NFL stars, famous chefs kick off F1 Grand Prix at Allegiant Stadium

By Johnathan L. Wright Las Vegas Review-Journal

1 year ago

An aerial view of Allegiant Stadium and the Las Vegas Strip at dusk on Thursday, January 6, 202 ... — An aerial view of Allegiant Stadium and the Las Vegas Strip at dusk on Thursday, January 6, 2022. (Michael Quine/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Vegas88s

Emmitt Smith announces wide receiver Jalen Tolbert as the Dallas Cowboys’ selection during the third round of the NFL football draft Friday, April 29, 2022, in Las Vegas. Smith, the former Cowboys running back and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is opening Emmitt’s restaurant in the Fashion Show mall on the Las Vegas Strip. (AP Photo/John Locher file)

Celebrated chef Todd English, shown here at The Pepper Club in his English Hotel in downtown Las Vegas, is closing his Olives restaurant in Virgin Hotels Las Vegas after dinner service on June 4, 2023. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

Raider Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Charles Woodson speaks before the start of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, at Allegiant Stadium, in Las Vegas. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto

Rick Moonen, a celebrity chef known for his expertise in seafood and early adoption of sustainable fishing practices, speaks to the Review-Journal about his outdoor kitchen in front of his pizza oven in his backyard in Las Vegas, Monday, Aug. 12, 2019. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__rae

Now this is stadium food.

To launch the Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix, Allegiant Stadium is hosting its Culinary Kickoff Grand Prix on Nov. 16, an event bringing together stars of kitchen and field.

Todd English, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind The Pepper Club in downtown Las Vegas and The Beast at Area15, leads the culinary crew. He’ll be joined by:

• Chef Rick Moonen, a sustainable fishing pioneer who once owned two seafood restaurants at Mandalay Bay.

• Chef Aaron May, the restaurateur and Food Network personality.

• Chef Thomas Bellec of Bricoleur Vineyards, in the Sonoma County wine country.

• Chef Belle English, Todd’s daughter, who is culinary and test kitchen director of Williams-Sonoma.

• Chef Antwan Ellis of the Hamilton Princess resort in Bermuda.

• Allegiant’s in-house food team.

“In the city of entertainment and ‘eatertainment,’ I am proud to be bringing the opening event to F1 Vegas,” English said.

Retired NFL stars Emmitt Smith (whose Vegas restaurant is still in the works), Warren Moon, Will Blackmon and Charles Woodson are scheduled to attend, as is Sage Steele, the sports television anchor.

The event features about 15 stations with dishes created by the chefs. Beverage pairings include Ferrari Trento, the official sparkling wine of Formula One; wines from Bricoleur Vineyards, Aperture Cellars (also in Sonoma), and John Anthony Wines of the Napa Valley; and sips of Woodson Whiskey by Charles Woodson.

Live entertainment rounds out the evening. Tickets are $1,250. Details/purchase: allegiantstadium.com/events/detail/culinary-kickoff-grand-prix.

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram and @ItsJLW on X.