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| Bobby Flay & Michael Richard |
Last
night some of the finest chefs in the world put their talents on display at
Caesars Palace for the first night of Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit. Renowned chefs Bobby Flay, Michel Richard,
François Payard, Guy Savoy and the Pellegrino and Straci families that serve as
the foundation of Rao’s restaurant, prepared special menus as part of the sold
out Master Series dinners. Ticketed guests had the unique opportunity to dine
on dishes prepared by celebrated chefs, while sipping on wine specially paired
with the multi-course menus. Guests at these exclusive dinners had the
opportunity to interact and have a truly personal experience with culinary
masters.
Bobby
Flay, one of the world’s best known chefs, hosted an intimate “Spices of Life”
dinner at Mesa Grill. In true Bobby Flay style, the meal was comprised of four
dishes with seven different chilli peppers. Flay was joined by Editor-in-Chief
of Bon Appétit Adam Rapoport who told the crowd, “He knows chilies; that’s what
he does.”
Flay
also surprised the guests by changing the dessert from what was listed on the
menu. He had originally planned to serve crème brulee, but decided to finish
off the meal with a chocolate tart wrapped in a unique pretzel crust. The salty
and sweet concoction with a little bit of spice did not disappoint. Chef Flay
answered questions, made jokes and chatted with his dinner guests. One
gentleman told him that he makes great habanero wings and Flay responded, “Are
you ready for a wing throwdown?”
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| Michel Richard |
The
newest addition to the Master Series dinners was Chef Michel Richard, who,
along with Bon Appétit’s Contributing Wine Editor David Lynch, hosted a
five-course dinner with wine pairings at Central, which opened less than a year
ago. Since opening, Central Michel Richard was named one of 2012’s Top Ten New
Restaurants in the U.S. by Gayot. Sophie Gayot was in attendance and welcomed
the crowd of almost 100 people to the dinner, mentioning that Richard is one of
five chefs with a 19 out of 20 rating from Gayot.com. Richard responded by
saying, “In school I was always a two or a three; in restaurants I’m a 19!”
Guests
had the opportunity to get up close and personal with pastry master François
Payard in his intimate dining room. The six-course tasting menu featured rack
of lamb and pan-seared turbot along with a dessert of seared pineapple, tapioca
parfait, coconut sorbet and pineapple chips. Guests were welcomed by Bon
Appétit Collection Chef Ryan Scott who introduced Chef Payard by saying, “I
have no French accent so I call him Francis.” Payard told the group, “My idea
of opening this place in Las Vegas was not to open a restaurant, but to create
an experience.”
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| Guy Savoy |
Restaurant
Guy Savoy treated guests to six courses of refined elegance including the famed
artichoke and black truffle soup. Michelin Star Chef Guy Savoy interacted with
guests and took photos. Andrew Knowlton, restaurant and drinks editor for Bon
Appétit who has hosted a Master Series dinner every year since the inception
six years ago, greeted guests explaining, “They never let me host Guy Savoy and
I was always jealous of those who did. But this year, they let me crash the
party.”
Guests
were treated, and fed, like family at Rao’s, enjoying roasted peppers, stuffed
calamari, seared scallops, veal short ribs and of course, Rao’s famous
meatballs. The evening was hosted by the Rao’s and Straci families as well as
Chef de Cuisine Mary Nolan from Bon Appétit. Frank Pellegrino Jr. told the
crowd that Vegas Uncork’d is, “one of the best culinary events in the country
and on the plane.
Credit
photos: © Erik Kabik/ RETNA/ erikkabik.com
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