Las Vegas Weekly

May 3, 2010 · 6:53 PM

Claude Le Tohic wins James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest

By Robin Leach

French star chefs Joel Robuchon, Alain Ducasse and Guy Savoy.

Photo: TVT

An impressive contingent of Las Vegas chefs were nominees going into tonight’s James Beard Awards in New York City, and one of them won for their local outlet. Congratulations to Claude Le Tohic of Joel Robuchon in MGM Grand, who was named Best Chef Southwest over our other Las Vegas culinary royalty Rick Moonen of RM Seafood in Mandalay Bay and Saipin Chutima of Lotus of Siam.

Claude was the only Las Vegas chef recognized at the Lincoln Center ceremony. The other Las Vegas-centric food stars won for their Manhattan restaurants and received no recognition here. The James Beard Foundation is headquartered in New York City, and it was Big Apple chefs who ran away with the big wins.

Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio won the Outstanding Chef Award for his restaurant Craft in Manhattan, not MGM. Culinary king Daniel Boulud won Outstanding Restaurant for Daniel in Manhattan, but not for his Wynn restaurant. Jean-Georges Vongerichten saw his sommelier Bernard Sun win for his Manhattan restaurant but not for either his new Jean-Georges at Aria in CityCenter or for Prime in the Bellagio.

Las Vegas had one other connection with the winner’s circle. Timothy Hollingsworth of Thomas Keller’s French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., was named Rising Star Chef. Timothy worked with Thomas on Bouchon here at The Venetian. The glittering event was co-hosted by Wolfgang Puck, who has six restaurants here in Las Vegas, and he will be here this week for Vegas Uncork’d.

In summary, I wonder if the Manhattan chefs receive their awards because the James Beard Foundation is headquartered there and we never have James Beard events here. However, at great expense, many Las Vegas restaurants send their chefs to present moneymaking dinners for the foundation without any reimbursement for cost, travel and time involved!

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.

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

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