Marcus Samuelsson hosts Chinese feast in Las Vegas

Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson was in town on Wednesday to celebrate the latest episode of his PBS show “No Passport Required,” which was filmed in Las Vegas. The show, which premiered this past weekend, examines Chinese cuisine, both on and off the Strip.

The Wednesday night event at the local PBS studios gave several hundred fans the opportunity to sample fare from eight of the off-Strip businesses featured on the show: Tea and Whisk, Shanghai Taste, Niu-Gu Noodle House, Flock & Fowl, Fat Choy, Shang Artisan Noodle, Chengdu Taste and Chubby Cattle. The evening also included traditional Chinese musicians, and a discussion with Samuelsson.

Speaking with the Review-Journal shortly before the event, the chef explained why he wanted to film in Las Vegas.

“When you have a program like ‘No Passport,’ where it’s really about the intersection between what’s American, identity around food, and also immigration, Vegas is one of the cornerstones for that. Because there’s food everywhere. There’s immigrant culture everywhere.”

He went on to say that exploring the valley’s Chinatown area was an eye-opener for him. The biggest surprise, he explained, was “that it’s so young,” noting that it what we think of today as Chinatown only dates back to the 1990s. He says he was also impressed by the fact “that it’s still growing.”

For those who missed the episode, it will re-air at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on Las Vegas PBS.

Contact Al Mancini at amancini@reviewjournal.com. Follow AlManciniVegas on Twitter and Instagram.