Show 10, December 22, 2012: (Chef) Jeffrey Frederick, VP of Food & Beverage for Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas

Jeffrey Frederick, VP of food and beverage, Caesars Entertainment; Jeff Eichelberger, Wine Sommelier, Gordon Ramsay Steak; JP Teresi, General Manager, Gordon Ramsay Steak; Steve Yi, Pastry Chef, Gordon Ramsay Steak; Kevin Hee, Executive Chef, Gordon Ramsay Steak; Chef Gordon RamsayOn Monday evening in Las Vegas (Dec. 17th) Gordon Ramsay Steak at The Paris in Las Vegas hosted a spectacular Friends of James Beard Foundation Benefit (five courses plus passed hors d’oeuvres to start, and wine pairings for each course) to fund the new Gordon Ramsay Steak scholarship at the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas.

Mr. Frederick introduced the dinner as well as presented the closing remarks. Chef Ramsay also spoke and greeted all of the guests.

Jeffrey recounted the evening. He also detailed all of the recently opened Chef Gordon Ramsay restaurants in Las Vegas.

Gordon Ramsay Steak opened last May and has already served an astonishing 82,495 guests as of early December! Last Tuesday evening Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill opened at Caesar’s Palace in the former Bradley Ogden space, and today, Dec. 22nd Gordon Ramsay BurGR debuts at Planet Hollywood. To open two, high-profile, celebrity chef restaurants in Las Vegas in the space of a week has to be a record!

December 22: Holiday Party Planning Special

Podcasts

Segment One: Jet Tila, William Lewis (Sommelier and Managing Partner @ The Winery Restaurant and Wine Bar in Tustin,) and Elizabeth Whitt, Chef Instructor and pastry master, deluxe.
Segment Two: American Style Maven Nathan Turner
Segment Three: Cathy Thomas, Food Writer for the Orange County Register
Segment Four: Roberta Koz Wilson of Cookies For A Koz
Segment Five: Jacqueline Canter of Canter’s Deli
Segment Six: (Chef) Jeffrey Frederick, VP of Food & Beverage for Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas

There are still ladles more of Holiday Cheer to serve on the “SoCal Restaurant Show” so please make us part of your Saturday morning.

Last Saturday we were happy to step aside early for the Angels’ big press conference to introduce slugger Josh Hamilton so on Dec. 22nd we’ll pick up our Holiday Entertaining special.

Sir William Lewis of the Winery Restaurant and Wine Bar in TustinChef Instructor Elizabeth Whitt (also an accomplished pastry chef) and sommelier and Managing Partner of The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar, William Lewis, encore to discuss incredible Holiday desserts. Sir William will also give us the 411 on ice wines.

We’re pleased to welcome American style maven Nathan Turner to the show. Perhaps you saw him on the “Today Show” on December 20th. Nathan will be sharing his tips on decorating the Holiday Table. His new book is Nathan Turner’s American Style : Classic Design & Effortless Entertaining. (Abrams.)

Cathy Thomas, the award-winning food writer for The Orange County Register has enthusiastically chronicled the food scene in Orange County for over twenty years. Cathy joins us to discuss The Register’s newly enhanced Food Section and her recent travels in Kauai.

Melissa's 50 Best Plants on the Planet CookbookCathy will be back with us on January 5th to fill us in on her newly published third book, Melissa’s 50 Best Plants On The Planet – The Most Nutrient –Dense Fruits and Vegetables, in 150 Delicious Recipes. Gift editions are available exclusively at Melissa’s World Variety Produce site.

It’s Holiday Time and what more thoughtful gift than absolutely delicious chocolate chip cookies baked in small batches! The big plus is that each sale benefits The Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Roberta Koz Wilson (jazz saxophone great Dave Koz’s sister) of Cookies for a Koz joins us to share the inspirational story. The cookies are a tribute to their late mother, Audrey, who created the original cookie recipe. The truth is that these famous cookies opened a lot of doors for Dave in his early days as a struggling musician!

Canter's Delicatessen in the Fairfax District of Los AngelesSince 1931 Canter’s Delicatessen has been serving the deli obsessed and the satisfied guests keep returning. In 1948 they moved from Boyle Heights to their current location on N. Fairfax Ave. in Los Angeles. They were one of the first late-hour hangs.

Canter’s is slow to change (and proud of it) but the 4th generation of the Canter Family has listened to their guests and implemented a series of menu changes to better serve the contemporary customer.

4th generation family spokesperson, Jacqueline Canter, is our guest to explain it all. (She is also affectionately known as the Bagel Queen.)

“The SoCal Restaurant Show” was on assignment in Las Vegas earlier this week. We covered the exclusive Friends of James Beard Benefit at Gordon Ramsay Steak at The Paris Las Vegas where Chef Ramsay himself was the star attraction. It was quite a spectacular! By year’s end Chef Ramsay will be overseeing three busy restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip! Look out Wolfgang Puck.

We’ll also report on some worthwhile dining adventures off The Strip.

Podcasts

Segment One: Jet Tila, William Lewis (Sommelier and Managing Partner @ The Winery Restaurant and Wine Bar in Tustin,) and Elizabeth Whitt, Chef Instructor and pastry master, deluxe.
Segment Two: American Style Maven Nathan Turner
Segment Three: Cathy Thomas, Food Writer for the Orange County Register
Segment Four: Roberta Koz Wilson of Cookies For A Koz
Segment Five: Jacqueline Canter of Canter’s Deli
Segment Six: (Chef) Jeffrey Frederick, VP of Food & Beverage for Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas

Show 4: October 27, 2012: Brock Radke of Las Vegas Weekly

Our Las Vegas insider, Brock, was back with more great finds.

Chef Gordon Ramsay is going to have three restaurants open on The Strip before the end of the year. Looks like the Brits have landed. Already launched is Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris Las Vegas. Next up is Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill in the former Bradley Ogden space in the center of the action at Caesar’s Palace on the way to Forum Shops.

The 3rd spot is a burger joint, GR Burger, with a youthful vibe. It’s going to be at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. All three properties are owned by Caesars Entertainment.
Brock then moved Downtown to highlight the resurgence there. There is new nightlife on E. Fremont St. Insert Coin(s) is a happening video game centric nightclub. Brock also recommends a favorite breakfast spot and his top pick for Thai.