Show 25, April 13, 2013: Luciano Pellegrini, Executive Chef/Partner of Valentino Las Vegas in The Venetian

Luciano Pellegrini of Valentino Las VegasLuciano has been the guiding force behind Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino Las Vegas since it opened 14 years ago. He relocated from Los Angeles and has very visibly been at the helm ever since.

He’s one of the few James Beard award-winning chefs who actually cooks in a Las Vegas restaurant full-time and lives there!

Unfortunately we missed connecting with Chef Luciano and hope to talk with him at another time. The Valentino news is that the restaurant will be closing at The Venetian with the hope it will soon be transplanted to a new location.

The better news is that Chef Luciano and his fine staff will be serving guests until the end of June if not longer. Enjoy the original Valentino Las Vegas experience while you can. When it comes to elegant Italian fine-dining with exemplary service and a superb wine program you really can’t do better!

Andrew Zimmern and Jet Tila on Appetite for LifeTravel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern is a fan of Chef Jet’s food and has been wanting to cook with him on TV for some time. It finally happened on February 17th when Andrew visited Jet at The Charleston in Santa Monica for their Sunday Jazz Brunch. Jet demonstrated two dishes for Andrew Zimmern for a new Web series Andrew has on MSN. The series goes by the name “Appetite for Life”.

If you go to the Web site, you’ll see a big window on the Home page with color photo links to the Season 5 episodes. If you tab through the 16 episodes presented there (right and left) Jet is Number 5. The webisode itself is titled “A World of Culinary Wisdom”.

Enjoy.

Show 15, February 2, 2013: Ti Adelaide Martin, New Orleans restaurateur, co-owner of Commander’s Palace, Café Adelaide and the Swizzle Stick Bar, and SoBou

Ti Adelaide MartinTi is a member of the legendary Brennan Family who represent true restaurant royalty in New Orleans. They know genuine hospitality!

With the Super Bowl coming tomorrow Ti commented on the craziness of the season. They are calling it Super Gras because after the big game it’s the continuation of Mardi Gras season leading up to Fat Tuesday, February 12th

Commander’s Palace is especially popular with powerful, well-connected  locals but all are welcome. Their popular Sunday Jazz Brunch is now also done on Saturdays. The owner of the New Orleans Saints is a regular at Commander’s

Ti’s newest project is SoBou (South of Bourbon Street) in the French Quarter adjacent to the W French Quarter.

It’s a casual spot for inspired small plates and signature cocktails. Juan Carlos Gonzalez is the executive chef but Commander’s exec, Tory McPhail, collaborated on the initial menu.

One of the most original features is the four-seat “bar chef’s table” at one end of the bar. Here prix-fixe menus are expertly matched with exotic cocktails with the chef and master bartender working right in front of you. That’s an evening’s entertainment!