A cooking school in Nevada will often boast guest lecturers who are in town to debut a new restaurant on the Strip or dine in some of the Vegas masterpieces. As a bonus, graduates will be ready to take on new challenges in Las Vegas with a career in culinary arts. An increasing number of hotels means that a steady need for chefs will continue to exist in Las Vegas.
Not only will culinary arts students have the chance to learn some of the historical cuisines of Basque, Native American and pioneer settlers, but they will also have an opportunity to learn from some of the best chefs on Earth.
Culinary Fare in Las Vegas
Some of the world's best dining places are found in Las Vegas. The city is bursting with upscale dining establishments, large buffets and diverse cuisines from every country on Earth. Most of the Strip's hotels offers a number of exciting dining establishments including steakhouses, 24 hour dining and even a handful of locations run or managed by celebrity chefs like Todd English, Wolfgang Puck and Gordon Ramsey. Chefs cooking nearly any cuisine in any style can be found somewhere in Las Vegas.
Basque Foods
It may come as a surprise to many to learn that the Silver State was once home to a thriving Basque population. These Spanish settlers came to the region to work as miners and even as sheep herders in the nineteenth century. As a result there are a handful of incredible authentic Basque restaurants in the area around Reno.
Anyone with a passion for food should be sure not to miss an opportunity to try dishes like leg of lamb, chorizo, paella and pigs feet. A truly unique dish to find in family style Basque restaurants is chateaubriand. This dish is a large piece of meat covered in thin strips of meat before cooking. The outer strips are discarded and only the delicious tender center is eaten.
Pioneer Culinary Influences
Many of the first settlers and travelers through the Silver State were miners and those who were hoping to strike it rich out West. While the vast majority never did find enough gold to transform their lives, they did transform some of the culinary landscape of the region.
Many dishes cooked in that time were ones that could be preserved for weeks and didn't require fresh fruits or vegetables which were hard to acquire. Biscuits, dried meats, saffron cake and potato-caramel cake are just a few of the dishes that remain ingrained in the state's culinary landscape to this day.
A Top Tourism Destination
Nevada is one of the most popular tourism destinations within the United States. Although most visitors head straight for the bustling metropolis that is Las Vegas, there are also a number of exciting attractions and cities throughout the rest of the state.
The Hoover Dam is one of the most iconic structures of the West and should certainly be visited by those who make it to the Silver State. Other specific locations of interest include Carson City, Reno, Area 51, Sparks and the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Despite the abundance of agriculture in the state, there is still a diverse and exciting culinary scene. Read on to get a better understanding of what to expect from Nevada's fare.