Las Vegas Weekly

January 27, 2009 · 9:43 AM

Star chefs are betting Obama boosts restaurant business and improves healthy food options

By Robin Leach

Barack Obama takes the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts to become the 44th president of the United States at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Photo: Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press

Top chefs at Las Vegas eateries are thrilled about President Obama’s eating habits and believe his dining out style will energize the restaurant and food business. Several of America’s star chefs were in the nation’s capital for the presidential inauguration, and now they are saying that Obama’s flair for good food also will improve the country’s healthy food choices.

Although former President George W. Bush rarely dined out, the chefs believe that Obama will be seen out in restaurants far more often because he loves trying new and different foods. Even before his political run, the new president appeared on a TV restaurant review program in Chicago talking about menus and meals.

Chef Rick Bayless -- who is well-known in Las Vegas food circles and owns the Mexican restaurant Topolobampo in Chicago, which Obama calls one of his favorites -- said: “He’s the kind of diner who wants to taste everything. What I’m hoping is that he’s going to recognize we need to do what we can in our country to encourage real food for everyone. When he wanted a special margarita made with the finest ingredients straight up and shaken at his table, he said, ‘That’s the way I roll.’ That means that when chefs talk ‘farm to table’ and ‘real food,’ we will see more of that with this administration!”

Photo: Heidi Gutman/Bravo

Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio of Bravo's Top Chef. They look friendly enough until it's "pack your knives and go" time.

Two of our Strip stars, Daniel Boulud from the Wynn and Tom Colicchio from the MGM Grand, were among the chefs at the inauguration. They want diners to follow their lead with locally grown, environmentally friendly, nutritious food either home grown or from farmers markets instead of overprocessed and oversubsidized produce that harms the environment.

Daniel, who has cooked for five former presidents, says he would like to see the Department of Agriculture have a division that looks after small food producing farms. Tom, who has been the main judge on Bravo’s Top Chef, wants more support for local farmers and less subsidies for corporate farms. He also wants genetically engineered foods labeled so consumers know what is real -- and not!

Italian chef Lidia Bastianich -- who is the mother of Joe Bastianich, co-owner of the three Mario Batali restaurants at The Venetian and the Palazzo -- says she’ll push Obama’s new agriculture secretary for more incentives to small farmers so they can compete against big giants.

All the chefs agreed that they want the new first family to publish their meals daily. “It would make Americans more food conscious and get them out to restaurants to eat like the president,” Rick summed up.

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