Anthony Cools, Mariah Rivera, Ashton, Big D and Johiah judge Charity Cooking Competition at TREVI Italian Restaurant
TREVI Italian Restaurant, located at the heart of The Forum Shops at Caesars, hosted a pizza cook-off Wednesday afternoon featuring celebrity judges and local news personalities competing for charity (Pictured: Celebrity judges Anthony Cools, Mariah Rivera, Ashton, Johiah and Big D).
Doug Elfman, Beth Fisher and Dave Hall in front of TREVI Italian Restaurant
Competing “chefs” included Dave Hall of FOX 5 KVVU, Beth Fisher of ABC 13 KTNV, and 2015’s champion, Doug Elfman, of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Each participant worked with TREVI Executive Chef Jose Navarro to create a pizza using individually-selected ingredients.
Dave Hall’s winning charity pizza
The pizzas were scored on taste, creativity and presentation by a panel of guest judges including: famed hypnotist and Paris Las Vegas headliner, Anthony Cools; radio personalities, Big D and Johiah of 93.1 The Party KPLV; and Mariah Rivera and Ashton of FANTASY at Luxor.
Chef Jose Presenting Winning Check to Dave Hall
In a close race, Hall was crowned champion and earned a $500 donation from TREVI and Landry’s, Inc., to F.E.A.T (Families for Effective Autism Treatment) of Southern Nevada, a non-profit organization of parents and professionals designed to help families with children who have received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Hall’s winning pie featured barbecue sauce, chicken, basil, purple onion, mozzarella and cilantro.
Winner Dave Hall with Chef Jose and celebrity judges
Fisher competed for Hope for Prisoners, and crafted a pizza featuring basil, mozzarella, pesto sauce, pine nuts and red bell peppers. Elfman cooked for Community Cat Coalition of Clark County and created a pizza featuring sliced breaded eggplant, Vidalia onions, roasted peppers, sliced mushrooms, red sauce, a blend of mozzarella, parmesan and fontina cheeses, garnished with shaved parmesan cheeses and an olive oil drizzle, served on a seeded crust with poppy and sesame seeds, along with dried onion and garlic flakes.
In addition to the competition, TREVI also offered specialty priced cheese pizzas for $10, with all proceeds benefiting the winner’s charity.