One thing’s for sure; there’s a lot of competition when it comes to being a chef in Las Vegas. With cuisine celebrity names and faces festooned liberally at most all of the major casino properties, competition for diners’ dollars is a mighty destination draw all in itself.
But when you’re the top chef for a five-star property such as the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, the demand for a consistent level of excellence and the ability to customize service and menus to meet and even exceed the expectations of a well-traveled customer attuned to the best in luxury shakes up the formula on a daily basis.
Satisfying the refined tastes of a worldly clientele has been a daily occurrence for Michael Goodman, executive chef of the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, a 30-year veteran of the top-shelf luxury brand in locations stretching across the globe.
“I’ve been with Four Seasons for some time, I must say—I’m 22 and I’ve been with the company for 30 years,” joked Goodman, who has plied his trade at Four Seasons in San Francisco, Mexico City, Scottsdale, Hawaii, Los Angeles and New York. “I’ve been in it for the full ride. To stay in this business for 10, 20, 30 years, you have to really like it and enjoy it.”
Goodman manages a swath of food and beverage operations at the Vegas venue, including the property’s Veranda Restaurant, over 28,000 square feet of banquet space, a kosher kitchen and Four Seasons Catering To You, the hotel’s off-site catering program.
“They should expect nothing but the best. The best food, the best quality,” Goodman said. “I think the majority of guests that come to Four Seasons know what they want. They’re well-traveled. You try to knock it out of the park, and I think we do a good job at that every day, for sure.”
Customization and flexibility is a hallmark at the 422-room, non-gaming property, whose reach also extends off-property at off-site locations such as the Smith Center for the Performing Arts and other venues throughout the city, which is a wise move in an ever-changing destination where groups don’t want to confine themselves to one property during the stay.
Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas Group Dining Offerings
Goodman said his team can accommodate anywhere from two to 700 people, with between 250 and 400 being their average, and can arrange dine-arounds at other dining venues in the property, such as Charlie Palm Steak and Press cocktail lounge.
“We create the menus on what the clients want,” Goodman said, adding that he typically brings groups in for tastings to develop breakfast, lunch and dinner menus that are highly customized. “If they don’t have a vision of the food, we’ll see what their needs are and create a menu on that.”
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