UNLVino’s Sake Fever Heats Up with Chefs Mei Lin and Katsuji Tanabe on Friday, April 17
Celebrity Chefs Participate in Fan-Favorite UNLVino Event featuring Premium Sakes and Spirits, Top Vegas Cuisine, Rat Pack Tribute Band Franks & Deans and
UNLVino 2015 Honoree Don Snyder
The return of UNLVino’s Sake Fever just got hotter as “Top Chef Season 12: Boston” winner Mei Lin and her fellow cheftestant and “Chopped” champion Katsuji Tanabe join Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence honoree Don Snyder and Franks & Deans for a night of Las Vegas hospitality excellence on Friday, April 17 poolside at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa.
Chef Tanabe’s booth will showcase his signature Dirty ‘Top Chef’ Taco, while Chef Lin will cater exclusively to guests who purchase the Sake Fever VIP Experience Package. This rare opportunity will include a private pool cabana at the event with butler service for up to eight guests*; as well as a cooking demonstration and tasting with Chef Lin, featuring her acclaimed Chawanmushi, Kobe Spring Rolls and more. The package comes complete with a one-night stay in a luxurious guestroom at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa and brunch for two at Hearthstone Kitchen & Cellar at the resort the following morning.
Sake Fever will take place on Friday, April 17 from 7 to 10 p.m. around Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa’s scenic poolscape, featuring top sakes, premium mixology and high-end spirits, along with tastes from a collection of top Vegas restaurants, including 8 Noodle Bar; Aburiya Raku; District One; Double Barrel Roadhouse; Hearthstone Kitchen & Cellar; Chef Heather Zheng of Shibuya; J Karaoke Bistro; Kabuki Japanese Restaurant; Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ; Lucky Foo’s Restaurant & Bar; Mercadito; Monta Ramen; Pot Liquor Contemporary American Smokehouse; T-Bones Chophouse; Tonkatsu Kiyoshi; Yusho Japanese Grill & Noodle House and Zenshin Asian Restaurant.
In addition to exciting cocktails by Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada’s mixologists Francesco Lafranconi and JR Starkus, other top beverage brands providing libations for attendees include: 33 Export Beer; Asahi Beer USA; Beam Suntory; byejoe USA; Danone Water; DEEP EDDY VODKA; Dreyfus; Ashby & Company; FIJI Water; Gekkeikan-Sake; HIRO SAKE; Karma Tequila; Mita Beverage Co., Ltd.; Pacific International Liquor, Inc.; Pernod Ricard USA; SakTea; SakéOne; Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum; SHIMIZU-NO-MAI Sake; Smart Assist, Inc.; Takara Sake; Tommyknocker Brewery; TY KU Premium Sake & Spirits; Vino Del Sol; Wine of Japan; World Sake Imports; Tiger Beer and Tsingtao Brewery.
During the event, Don Snyder will be honored with the Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence. Snyder is the Presidential Advisor at UNLV who has contributed more than 25 years to UNLVino and has been able to watch its exponential growth over the years. Chet Buchanan will also be emceeing Sake Fever to keep the crowd energized throughout the night.
Additionally, local musical group Franks & Deans will entertain the crowd with a live performance. Franks & Deans is the world’s first rock ‘n’ roll Rat Pack band, a tribute to Frank Sinatra’s boys, featuring new spins on original music and mash-ups of Sinatra’s top hits.
Following the main event, guests can head to the resort’s hot new restaurant, Hearthstone Kitchen & Cellar, for the Official After Party. Sake Fever attendees can show their event wristbands to receive a free glass of wine in the bar area, while keeping the festivities going into the night.
In addition to Sake Fever, UNLVino, Nevada’s largest and oldest wine festival, will host a weekend of celebrations including Bubble-Licious at The Venetian Las Vegas® on Thursday, April 16; and the Grand Tasting at Paris Las Vegas on Saturday, April 18. Tickets can be purchased at UNLVTickets.com.
*The Sake Fever VIP Experience Package is available in advance on UNLVTickets.com and costs $750, including access for two guests to the event. The package purchaser has the option of inviting up to six additional ticketed guests to enjoy butler service and partake in the tasting with Chef Lin in their cabana.
About UNLVino
UNLVino was cofounded in 1974 by the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration and Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada, the two organizations which continue to sponsor it today. Over the past four decades, UNLVino has raised several million dollars for scholarships and other academic developmental needs of UNLV students. UNLVino is differentiated through unparalleled, hands-on student experiences at all levels of event planning, execution and promotion, as well as the impactful funds raised each year – all testaments to the celebratory weekend’s broader purpose – scholarship. For more information, please visit www.UNLVino.com and follow UNLVino on Twitter @UNLVino_Vegas.