~On Friday, November 8th ~
Culinary Creatrix
Elizabeth Blau
shares her story!

James Beard Award Nominee Elizabeth Blau is the founder and CEO of restaurant development company Blau + Associates, and is widely credited with transforming Las Vegas into the world-class culinary destination it is today.

A graduate of the prestigious Cornell School of Hotel Management, Blau began her career with famed restaurateur Sirio Maccioni. Blau’s work caught the attention of casino developer Steve Wynn and as the mogul’s vice president of restaurant development she revolutionized Las Vegas dining by attracting award-winning chefs to the groundbreaking Bellagio. In 2004, Wynn again recruited Blau to join Wynn Las Vegas as executive vice president of restaurant development and marketing.

In 2002, Blau founded Blau + Associates, a firm dedicated to creating world-class hospitality experiences. Assembling an impressive team of experts, Blau quickly turned the firm into one of the foremost restaurant development companies in the field with an impressive client list that includes Le Cirque, New York’s Rainbow Room, Montage Resorts, Ritz Carlton Hotels and Resorts, Trump Casinos, and Viceroy Hotels and Resorts among many others. Additionally, Blau and her group operate four restaurants including local Las Vegas favorites Honey Salt and Andiron Steak & Sea, as well as Buddy V’s Ristorante at the Venetian Palazzo, and Buddy V’s Ristorante at Sands Bethlehem, PA, both are a collaboration with TV’s Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro.

Blau’s awards and accolades among the industry are numerous, and she is dedicated to serving both her industry and her community. She was a judge on season three of CNBC’s Restaurant Startup alongside Tim Love, Joe Bastianich, and Chef Antonia Lofaso. She has also appeared as a judge on Food Network’s Iron Chef America, is an annual judge for Hotel Magazine’s best restaurants, a member of OpenTable’s Advisory Board and has been featured on the Travel Channel and the Martha Stewart Show.