providing food at the event certainly sets the mood for positivity and sociality. Not only was it a wonderful opportunity to showcase Epicurean Society’s passion and appreciation for food, it also allows us to network with likeminded individuals and a passionate student body.

Through these social events, Epicurean www.lvfnbpro.com

Society has had the opportunity to establish a connection with other organizations while simultaneously continuing to mentor and guide our general members. To supplement the experience, Breaking Barriers has always been a time and place for clubs to present their ideas and upcoming events. This social aspect allows the clubs to discuss and coordinate details as one team.

On the note of teams, I wanted to better understand some of the driving forces behind them: the students themselves. I interviewed Epicurean Society’s very own President, Deanna Wong and Vice President and Journalist, Justin Leung: two individuals that have an infectious passion in the food and beverage industry. I wanted more insight on how being involved in student organizations has developed them personally and professionally.

Also, as graduating seniors, I wondered if they had any advice for students involved or wanting to be involved into the industry.

Deanna Wong will be receiving her Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management. After graduation, she will be leaving to Florida to participate in the Disney College Program.

When asking about her goals, Deanna wants to “expand my horizons and explore the various areas this growing industry has for me.” Deanna has always worked in food and beverage and she mentions how living in Las Vegas for the past four years has allowed her to “explicitly see what the industry is like behind the scenes and as a guest.” Deanna also adds that she has a newfound interest in events and potentially pursuing catering.

Being the President of Epicurean Society for the past three semesters, Deanna notes how much the organization has taught her

about responsibility, communication and networking. She adds how meeting people from various backgrounds has “opened my eyes to the different cultures we have here in Las Vegas.” When asked about her advice to students, she advises to “never get comfortable.” She adds, “Set your eyes on a goal, but be okay with change because not everything goes as planned.”

Justin Leung will also be receiving his Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management. After graduation you can find Justin pursuing the Food & Beverage track for the Management Associate Program with MGM Resorts International. Justin’s work ethic and passion for the industry stems from helping his parents with their restaurant, starting at the age of twelve. Justin’s goals are to always continue that passion while maintaining a strong worklife balance. He has maintained more than one role, developing his discipline. Justin states, “I am more aware of the kinds of interactions that happen within an organization and the importance of transparent communication.”

Primarily, Justin advises that students in the industry should always “establish rapport and keep in touch with the people you meet.”

He mentions how important it is to know you are not alone in the industry. He also reminds us that “the magic of hospitality lies in your never-ending love for what we provide.”

Overall, I have found these student organizations to be an exceptional learning environment that brings together students whom all share the same passion for the industry. I sincerely look forward to sharing those experiences and expressing our appreciation for the local businesses that are the heart of this great city.

April 2019 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 27

Product Review

By Bob Barnes

ZOS Halo Wine Preserver Ever opened a great bottle of wine and forced yourself to drink it all within a day or two before it went bad? Or chose not to open an expensive bottle because you didn’t want it go bad before you could get your money’s worth out of it? Now there may be a solution. The ZOS Halo Wine Preserver utilizes a cartridge containing a nontoxic material which absorbs 100% of the oxygen in the wine bottle, stopping the oxidation process, to extend the life of wine for up to 2 months. Included is a test indicator light which will turn bright green or red indicating if the cartridge is still good, or ready for replacement. My unscientific test was on a very high quality bottle of wine that I opened, enjoyed a glass, and after inserting the ZOS into the bottle opening, re-tasted once a week for three weeks, and did not find any discernable difference in quality. Some caveats are: while it fits most 750 ml bottles, some larger screw cap necks and oversized bottles are not compatible; and the price, which is $75 (but almost half that much on Amazon) and $15 for replacement cartridges (last up to a dozen or so bottles, depending on usage). But you may find it worth the investment not to waste a pricy bottle, and give you the luxury of enjoying a glass at intervals greater than a few days. zos.wine

Daesang Kimchi Salsas Kimchi is one of the most treasured foods in Korean culture and a staple in Korean cuisine. To make it easy for you to obtain kimchi without having to take the time to ferment the vegetables, Daesang America has several variations ready for you to access by merely opening a jar. The Daesang company, founded in 1956 and headquartered in South Korea, has grown to be one of the world’s largest producers of fermented food products for every-day consumers. I sampled three of its newly-launched salsa products, part of its O’Food collection, and found each to have its own distinct flavor: Kimchi Salsa Tomato & Garlic, made with Napa cabbage, red pepper powder, garlic, onion, tomato and with a bit of jalapeno to give it a spicy punch; Gochujang Salsa—more intense heat, containing tomato, jalapeno, garlic and onion; and Kimchi Salsa Green Pepper & Onion— slight heat, with the main ingredient being kimchi with salted Napa cabbage, along with radish, garlic, bell pepper, ginger and jalapeno. All are only 10 calories per 2 Tbsp serving and make it easy to incorporate into your culinary creations, whether prepared at home or in a professional kitchen. I enjoyed all three, with each making me want to sample more, but also wanting to experiment with them in a dish of my creation.

Chalk Hill 2017 Estate Sauvignon Blanc The award-winning Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards & Winery, located in Healdsburg, CA, has distinguished itself as one of the leaders in the industry, producing some of the finest Sauvignon Blancs in the world. The Chalk Hill 2017 Estate Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Sauvignon Gris, 3% Sauvignon Musqué and 3% Semillon, a mix that adds layers of flavors to the wine. The wine is aged in a combination of neutral and new French oak and stainless steel, with a bi-weekly bâttonage for the first three months. The result is a luscious, crisp and refreshing wine with flavors of grapefruit, honeydew and lime that is both harmonious and complex. The winery describes it as a versatile wine that pairs well with anything from fresh salads and sautéed vegetables to grilled seafood and pasta, or to be enjoyed as an aperitif. www.chalkhill.com

Chanmé Frosé A somewhat new wine drinking experience is the Frosé, which as the name implies, is a rosé wine meant to drink frozen. Chanmé Frosé, made with 100% real California Rosé wine and natural flavors, is packaged in an easy to transport 10 oz ready-to-drink container with a top designed to fit a straw into, so no need to blend anything or clean up after. Directions are to freeze, squeeze and Frosé and after doing so I can see how one could make this into a daily habit, especially during the hotter seasons. Plus, at only 6.9% ABV the tagline “Frosé All Day” is a possibility to consider, and after enjoying it found myself disappointed I only had one packet. www.frozeallday.com

28 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

www.lvfnbpro.com

EVENTS

AD INDEX

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

Al Dentes’ Provisions sales@aldentes.com 702-642-1100

April 11-13: The 45th annual UNLVino, an event that raises money for UNLV college scholarships, will consist of three main events: BubbleLicious, a celebration of Champagne and sparkling wine on April 11; Sake Fever, an event featuring myriad sakes, Japanese spirits and cocktails on April 12; and The Grand Tasting, highlighting a collection of premium beverages alongside cuisine from UNLV’s culinary students and celebrated Vegas restaurants on April 13. www.UNLVino.com April 26-27: The 9th Annual Universal Whisky Experience will take place at Wynn Las Vegas. Founded by our friend, whisky enthusiast Mahesh Patel, it will feature exclusive tastings of the world's finest whiskies, classes and other whisky experiences. This event is one not to be missed by any serious whisky aficionado! www.universalwhiskyexperience.com

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Big Dog’s Brewing Company www.bigdogsbrews.com 702-368-3715

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Designated Drivers, Inc. designateddriversinc.com 877-456-7433

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Keep Memory Alive Event Center 702-263-9797 kmaeventcenterlasvegas.com

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

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The Las Vegas Epicurean Affair page 29 www.nvrestaurants.com/las-vegasepicurean-affair.html Lee's Beer & Tequila page 31 Experience leesliquorlv.com/13th-annual-lees-beertequila-experience World Tea Expo WorldTeaExpo.com

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May 9-12: Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appetit, a celebration of wine, food and spirits with 24 events hosted by an array of celebrity chefs, with the highlight being The Grand Tasting at Caesars Palace on May 10. vegasuncorked.com May 11: The 13th Annual Lee’s Beer & Tequila Experience will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV featuring unlimited tastes of more than 300 handcrafted beers and 70 tequilas. leesliquorlv.com/13th-annual-lees-beer-tequila-experience May 16: The Las Vegas Epicurean Affair, a fundraiser supporting the Nevada Restaurant Association's educational and scholarship programs, will be held at the Red Rock Resort pools, featuring many of the city’s most popular and well-regarded chefs and restaurants serving signature dishes, as well as Vegas’s top mixologists crafting classic and unique cocktails. www.nvrestaurants.com/las-vegas-epicurean-affair.html

30 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I April 2019

702-645-0049

www.jayssharpening.com • customerservice@jayssharpening.com

Mobile Service Our mobile service vans provide sharpening services on-site to even the largest resort properties, without disrupting workflow.

Commercial Knife Exchange Program We furnish sharp knives to your kitchen on a weekly or biweekly rotation schedule.

Equipment Sales We offer top-of-the-line knives, culinary tools, kitchen supplies and replacement parts.

W Harmon Ave Jay’s Sharpening Service

Cutting Board Resurfacing & Replacements

Arville St

June 10-13: The 17th Annual World Tea Expo, the leading tradeshow focused on advancing the business of tea, will convene at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and will gather more than 3,000 international professionals from various industries, including grocers and retailers, coffee and tea houses, restaurants and foodservice, hotels, manufacturers, distributors and more.

WorldTeaExpo.com

4310 W Tompkins Ave Las Vegas, NV 89103

Steak & Table Knife Re-Serration / Sharpening

W Tropicana Ave

www.lvfnbpro.com

13 TH ANNUAL

LEE’S BEER & TEQUILA

EXPERIENCE

Featuring Over 300 Handcrafted Beers and 70 of the Finest Tequilas

SATURDAY, MAY 11 • 4–8

GENERAL ADMISSION $ $

60 IN ADVANCE 70 AT THE DOOR

All Net Profits Go to Lee’s Helping Hand, a Non-Profit Organization.

Thanks to All of Our Sponsors from

June 10-13, 2019 | Las Vegas Convention Center

The Tea Industry Anticipates a 3-5% CAGR – Will You Miss It? World Tea Expo is Where Buyers Learn to Make BIG Margins on Tea Don’t miss the opportunity! Get top notch training at World Tea Expo 2019 straight from the experts: The Future of Tea: What Will the Industry Look Like?

Will Battle, Managing Director, Fine Tea Merchants Ltd. Today’s Trends: Beyond the Brew Christine Kapperman, Sr. Content Director, New Hope Network, Editor-in-Chief, Natural Foods Merchandiser Kombucha Tea - Boost Your Bottom Line with Functional Fermented Tea Hannah Crum, Founder, Kombucha Kamp So Many Teas and So Many Vendors - How to Select for Success!

Anupa Mueller, Owner, Eco-Prima Tea

REGISTER NOW FOR WORLD TEA EXPO 2019!

Secure your exclusive discount today.

Enter the code SPFLCN2 for $50 off the Full Conference pass for access to all these sessions and 60 more. worldteaexpo.com/register

* Discounted registration only valid with discount codes listed above. Offer not valid on existing registrations. Offer expires at midnight MDT, May 9, 2019.

All registrations are subject to business roof qualification.