LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Jasmine Rattanopas of The Cosmopolitan was the winner Friday in a clash of mostly valley-based chefs producing tastes of Turkey and Mediterranean cuisine at UNLV’s Hospitality Hall.
Sponsored by the Turkish Tastes & Vegas Food Project, the leg of the World Cuisine Chef Competition took about 2 1/2 hours, with chefs required to produce one entree and one appetizer.
Rattanopas won for an entree of grilled branzino with spiced lentils with a Penang curry sauce and green olive gremolata. The appetizer was tirokroketes, Greek-style fried cheeseballs, with tom yum eggplant sauce and fig-apricot compote
Rattanopas, who has worked for The Cosmopolitan for more than eight years, edged Robert Lomeli, who formerly worked for Wolfgang Puck restuarants in Las Vegas, in the Traditional Turkish Tastes Culinary Competition. Cem Demirhan of Streamsong Golf Resort in Bowling Green, Florida, was third.
Judges included Reimund Pitz, owner of Le Coq au Vin; Greg Matchett, executive chef, Shamrock Foods, Brett Smith, corporate chef, King & Prince Seafood; and Lucio Arancibia, founder of InFoodSys.
