It’s a day for Las Vegas foodies to celebrate; four local chefs, one from the Strip and three off-Strip, were recently named as semifinalists for the highly coveted James Beard Best Chef Southwest award.
The four incredible Las Vegas chefs are Dan Krohmer, Nicole Brisson, Alan Ji, and James Trees. The four lucky Las Vegans will compete for the title of Best Chef in the Southwest, along with 16 other regional chefs from New Mexico, Arizona, and even Oklahoma.
Let’s Meet the Four Local Epicurean Masters
Dan Krohmer first worked at sushi prep at a Japanese restaurant in Sacramento. That love of raw seafood was apparent when Krohmer opened Other Mama on S. Durango in 2015. Other Mama quickly became the hottest seafood restaurant in the valley. Other Mama specializes in sustainable, seasonal, and extremely fresh seafood prepared in a global style. Other Mama’s center point is the raw bar, which features sushi, ceviche, and the freshest raw oysters.
Last year Krohmer opened Downtown conceptual eateries, La Monja Cantina and Hatsumi, both at Ferguson’s Motel. La Monja is a quirky Mexican cantina, featuring a raw seafood bar; raw oysters and ceviche of all types are on the menu at La Monja. On the other hand, Hatsumi is inspired by the traditional omotenashi-style Japanese restaurant.
Nicole Brisson, previously served as head chef at Eataly at Park MGM and Carnevino, at the Palazzo Hotel Casino. Brisson ventured out on her own last summer, with Locale a meat-centric Italian eatery. Locale is located at Mountain’s Edge; Mountain’s Edge is located on the far western edge of the valley, near Red Rocks on Blue Diamond Road. Brisson’s forte is serving la cucina povera (Italian peasant food), and she learned her craft in Italy, studying under legendary butcher, Dario Cecchini.
Alan Ji has been a celebrated chef on the Strip for a very long time, including Chef De Cuisine at Wing Lei, located at the Wynn Las Vegas, sous chef at the Hakkasan, MGM Las Vegas, and Mott 32 at the Venetian. Ji’s specialty is modern and innovative Chinese cuisine, with a focus on Cantonese style, as well as some influence from Beijing and Szechuan styles.
James Trees enlivened the Downtown dining scene with Esther’s Kitchen, named after his great-aunt Esther, who sponsored Trees education at the Culinary Institute of America. Esther’s Kitchen was followed by Ada’s at Tivoli Village. James Trees cooking style is eclectic, with a focus on fresh, light Italian fare.
The James Beard Competitions
James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards represent the most prestigious awards for the very best in the food and beverage industry. This year’s awards will mark the 30th anniversary the James Beard Foundation has recognized the best food and drinks the United States has to offer.
James Beard, May 5, 1903, to January 23, 1985, was a TV chef who authored dozens of cookbooks. Beard was the first to champion Pacific Northwest cuisine. Pacific Northwest cuisine focuses on ingredients from the Pacific coast, such as salmon, shellfish, game meats such as elk, moose, and venison, as well as mushrooms, berries, and wild plants such as fiddleheads and cow parsnip.
The James Beard Foundation had its beginning in 1986 by founder Peter Kump. Kump was a student of James Beard, and also the founder of the Institute of Culinary Education.
The finalists for this year’s James Beard Restaurant and Chef nominees will be announced on March 25. The awards ceremony and gala will take place on May 4 at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. Let’s hope our four Vegas finalists make it all the way to Chicago and bring the big prize back to the valley.
