Politz Honored

		The Neptune Pool at  Caesar’s Palace was the place to be Sunday evening March 4, for the “Stars are Shining,” event to celebrate the nominees and winners of the Nevada Restaurant Association’s Market Maker, Five Star and Culinary Excellence Awards. Michael Politz took home The Culinary Excellence Award, Allied Member of the Year, for his work as publisher of the highly influential Las Vegas Food & Beverage Magazine. He was in good company with fellow nominees Tony Aquino (Southwest Linen) and John Rubalcata (Mission Industries). Politz was deeply honored and humbled to be presented the award by his mentor and long time confidant Chef Andre Rochet. Upon receiving the award, Politz immediately held the plaque aloft overhead urging his peers and colleagues to, “Make a difference, make a difference.” Among those in attendance were friends Kevin Dubrow, lead singer of hair metal band Quiet Riot and branding baroness extraordinaire Randi Ploff.

Quick Bites

The Patina Restaurant Group has purchased the popular steakhouse chain Smith & Wollensky while outbidding competitor Landry’s Restaurant Inc by agreeing to a $9.25 payout per share, almost $2 more than Landry’s offer of $7.50. Patina is owned in part by famed chef Joachim Splichal and currently operates Pinot Brasserie in The Venetian’s restaurant row. They plan to expand the concept into multiple markets, while keeping all six existing Smith & Wollensky outlets, including one in Las Vegas. Before Landry’s bid buoyed the stock price, Smoth & Wollensky’s had experienced five consecutive years of losses since taking the company public.

We wanted to offer a quick congratulations to Yong Jin ‘Jimmy’ Kim and Brittany Bennett, two students at the University of Nevada Las Vegas’ acclaimed Hotel Administration School. The two culinary arts management students have been selected for the prestigious Banfi Research Fellowship, which includes an all-expenses paid gastronomical tour of Italy. If recent history is any indication, both of these students use this fellowship to go on to great success in the industry. Back in 2001, it was LVFBM Vice President and current UNLV adjunct professor Bryan Bass who received this tremendous honor. He would go on to play a key role in beverage management teams for Caesars Entertainment (back when it existed) and MGM Mirage as while as using the knowledge obtained on this trip to receive certification from the Master Court of Sommeliers. Congratulations to Kim and Bennett on this tremendous honor!

The great grand-son of pioneering French chef Auguste Escoffier, Michel, has announced he will be making a visit to the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas later this month for two purposes; the dedication of the library in his own name, and to give the commencement speech at the schools graduation ceremony which will be commencing the education of 140 bright-eyed chefs.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has landed their fourth consecutive #1st place finish in the Market Metrix Hospitality Index’s luxury hotel category. The MMHI evaluates customer satisfaction of hotels, airlines and car rental companies through in-depth consumer interviews of 140,000 consumers. "For nearly 25 years, the hotels of The Ritz-Carlton have been consistently rated among the best in the world,” noted MMHI chairman Jonathan Barsky commented on the chains regularly strong showing. “While known for their premium accommodations, and some of the finest amenities available, guests most often rave about the personal treatment they experience. The staff is able to meet and exceed guests' already lofty expectations."

In case you missed the premier last night, set your Tivo’s to tape the current Iron Chef America battle that pits Mario Batali vs. Robert Gadsby with an extra twist, Master Mixologists! Las Vegas’ very own Tony Abou Ganim was selected by Batali to serve as the show’s first ever Iron Mixologist aiding him in his battle. We’re not going to spoil the ending for you until next week so you have time to catch all the action yourself. Iron Chef America featuring Tony Abou Ganim is being replayed several times on both Thursday, March 8th and Saturday, March 10th.