Food and wine event to help Sandy victims

Ever wanted to party on the Brooklyn Bridge in Vegas? Now's your chance.

Three heavy hitters in the Las Vegas hospitality industry are coming together for those on the East Coast affected by Superstorm Sandy. MGM Resorts International, Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada and Barcelona are hosting a food and wine festival, and you're invited.

Cost per ticket is $100, and all money will go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. The event, "Start Spreadin' the News," is scheduled for 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 9 on the Brooklyn Bridge outside New York-New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

"It is in partnership with Southern Wine & Spirits. In a very good way, they are their own force of nature," said Clark Dumont, MGM Resorts' corporate communications vice president. "When they came up with this idea it was natural for us, because New York-New York is such an iconic resort."

Larry Ruvo, senior managing director of Southern Wine, conceptualized the idea for the event.

"There's such a strong affiliation between the people in Las Vegas and people on the East Coast in New York and New Jersey. Many of us have relatives there," explained Michael Severino, director of events at Southern Wine. "It was really a knee-jerk response because our brothers and sisters back there are suffering."

About 20 restaurants are slated to participate in the food festival, including Mario Batali's restaurants, Todd English's places, Scott Conant's Scarpetta, Bouchon Bakery, Payard and Nathan's. Wine, craft beers and specialty cocktails will be provided by Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada, and the event is being organized pro bono by Alan Semsar, the CEO of Barcelona.

Severino and Semsar are friends, and Semsar said he couldn't refuse his buddy or the cause. Coincidentally, Barcelona is hosting another event to benefit Sandy victims this weekend in Los Angeles.

"It just made sense to support both of them," Semsar said. "We try to do one pro bono thing a month, which is quite a bit."

Proceeds from the Las Vegas event will go directly to the American Red Cross, because as Semsar said, "they give people who need it money, food, clothing and shelter."

Semsar himself was a victim of the 1994 Northridge earthquake when he was a student at Cal State Northridge. He lost his home because of the quake and the Red Cross helped him out.

"All those homes that got crushed were one block from me. All the apartments on campus were condemned," Semsar said.

So now he's paying it forward.

Severino emphasized that it's important to keep those in need at top of mind.

"It's devastating. It's on the back pages of the news here, but they're still suffering back there," he said.

Capacity for the event is 500 people, and tickets are available only through New York-New York, 866-606-7111. All attendees will receive an engraved commemorative chip that reads "When the 'chips' were down, Las Vegas stepped up to help those who were dealt a bad hand by Hurricane Sandy, 12-9-12."

"I think it's a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon with friends. It's what makes our community so great," Dumont said.

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588.