Las Vegas Weekly

March 22, 2010 · 5:18 PM

Las Vegas star chefs among 2010 James Beard Award finalists

By Robin Leach

Holly Madison participates in a cooking demonstration led by chef Rick Moonen at Three Square Food Bank.

Photo: Scott Harrison/Retna/www.harrisonphotos.com

Three beloved Las Vegas chefs will battle it out for the title of Best Chef of the Year Southwest in the 2010 James Beard Awards, and several other Strip chefs are represented in the Oscars of the food industry. The finalists, whittled down from the semifinalists we reported Feb. 18, were announced today in New Orleans, and the winners will be announced at New York’s Lincoln Center on May 3.

The three Best Chefs of the Southwest finalists are the off-Strip Saipan Chutima from Lotus of Siam, and MGM chefs Claude Le Tohic from Joel Robuchon at MGM and the well-deserved Rick Moonen from RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay.

Photo: TVT

Joel Robuchon.

I will go on record saying it is a grievous oversight that the semifinalists Sage at Aria was overlooked in the final count for Best New Restaurant and Best Southwest Chef with Shawn McLain. Julian Serrano’s restaurants in Bellagio and Aria also were overlooked, which is another travesty. Hopefully next year!

Our pal Michael Mina from MGM, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio and Aria is recognized twice in the prestigious awards: His RN74 in San Francisco is nominated for Best New Restaurant, and his self-named restaurant, also in the City by the Bay, is nominated for Outstanding Service, competing against Joel Robuchon’s restaurant at MGM Grand. Joel’s MGM pastry chef Kamel Guechuda is up for the Outstanding Pastry Chef of the Year.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

The chefs of CityCenter gather for the Grand Opening of Aria on Dec. 16, 2009. Michael Mina is pictured here in his restaurant American Fish.

Chef Tom Colicchio, well known to foodies here for his Craft at MGM and as host of Bravo’s Top Chef, is nominated as Outstanding Chef of the Year for his original Craft in Manhattan. Two other New York chefs with outposts here in Las Vegas will do battle against each other in the Outstanding Restaurant Award category: Mario Batali, who has restaurants at The Venetian and Palazzo here, has been nominated for his Babbo in New York City and Daniel Boulud from the Wynn for his Daniel in Manhattan.

Timothy Hollingsworth, former Venetian chef for Thomas Keller Brasserie and now at Thomas’ extraordinary French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., has been nominated for Rising Star Chef of the Year.

Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage

Todd English and his mother at the opening of Todd English P.U.B. at CityCenter's Crystals on March 16, 2010.

OTHER LAS VEGAS CONNECTIONS

Congratulations to Todd English from Bellagio and Aria being nominated for Best TV Special for Food Trip With Todd English, and The Venetian and Palazzo’s Emeril Lagasse who will go head-to-head in the TV category with Emeril’s Culinary Adventures: Napa.

Architect and designer David Rockwell, who has masterminded numerous Las Vegas restaurants, Crystals at MGM’s CityCenter and even Peepshow at Planet Hollywood, will be inducted into the Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America at the glittering back-tie Lincoln Center ceremonies.

A hearty congratulations to all of our Las Vegas-linked honorees!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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