Culinary Stars On Board At Wynn Las Vegas

Juliet Glass
Posted: March 2, 2005

Daniel Boulud will be opening Daniel Boulud Brasserie in Steve Wynn's new resort and casino, Wynn Las Vegas, slated to launch in April.

Well, Boulud will be in good company; here's the lowdown on the rest of Wynn's culinary cast of characters. Boulud's protégé Philippe Rispoli will be exec chef at the brasserie. Jimmy Sneed, chef/owner of the now-shuttered The Frog and the Redneck (Richmond, VA), is opening Jimmy Sneed's at the Country Club, a regional American venue overlooking the golf course. Paul Bartolotta (formerly chef/co-owner of The Bartolotta Restaurants, based in Milwaukee) will introduce an Italian seafood concept, Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare. Stephen Kalt (chef/owner of NYC's Spartina and Spazzia, both closed) will be doing a chic Mediterranean eatery, Corsa. Eric Klein, former top toque at Maple Drive (L.A.), is helming a tony steakhouse, SW. Alessandro Stratta (recently of the closed Renoir at The Mirage) will run the kitchen at a namesake restaurant, Alex. Chef Takashi Yagihashi will be in charge of the high-end Japanese Okada. He hails from Tribute Restaurant (Farmington Hills, MI).

Overseeing all the resort's dining venues are exec chef Grant MacPherson (formerly commandant of culinary operations at Bellagio); exec pastry chef Frédéric Robert (formerly Alain Ducasse's pastry right-hand man); exec assistant pastry chef Keegan Gerhard (recently corporate pastry chef for Ritz-Carlton); and 31-year-old wine director Danielle Price (who spent the last seven years as corporate wine director for Smith & Wollensky). Finally, Kevin Stuessi (who has been the architect of Wynn's f&b programs for the past five years) is vice president of f&b, and Steve Weitman (a Disney veteran) is exec director of f&b.