Question of the Day - 05 August 2015

This is a timely question, in light of the recent firing by Wynn Resorts of two-time James Beard Award-winner Paul Bartolotta, with an unusually candid press release from the property stating that "It has been a staple of the Wynn culinary philosophy that the chef whose name is on the menu is the person who actually prepares your meal." Ouch! (The renowned seafood chef is not on the Food Network roster, but has had plenty of television airtime, including appearances on Bravo's "Top Chef" and on "Iron Chef America.")

Bartolotta's absenteeism is the norm rather than the exception, however, when it comes to "big name" restaurants in Las Vegas and the owners of those names; you'll be lucky to catch any of your favorites from Food Network in the flesh. Here's an overview:

• Veteran Food Network star and host of its current "Giada at Home" series, Giada de Laurentiis, had never actually opened a restaurant until she debuted her eponymous eatery, Giada, at The Cromwell in July of last year. She has her fingers in more than one pie, so to speak, but we were pleasantly surprised to read in a recent issue of LV Weekly that "Giada is in Las Vegas often, far more than many of her celebrity peers. She often takes two-day trips early in the week, when it’s easier to spend time in the dining room visiting guests without getting mobbed and creating problems for service. Her Vegas chef friends tell her she has to get out of the restaurant more, to see what else is happening on and off the Strip, to take a break. But once she’s in her restaurant, leaving is close to impossible."

Reading about how the presence of the TV celebrity can prove overly disruptive to restaurant operations was an eye-opener that made a little more sense to us of why many of them are seldom, if ever, to be seen again on property, once the fanfare and media feeding frenzy of opening night has run its course. Still, the cynic in us is pretty confident that this is only a small part of the answer -- after all, if the "Name" was hard at work in the kitchen (assuming it wasn't one of those open affairs, à la Giada), then the only indication diners might have of their proximity to a culinary deity would be via that certain je ne sais quoi experienced by their taste buds.

• The other famous female chefs with a Las Vegas presence, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, the duo behind Border Grill and stars of Food Network's "Too Hot Tamales" and "Tamales World Tour", not to mention Bravo's "Top Chef Masters," are really California-oriented, but they now have two Las Vegas outposts, at Mandalay Bay and in Caesars' Forum Shops, and they do pay regular visits to Sin City. For example, on August 19 they'll be hosting a special "Top Chef Masters" Reunion Dinner in the kitchen of the MBay location (tickets are $150 per person) and they're regulars at downtown's annual Life is Beautiful music-and-lifestyle festival.

• Food Network staple Bobby Flay now has two Las Vegas restaurants, with Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace and his casual Bobby's Burger Palace at CityCenter, but the only times we've been aware of his presence here in lately have been for the opening of the latter, and a book signing. We're not even sure if he was in town for Mesa Grill's 10th-anniversary celebrations last year.

• The same goes for Guy Fieri, who wasn't here for the May 29 "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" viewing party at Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar at The LINQ. Instead, the party was emceed by Executive Chef Tony Leitera.

As far as some other celebrity chefs of TV fame are concerned, Hubert Keller recently co-hosted the Chalk Hill Wine Dinner at Mandalay Bay, with Director of Wine, Harley Carbery and Vice President of Vineyard Operation at Chalk Hill Winery, Mark Lingenfelder, which included a four-course dinner at Keller's Fleur restaurant at Mandalay Bay (it was $110/person, plus tax/gratuity).

Gordon Ramsay made a surprise visit to his Burgr restaurant at Caesars last October, we learned via a post to celebrity-sighting site Smarp.com. Ramsay was also spotted, in May of last year ,partying at MGM Grand's Hakkasan nightclub with "Cake Boss" star and Venetian/Palazzo restaurateur Buddy Valastro. The duo were both in town for the annual Vegas Uncork’d food-and-drink festival by Bon Appétit, which features lots of the type of interactive-cooking demos that you reference. We haven't heard anything about the specific sessions you ask about, although every now and then something of this nature does occur, like the recent event hosted by Sinatra at Wynn. Bellagio also has its custom-built Tuscany Show Kitchen, which stages special interactive cooking classes and demos, sometimes for invited guests only, on other occasions open to all, for a fee. The Executive Chef’s Culinary Classroom events, scheduled to take place on Aug. 27 and Sept. 29, however, were recently canceled with no explanation given.

Returning to the Vegas Uncork'd concept, in this may lie the key to spotting a famous chef around these parts, especially one in action: Don't expect to catch them with their sleeves rolled up, back-of-house at their own restaurant, but instead target this and the other numerous food festivals that punctuate the Las Vegas event calendar, like Vegas Food & Wine, the Food & Wine All-Star Weekend, or Las Vegas Epicurean Affair, when you'll find the city, in particular the host venue(s), awash with famous chefs who are often sharing/showing off their skills and signature-dish preparations.

And another one, confirming our advice (thanks!): "Not a question, but a response to today's Question of the Day. Re: celebrity chefs, Vegas Uncork'd is the best place to see them. I have been served by Bobby Flay, Michael Mina, Wolfgang Puck, and Tom Colicchio from Craftsteak. And the food was delish!" 08/05/2015 A reader writes: "This is not a question but a response. Sometime last year, Mandalay Bay had a craft beer and food festival in their beach area that my son and I attended. It wasn't a real big event, but I was fortunate enough to talk to and have Hubert Keller serve me a couple of small plates from his kiosk."