By Bob Barnes
Nicole Brisson is one of the most heralded Las Vegas chefs and perhaps has more honors than any other female chef, including a James Beard nomination, being the first female to become executive chef of an Eataly in the U.S. and competing on several popular reality-TV shows, including “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay.”
Vegas Prime Magazine talked with the Johnson & Wales University graduate to find out what led her to pursue a career in the culinary arts, the path she took that led to her many accomplishments and more.
Please tell us about your background and early influences.
I grew up in upstate New York and started working in kitchens when I was 14 years old. My mom grew up in my grandfather’s restaurant in Saratoga, N.Y., and it made a huge influence on how my sister and I ate.
My junior and senior year of high school, I did a vocational program for Culinary Arts, became president and started competing in fine dining room service, baking & pastry and extemporaneous speech. Through these competitions, I won $18,000 in scholarship money to Johnson & Wales University.
Tell us about your time in Italy.
Fabio Picchi was the first chef I worked for at Cibreo in Florence. They eventually called me the spunga (sponge in English) because I just wanted to learn as much as I could and move to every station. From Florence I moved to Panzano to work for Dario Cecchini. I learned so much about butchery and old Tuscan recipes that were passed down through the generations.
Tell us about working in Las Vegas.
When I came back from Italy, I opened the Wynn and got to work with some truly amazing chefs I had admired for years: Paul Bartalotta, Mark Poidevin and Steven Kalt. From the Wynn, I moved to The Venetian/Palazzo to work for the Batali & Bastianich group, starting at B&B Ristorante. Shortly after, we opened Otto, and I became Chef de Cuisine.
Eventually, Carnevino had an opening, and I was promoted to Executive Chef and ran the dry aging program and later became Culinary Director of all four (Batali & Bastianich) Vegas restaurants. We would help with the Eataly openings across the U.S., and I became Executive Chef of the Vegas Eataly, where we had 500 employees and 30 health permits.
You have myriad accolades in your culinary career. What are some you are most proud of?
My James Beard nomination was such a bucket list accolade for me (unfortunately, with COVID-19, the James Beard judging never took place). First female executive of an Eataly in the U.S. and SNHD (Southern Nevada Health District) Director of Environmental Health were overlapping and very important to me. I wanted the SNHD to hear the perspective of a chef, and I was the first chef to hold the Director of Environmental Health seat in 30 years that wasn’t in charge of tire disposal or septic tanks.
Tell us a bit about Brezza and Bar Zazu, the two eateries you currently oversee at Resorts World?
Brezza is a 300-seat coastal Italian restaurant with seasonal menu changes. Bar Zazu opened months later and has 150 seats, serving European plates with live music nightly. Both are very different but still using seasonal produce, artisanal ingredients and thoughtful sourcing.
What types of ingredients do you use?
I use a lot of great specialty Italian ingredients but like to pull produce from as many small farms as I can, try to be as sustainable as possible and always have heritage breeds on the menu.
When you opened Locale Italian Kitchen, you were one of the first in a string of chefs leaving the Strip to open high-quality eateries in the burbs. Do you see that trend continuing?
I had regular clientele travel all the way from the Strip to SW Blue Diamond Road to support me. In the end, we were awarded (National Restaurant Association’s) Best New Restaurant, my 40 Under 40 and my James Beard nomination.
I see the trend continuing. Brian Howard, Jamie Tran, James Trees and many others paved the way for chefs like me to make the leap. I can’t even keep up with all the great restaurants off the Strip today.
What do you think of the culinary scene in Las Vegas?
Twenty-one years ago until now, the culinary scene is night and day. I think it is the best it has ever been and continuing to get better and better. Now is the time for local chefs to push the envelope even further and let the world know we have some of the best culinary talent in the country.
Photo: Sabin Orr
