Chefs show off city at convention

One whiff of the air and the stomach juices went into full gear. There was no mistaking it: the Food for Thought forum, the annual convention that brings chefs from all over the world was best visited on a empty stomach.

With all the samples available, it wouldn't stay empty for long.

The event was held at the MGM Grand, whose arena was transformed into arguably the most aromatic room in the hotel. There was booth after booth of sumptuous goodies to try -- ever hear of Thai duck pizza? -- and the huge room was dominated by chefs in distinctive white coats.

Off in one corner, some of the chefs worked together to break the Guinness World Record for chocolate-dipped strawberries. Their goal was 12,000 strawberries dipped in 45 minutes. The chefs set a new world record with 14,287 strawberries in 33 minutes, and the sale benefited Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Fund of Las Vegas.

The American Culinary Federation played host to the convention, and the forum allowed Las Vegas chefs to show off their city, check out the newest kitchen equipment and newest recipes.

Four of those chefs shared their thoughts on Las Vegas and their industry.

Christopher Johns is the executive chef at The Orleans and president of the local chapter of ACF, which has 383 members. The Oxford-trained Johns first moved here in 1974 and has been an on-and-off resident since. He said he set up The Orleans restaurants with the intent to offer locals variety and value pricing.

When asked if he ever gets bored in the kitchen, he laughed.

"After 16 hours of cooking, yes," he said. "But the way we work, were always looking to do something different, some way to tweak dishes to people's tastes."

Johns said the latest trend is to lighter fare, especially with the summer heat upon the city. People are also looking to consume less butter and salt, he said.

As executive chef he is mostly concerned with administrative duties, so he enjoys getting into the kitchen and firing up the grill.

"Sometimes I just want to be a regular line cook," he said. "When we have VIPs and banquets, I get to roll up my sleeves and show the young kids how to do it."

Ken Weicker is the executive chef of the Suncoast. He came to Las Vegas in 1989 and opened the Mirage as its executive chef. In 1993, he opened Treasure Island.

"The local market is quite different from the Strip market," he said. "The demographics are different, they're older and those people like comfort foods."

Comfort foods means meat loaf and prime rib, dishes that sell well at the Suncoast.

"Think about it: As a chef, you're competing against your own mother," he said with a laugh.

Well, maybe not his. Weicker said he grew up with a mother whose cooking was plain and simple. By her own admission, "she was a terrible cook," he said. He only fell into his profession when a summer job put him in a kitchen as a teen. He dropped his idea of becoming a carpenter and went on to learn to cook sumptuous dishes.

He said Mediterranean foods were coming into vogue and his restaurants already try to incorporate some of that influence by using olive oils and offering lighter dishes.

Ed Kane came to Las Vegas in 1972. He is an instructor at both Vo-Tech and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He liked the changes he saw at the forum, like philo dough that comes already layered and buttered.

"And if you've ever had to layer and butter philo dough, you know what a pain in the neck it can be," he said.

A onetime chef at the Marina Hotel and Caesars Palace, he now trains students to step into positions at Strip properties. This is, he said, a perfect place to learn culinary arts. It was also the best place for the forum.

"What better city than this?" he said. "Culinary-wise, Las Vegas has really risen in the last five years. It's now one of four cities in the U.S. that's considered a 'food' city."

The Green Valley resident has seen many changes since moving here in 1987.

"Between my house and Vo-Tech used to be two signal lights," he said. "Now there are 16."

He spoke of the Silver Slipper offering the first buffets and starting that trend. Kane said buffets were here to stay and would only get better and better.

"Technology will dictate how we do things in the kitchen but the customer will dictate (what goes on the plates)," he said.

Frank Insera, also a Green Valley resident, is the Klondike's executive chef. He moved to Las Vegas in 1970 to escape the winters in Buffalo, and worked at the Tropicana, Caesars Palace and Bingo Palace (now Palace Station). He recalled West Charleston Boulevard being a dirt road west of Jones Boulevard and how most streets were two lanes, not the current five.

He remembered some of the celebrities he encountered in his position as head chef at Strip properties: Frank Sinatra, whose small stature surprised Insera. The legendary singer was on a diet and ordered steamed trout and two dozen small clams.

"He started with a party of six and before it was over, there must have been 20 people with him," he said. "We stayed open an hour and a half past closing, but we didn't care."

Another celebrity was Tom Jones, who insisted on caviar in his dressing room. Bill Cosby liked pasta, but always ordered it cooked for 10 minutes, no more, no less. One time his meal called for rigatoni, which needs longer to cook, but Cosby insisted it still be boiled exactly 10 minutes.

"I tried to tell him," Insera said with a shrug.

Even if he were offered a job for twice the pay, he'd really have to think about it before leaving Las Vegas, Insera said. He glanced around a the hustle and bustle of the busy food convention and smiled.

"It's one exciting town," he said.