On June 15, 2026, Las Vegas was recognized with its archetypal James Beard Foundation Best Chef grant successful astir 2 decades.
Casa Playa cook Sarah Thompson took location the 2026 James Beard Awards Best Chef: Southwest. It’s a monolithic triumph for the celebrated chef, her restaurant, and for the City of Las Vegas; the past clip Las Vegas won successful this class was erstwhile Saipin Chutima of Lotus of Siam won the aforesaid class successful 2011. When accepting the award, Thompson said to the audience, “It’s been awhile since Vegas has been up here, and it’s large to beryllium representing our city.”
Casa Playa debuted astatine the Encore Las Vegas successful 2021, replacing the erstwhile Elio, which closed successful 2020. Thompson was Elio’s cook de cuisine, and earlier that worked arsenic an enforcement sous cook astatine New York’s Cosme nether the Mexican-born cook Daniela Soto-Innes, who is the youngest cook to beryllium named World’s Best Female Chef by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
At Casa Playa, Thompson debuted her ain menu, portion Wynn edifice mixologist Mariena Mercer Boarini created cocktails and adjunct wide manager and agave adept Noah Arenstein curated the expansive mezcal and tequila collection. Her paper consists of grilled seafood recovered astatine hidden playacitas on the Mexican shoreline. Thompson calls her paper a “culinary adventure” successful which she tries to equilibrium creativity with tradition. Her attack includes playful takes connected dishes specified arsenic a squash blossom quesadillas, Baja-style fried food tacos, and a crudo of Mexican bluish shrimp with young coconut, tomatillo, and cucumber.
The James Beard Foundation Awards named Las Vegas’s classical steakhouse, Bob Taylor’s Ranch House, arsenic 1 of the recipients for its 2026 America’s Classics awards. Bob Taylor opened Bob Taylor’s Ranch House successful 1955 arsenic the Ranch House Supper Club. Taylor sold the Ranch House Supper Club successful the 1980s, erstwhile caller owners renamed it. Today, the edifice — wide recognized arsenic the oldest edifice successful Las Vegas — inactive operates connected the aforesaid crippled of land, acceptable distant from the dazzling lights of the Strip, though municipality creep has surrounded the erstwhile distant location.
Best Chef: Southwest
Sarah Thompson, Casa Playa, Las Vegas, Nevada
Disclosure: Some Vox Media unit members are portion of the voting assemblage for the James Beard Foundation Awards.
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