Culinary stars launch weeklong food fest on Las Vegas Strip — PHOTOS
Feast and Revelry are not strictly synonymous, but they have certainly enjoyed an intimate and enduring association, with the former a species of the latter. Where Feast goes, Revelry follows.
Which makes it entirely appropriate that on Saturday, The Feast, a vast grazing across five culinary “universes,” kicked off Revelry, the lollapalooza at Wynn Las Vegas that runs through Sept. 27, with celebrated chefs flourishing like mint in spring to present demonstrations, tastings, lunches, dinners and general gustatory muchness.
The Feast occupied the Wynn Event Pavilion & Lawn, down a long approach from the Wynn tower (thank goodness for cooling offerings of San Pellegrino and Duckhorn wine), with a swollen Sphere rising just behind the stage, with a playlist bouncing from “Mambo Italiano” to techno bongos, and with diaphonously robed dancers and tightly jeaned cowboys promising more entertainment to come.
Dozens of Las Vegas chefs and visiting chefs prepared items for the culinary experiences: Lotus Passage (Chinese, Japanese and Thai foods), Destino México (Baja, the Yucatán and Mexico City), Mediterranea (coastal cooking from Italy and Greece), Four Sixes Cookout (ranch cooking inspired by the TV series “Yellowstone”), and Sucre (classic and seasonal desserts).
Kitchen and Hollywood stars
Over here, there was chef Antonia Lofaso, the restaurateur and Food Network star who now lives in Vegas. Over there, you found another Food Network star, chef Aaron May, slicing a chuckwagon beef Wellington. Over here? Chef Sarah Thompson, a James Beard Award nominee this year, serving Mexican blue shrimp ceviche from Casa Playa at Wynn. Over there? Jennifer Yee, executive pastry chef of the property, making her way to the Sucre encampment.
Across the pavilion, there was chef Shirley Chung, the dumpling queen of Los Angeles, who was steaming plump squid ink dumplings stuffed with uni, pork fat and shrimp mousse. And actor Ian Somerhalder, star of “Lost” and “Vampire Diaries,” dropped by to share his Brothers Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
But the pictures from The Feast in the accompanying gallery really give the full flavor. You’ll almost want to lick the screen.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.
