Category: Events

James Beard Award Finalists Announced – Moonen, Le Tohic, Chutima Lead the Way

Finalists for the James Beard Awards were announced this morning.

In the Best Chef Southwest category: Las Vegas placed three out of the five finalists:

Rick Moonen (RM Seafood), Claude Le Tohic (Joel Robuchon) and Saipin Chutima (Lotus of Siam).

In the national categories of Best Pastry Chef, Kamel Guechida of Joel Robuchon and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon is in contention for an award, and Joel Robuchon at MGM Hotel and Casino is in the finals for the Outstanding Service Award.

Congrats to all, and we at ELV will be doing what we can to insure that some of them bring home the bacon.

For a complete list of the finalists, click here.

I’m ELV and I’m an Addict

Two of these men can cook, one writes about it.ELV in the throes of his addiction with two of his favorite dealers.*

(ELV note: Yours truly has a book in him that will probably never be finished or published. Here is one of the chapters.)

“Hi ELV!” is how all those twelve-step programs start, and then they sink into one maudlin account after another of each individual’s slide into personal oblivion. Here’s my story:

It started innocently enough, as all addictions do. In 1982 in Wheeling, Illinois. “The first one’s free,” said Jean Banchet – at the time the celebrated chef/owner of Le Francais (considered at the time the best French restaurant in America). Then, in 1983. Andre Soltner, the dedicated Alsatian running New York’s best French restaurant, made a personal appearance at my table at Lutece. “Just take another hit, no one will notice,” he purred. And so I did.

Oh yeah, and Jacques Pepin — he of the velvet delivery and oh so elfish countenance — he was one, insidious seducer as well. Maybe the worst of them all.

Continue reading “I’m ELV and I’m an Addict”