Las Vegas chef competition launches home version for fans
Think you have what it takes to win a Las Vegas cooking competition? The folks at the Back of the House Brawl are giving you a chance to prove it, with a special at-home version of the late-night cooking contest.
Over the nearly nine years since it launched in the parking lot of Tommy Rocker’s on Dean Martin Drive, the Back of the House Brawl has pitted some of the top chefs in Las Vegas against each other in nocturnal food truck battles, on and off the Strip. A new socially distanced at-home version, however, will mark the first time it’s open to the public. Here’s how it works:
On Wednesday, 30 competition kits will go up for sale at SecretBurger.com, for $20 apiece. Buyers will receive a quick survey via email before picking up their mystery ingredients, and instructions on what they should do with them, from Forte Tapas on Aug. 3. Cooks will then have one day to create dishes and post photos of the results on social media, with an explanatory video and the tag @boh_brawl #AtHomeChallenge.
Entries will be judged by three prominent local foodies: Gary LaMorte of Honest Hospitality, Main St. Provisions’ Justin Kingsley Hall and Nina Manchev of Forte. Whoever creates the dish they like best (without tasting it of course) will receive $500 in gift cards to local businesses.
The Brawl’s creator, Jolene Mannina, is excited to let home cooks in on what had previously been an exclusive club of some of the valley’s top culinary talent.
“I love it,” Mannina says. “This is a great way to connect the chefs to their fans and let the chefs see who their clients are. And the winner gets to dine out at the best local restaurants. I think it’s going to be a ton of fun.”
Contact Al Mancini at amancini@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter and Instagram.