A conversation with innovation Three up-and-coming Vegas food phenoms talk about getting it right, taking it big and keeping it real
Jet Tila is the chef at Wazuzu, the buzzworthy pan-Asian restaurant at Encore Las Vegas. He is from L.A. Kari Haskell is the baker behind northwest Las Vegas’ Retro Bakery, known all over the valley for creative cupcakes with a little attitude and a lot of buttercream. She is from Oregon. Ricardo Guerrero is the creator of Slidin’ Thru, a mini-burger slinging lunch truck local foodies are chasing from Henderson to Summerlin. He is a Vegas native. They’re young, hip, passionate about their food — and savvy beyond their years when it comes to building their businesses and images. They sat down with me recently over dim sum, sushi and megachip cookies for a casual conversation about what they do, where they’re going — and why we’re following.
How to stand out — and stand tall Brock: Cupcakes, the truck and the sliders, and the cuisine here at Wazuzu, pan-Asian, are all pretty hot trends in food right now. How do you distinguish yourselves? Kari: I’m trying to do it by diversifying our menu. It’s cupcakes, all day, every day, but we have, for example, the megachip cookie, a Saturday special. I’ve been baking that cookie since I was 15. That’s what I’ve always done — bake. Cake came because that’s what I could build my business on, and custom cakes because that’s what my husband is very good at.
Jet: So what makes the slider truck different? Ricardo: The food we serve. The Ya-Ya burger is Greek, named after my grandmother. It’s homemade tzatziki sauce, a little feta cheese and red wine vinaigrette. It’s something unique. You’re not going to find it anywhere else. The Captain’s Order is balsamic reduction, feta cheese, sautéed onions and bacon. There’s a Caprese with fresh mozzarella and basil. And who doesn’t like a slider? You get three different ones in one tray. Kari: You don’t feel fat eating it. Just like a cupcake! Jet: Wazuzu is a different animal, being on the Strip. I’m not good at a lot of things, but I think I’m good at understanding what people want. I went right to New York right when I got my job, ate everywhere, ate everywhere in L.A., and thought, what’s missing? To me, panAsian here was like Tao, basically a Chinese joint with a pad Thai and sushi. Brock: They have food there? Jet: Exactly. In Vegas, who else is pan-Asian? At that time, Social House, and now they’re back. And that’s a sushi joint with a pad Thai. They’ll weave in one other Asian dish and call it pan-Asian. But it makes great sense businesswise, because you’re going to get higher perceived value from sushi than Chinese food. Kari: So did you choose Encore or did Encore choose you? Jet: Encore chose me. Kari: That’s amazing. Jet: I was working 30 hours a week cooking for billionaires in L.A., moonlighting. I had the best life. And then they were like, “Mr. Wynn
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would like to open a restaurant.” Kari: Oh my God! I can’t even imagine that. Ricardo: That’s a crazy phone call. Jet: I was like, “How did you find me?” I live off the radar. I’m not Ming Tsai. There’s maybe four or five dudes that can knock this kind of restaurant out, competently give you great dim sum and great sushi and great Thai. So I cooked the tasting, I left it all here, thought, I’m never gonna get this job. And then: “Do you want the job?” “Are you serious? Do you know me?” So I figure this was the next step for me. I’m 35 now. The 30s are the best ever. Kari: You feel confident, like, I can do this. Jet: You’ve amassed enough skill at what you do. Kari: Yes! Jet: You’re mature enough to plan what you want to do with it. Kari: Yes! Jet: We hope. You’ve shed most of your vices. Kari: Well, no … Ricardo: She works at a cupcake shop! Kari: I do eat a lot of sugar. I have a total lovehate with what I do. Jet: Don’t we all? Kari: Sometimes I think maybe I should come up with a cupcake that people will feel better about eating. You at least have some healthy stuff on the menu here. Jet: But I’m further in my 30s. I have to eat better. How old are you? Ricardo: 23. Jet: What’s it like at your age, building this business? Ricardo: Sometimes it’s a little overwhelming,
P h oto g r pa h y b y C h r i s to p h e r S m i t h
By Brock Radke