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The Palazzo Las Vegas to Host The James Beard Foundation’s Taste America Gala

The Palazzo Las Vegas will host the most anticipated culinary event of the year, The James Beard Foundation Taste America Gala on October 25, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. James Beard Award winners and nominees will take guests on a four-course culinary road trip as they work together to create dishes that will delight and satisfy the most noble food connoisseur. Festival dinners at Restaurant Charlie at The Palazzo and Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino at The Venetian will take place on Friday, October 24, 2008 as James Beard Award Winning Chefs Charlie Trotter and Luciano Pelligrini serve exemplary cuisine and wine pairings within their restaurant.

Saturday, October 25, 2008: The James Beard Foundation’s Taste America Gala The Palazzo Las Vegas will host an astounding gala as more than a dozen of the most distinguished chefs in the country, James Beard Award winning chefs join host chefs at The Palazzo Las Vegas to create a once-in-a-lifetime cuisine presentation. Gala hosts Susan Ungaro, President of The James Beard Foundation and Celebrity Chef and multiple James Beard Award winner Charlie Trotter will toast to a spectacular evening as cuisine is prepared by The Palazzo and The Venetian Host Chefs:

• Zach Allen, Carnevino/B&B Ristorante/Enoteca San Marco
• David Burke, David Burke
• Olivier Dubreuil, The Venetian and The Palazzo
• Ludo Lefebvre, LAVO
• Long Nguyen, The Venetian and The Palazzo
• JBF Award Winner Luciano Pellegrini, Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino
• David Robins, Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group

The four-course seated dinner will also include cuisine by the following James Beard Foundation Award-winning chefs: Patrick Connolly, Bobo, NYC, R.J. Cooper III, Vidalia, Washington, DC, Traci Des Jardins, Jardinière, San Francisco, Jean-Louis Gerin, Jean-Louis, Greenwich, CT, Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans, Shawn McClain, Spring, Chicago, Adam Siegel, Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, Milwaukee, Holly Smith, Café Juanita, Kirkland, WA, Robert Stehling, Hominy Grill, Charleston, SC, John Sundstrom, Lark, Seattle, Celina Tio, Julia(n), Charlotte, NC and Fabio Trabocchi, Fiamma, NYC.

The Gala begins at 7:00 pm with a cocktail reception and silent auction in The Palazzo Ballroom. Following, a seated four-course dinner with wine pairings, a live auction, and dessert reception.

Friday, October 24, 2008: Festival dinners The Palazzo and The Venetian will kick-off The James Beard Foundation’s Taste America weekend on Friday, October 24, 2008 at Restaurant Charlie and Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino. Starting at 6:30pm, multiple James Beard award winner and Celebrity Chef Charlie Trotter will serve an astounding fifteen course reception and dinner menu that will be complemented by rare wines from a mystery winemaker. In conjunction, James Beard Award winner Luciano Pellegrini will begin a cocktail reception at 7:00 p.m. followed by a six-course truffle and wine pairing dinner at Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino.

Tickets for the Saturday Benefit Gala and Festival Dinners can be purchased at www.jbftasteamerica.com or by calling 212.925.0054. Additionally, tickets may be purchased in person or by phone at Restaurant Charlie at The Palazzo or Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino at The Venetian. Please call Restaurant Charlie at 702.607.6336 or Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino at 702.414.3000 for more information.