Paul Bartolotta named best chef in Southwest

Paul Bartolotta, executive chef of Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas, was named Best Chef: Southwest at the James Beard Foundation Awards in New York on Monday night.

It was the second career James Beard win for Bartolotta, who opened his Las Vegas restaurant with the resort in 2005. In 1994, he was named Best Chef: Midwest for Spiaggia in Chicago.

"It's the second time to the dance for me," said Bartolotta, whose repeat win still raised "amazing" feelings. The first, he said, "was like 100 years ago."

The foundation's Southwest region incorporates Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah in addition to Nevada. Among the five regional finalists was Claude Le Tohic, executive chef at Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand.

Bartolotta noted that he was nominated for the Midwest award twice before he won. Of Le Tohic, he said, "This is his first nomination. I think it helps that this was my second award and a lot of people know me."

Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, which specializes in fresh seafood flown in from the Mediterranean, also was nominated for the Beard award for Best New Restaurant in 2006, he said, and the loss was "disappointing, because I thought we had a unique concept."

Monday night's win shows that "if you stay with your concept and live with it every day, eventually people come around," he said.

Bartolotta credited his support team for the win.

"I couldn't be more proud of my staff, to be part of Wynn Las Vegas, to have support people who help me get my fish, my chef in the kitchen and my service team. At the end of the day" he said, the award is "a credit to the people who do the heavy lifting."

Other local finalists were Kamel Guechida of Joël Robuchon for Outstanding Pastry Chef and Picasso at Bellagio and wine director Robert Smith for Outstanding Wine Service.

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.