Vegas Uncork’d adds Emeril Lagasse, 10 events to the food festival’s roster

Loosen your belt and find a comfy pair of stretchy pants.

Vegas Uncork’d, Bon Appétit‘s spring food festival scheduled for the Las Vegas Strip Apr. 23-26, just added 10 new events to a lineup that already featured nearly 50 chefs.

Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, who has four restaurants in Vegas, will participate for the first time in the nine-year history of the event. His New Orleans Fish House Experience will bring fine dining to the table, while a more casual event at MGM Grand’s pools will offer boiled seafood and fresh fish.

Lagasse will also participate in the Third Annual Chase Sapphire Preferred Grill Challenge, where two Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts students pair up with two celebrity chefs for a $20,000 scholarship.

Also scheduled for Vegas Uncork’d is a taco fiesta organized by Border Grill’s Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. The duo will show off their newest Border Grill location at the Forum Shops at Caesars with a taco dinner and a build-your-own margarita station. They’re also putting together a five-course brunch cooking demonstration.

Wolfgang Puck, who started the celebrity chef trend in Las Vegas 22 years ago when he opened Spago, will bring together a cadre of chefs from his six Vegas restaurants for a lunch in five courses.

Hakkasan’s Michelin-starred Ho Chee Boon will set up a six-course Cantonese tour.

Sahwn McClain, Sage’s James Beard Award-winning chef, will share farm-to-table dishes paired with Flowers Vineyards wines during a five-course dinner.

French pastry chef François Payard returns with a baking demonstration, an event that typically sells out quickly. Payard will show some of his pastry techniques.

French chef Guy Savoy debuts his first-ever Krug Champagne event. He plans to showcase some of his staples, such as artichoke and black truffle soup, in four courses paired with Krug’s Grande Cuvée and Krug Rosé among others.

On top of that, former “Top Chef” contestant Brian Malarkey of Seersucker, opening this spring at Caesars Palace, plans to join other Vegas-based chefs at the Grand Tasting. Among those scheduled to attend the event are Lagasse, Giada De Laurentiis, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Steve Martorano, Julian Serrano and Michael Mina. It will be held at the mammoth Garden of the Gods pools at Caesars.

Info: Vegas Uncork’d