Jun 22 2006

It’s a Show! It’s a Class! It’s…Cheflive!

by Megan Edwards
Cheflive
Cheflive

Las Vegas… the name conjures images of green felt, showgirls, slot machines, and… food! I myself used to think of the jewel of the Eastern Mojave as little more than a great place to stop and eat when I was on a road trip from California. Sure, you had to weave your way through a forest of one-armed bandits to get to the cheap prime rib glowing so alluringly from under a heat lamp, but hey! It would set you back only (pick your decade) $2.99, $4.99, $6.99, $8.99…

Well, the buffets are still here, and so are the aficionados of “all-you-can-eat” dining. But if, like me, you don’t particularly enjoy muscling your way up to the trough of jumbo prawns with a bunch of jumbo humans, you are as pleased as I that Las Vegas is not only for trenchermen these days, but also for those with an appetite for quality rather than quantity. With world-class chefs, restaurants, and culinary schools, Las Vegas rivals (dare I say it?) New York. I might as well add San Francisco and Los Angeles while I’m drawing comparisons. And Chicago. Because it’s true. In the last decade or so, Las Vegas has become a fabulous place to eat.

And now, it’s becoming a fabulous place for food-related fun. Just this week, an unusual new business opened that combines celebrity chefs, cooking lessons, and Las Vegas showmanship to offer afternoon entertainment, culinary education, and some mighty good eats. Based in the newly restored historic Holsum Lofts building in downtown Las Vegas, Cheflive has a state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen that’s also a cutting-edge television studio. Founded by a chef who figured out he had a bit of geek in him along with his cooking talent, Cheflive also has a multi-media Web site from which you can purchase videos of cooking classes, gourmet food, and lots of other food-and-Vegas-related items.

The cooking show I attended featured several Las Vegas-based chefs. First was Terence Fong, Executive Chef at Wolfgang Puck’s Chinois restaurant at Caesars Forum Shops. Assisted by the Scintas - local celebrities who perform at the Sahara - Chef Fong showed us how to make one of Chinois’ popular appetizers, Albacore Tataki.

Cookbooks are fine, but there’s nothing like watching a true master at work. There’s also no more pleasant way to do it than from a comfortable chair with an excellent view. In fact, every seat in the room had an excellent view enhanced by monitors that provided even more visibility.

After sampling the excellent Albacore Tataki, I watched Peter Sherlock make lentil soup with Andouille sausage. Sherlock is a chef with Le Cordon Bleu, and had the “Rat Pack” from the Greek Isles casino as his assistants. Once again, it was both fascinating and entertaining to learn about how flavors blend in the soup-making process, and the result was delectable.

Videos of Cheflive’s shows are all available through the Cheflive Web site, where you can also buy tickets to attend classes in person. This summer, ChefLive will also be hosting classes for kids, and founder John Guinivere has more entertainingly educational projects in the works. Cheflive is a creative, appealing - and delicious - addition to the Las Vegas food scene, and it adds a tempting new option to the selection of afternoon shows in town.

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