LAS VEGAS, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With a nod to the past and eyes set squarely on the future, on April 18, 2020, the long-running UNLVino will transform into the EVOLUTION Las Vegas Food & Wine Experience; a multi-sensory festival with a focus on immersive activations designed around the best chefs, winemakers, brew masters and distillers in the world. A joint collaboration between Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ: CZR) and Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits of Nevada, this inaugural event will be held at the new CAESARS FORUM Convention Center, located adjacent to the High Roller Observation Wheel and The LINQ Promenade. EVOLUTION will honor legendary Chef, Bobby Flay, with the Dom Perignon Award of Excellence, and will feature interactive experiences unlike any festival before it, uniting sight, sound and taste to put the attendee at the center of the action.
Award-winning chef, restaurateur, and media personality, Bobby Flay, has built a name for himself among the widening ranks of celebrity chefs. Known for his unique and innovative style of cooking, the Iron Chef has received five Daytime Emmy Awards for shows like Boy Meets Grill, Grill It! with Bobby Flay, and Barbecue Addiction, and was the first chef ever to be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015. With his Southwestern-style Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace and fast-casual concept, Bobby's Burger Palace, Flay is no stranger to the Las Vegas culinary scene.
Bringing together the shining stars of Las Vegas' culinary scene with acclaimed chefs and beverage experts from around the globe, EVOLUTION will feature engaging cooking demonstrations, tastes from local chefs and restaurants, immersive wine, beer & cocktail tastings, live music and much more. And, as with UNLVino before it, a portion of the proceeds will fund scholarships for students of the UNLV William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, one of the top hospitality management programs in the nation. As part of the prestigious program, 40 students will help organize and produce the high-profile event through a fully-immersive, upper division course.
"I am honored to participate and be recognized at the inaugural EVOLUTION festival," said Bobby Flay. "Las Vegas offers the most incredible array of restaurants, and chefs in the world. With EVOLUTION, we can support the education of the students, showcase the best in culinary and celebrate the dynamic Las Vegas food scene."
"Caesars Entertainment has long been at the forefront of the culinary scene in Las Vegas with world-renowned chefs like EVOLUTION honoree, Bobby Flay," said Caesars Palace Regional President, Gary Selesner. "Partnering with greats like Bobby and many other renowned chefs has cemented our role as a leader in the hospitality industry. By hosting this newly reimagined event, it's an incredible way to bring together the culinary leaders of the Las Vegas while providing scholarship opportunities to the young talent of tomorrow."
"The students and staff at UNLV's Harrah College of Hospitality are honored to be a part of this event each year. The hands-on experience our students receive producing this large, high-profile event is something they cannot get anywhere else, and the legacy they leave for other students through funding scholarships is incredibly rewarding. These scholarships are a critical part of the ongoing success of the college, and with the support that EVOLUTION provides, students are granted the opportunity to pursue higher education and a career in the hospitality industry," said College of Hospitality Dean Stowe Shoemaker.
For tickets and additional information, please visit www.EvolutionLV.com, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @EvolutionVegas and on Facebook.
About Chef Bobby Flay:
Bobby Flay is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and media personality. He has opened numerous restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas and beyond, such as Gato, Mesa Grill, Bobby Flay Steak and Shark. In addition to his fine dining restaurants, there are 12 outposts of his fast-casual concept, Bobby's Burger Palace. He is the author of 15 best-selling cookbook, including the most recent titled Bobby at Home which was released in the fall of 2019. Bobby has starred in countless Food Network programs, including Beat Bobby Flay, The Flay List and Iron Chef America. Among his many distinctions are the 1993 James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef of the Year, his induction into the James Beard Foundation's Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America in 2007. Bobby has received five Daytime Emmy Awards for Boy Meets Grill, Grill It! with Bobby Flay and Barbecue Addiction. In 2015, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first chef ever to be awarded one.
About Caesars Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment is one of the world's most diversified casino-entertainment providers and the most geographically diverse U.S. casino-entertainment company. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, in 1937, Caesars Entertainment has grown through development of new resorts, expansions and acquisitions. Caesars Entertainment's resorts operate primarily under the Caesars®, Harrah's® and Horseshoe® brand names. Caesars Entertainment's portfolio also includes the Caesars Entertainment UK family of casinos. Caesars Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its guests through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. Caesars Entertainment is committed to its employees, suppliers, communities and the environment through its PEOPLE PLANET PLAY framework. For more information, please visit www.caesars.com/corporate.
About Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits of Nevada
Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits of Nevada is the state's leading beverage distribution company and a division of Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits. Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits is the world's pre-eminent distributor of beverage alcohol, and proud to be a multi-generational, family-owned company. The Company has operations in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Canada and employs nearly 22,000 team members. Southern Glazer's urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve, and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information visit www.southernglazers.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sgwinespirits and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SouthernGlazers.
About UNLV's William F. Harrah College of Hospitality
The UNLV Harrah College of Hospitality is consistently ranked as one of the top hospitality programs in the world. Studying just blocks away from the epicenter of the hospitality industry – the Las Vegas Strip, UNLV hospitality students enjoy unparalleled opportunities to gain hands-on, industry-relevant experience. Each year the college organizes nearly 600 internships, welcomes more than 100 national hospitality brands to recruitment events, and pairs and average of 175 industry mentors with students. And the recent completion of the college's new state-of-the-art academic building Hospitality Hall, students are helping the college usher in a new era of excellence in hospitality education.
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SOURCE Caesars Entertainment
Brie Christian, Revenue Media Group, Brie.christian@revenuemediagroup.com, (508) 514-8764; Chelsea Ryder, Caesars Entertainment, cryder@caesars.com
