‘Top Chef’ star leaving Las Vegas for ‘new dining concept’

Chef Carla Pellegrino is leaving Las Vegas. Again. The “Top Chef” star, winner of “Throwdown with Bobby Flay,” and current chef-partner in Limoncello Fresh Kitchen, in southwest Vegas, recently announced she is departing the restaurant (effective Saturday) and the city.

“I am preparing to take on what will be an exciting new dining concept, which will necessitate a move and my full attention,” Pellegrino said in a statement. “When the time is right, I look forward to sharing the news about what will be an exhilarating new adventure in my culinary journey. It has been my pleasure to once again call Las Vegas my home, and I look forward to the next time my path leads me here.”

Pellegrino, a native of Rio de Janeiro, has owned or led the kitchens at several restaurants in Vegas and beyond over the years. Many locals, especially, remember with fondness Bacio at the Tropicana and Batalian, a neighborhood spot in Henderson.

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram and @ItsJLW on X.