Chef Kerry Simon
One of the first chefs on the Las Vegas scene, Kerry Simon continues to reinvent himself in the city he calls home. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Simon apprenticed at Jean Morels’ L’hostellerie Bressane, learning the basics of French cuisine. He then went on to work in some of Manhattan’s most legendary kitchens including La Cote Basque, Lutece and Lafayette restaurant in the Drake Hotel.
At Lafayette, he held both pastry and sous chef positions, helping the restaurant receive its New York Times four-star rating in 1988. Soon after, he was appointed executive chef of The Plaza Hotel’s Edwardian Room, where he was the youngest to hold that title. In search of a new adventure, Simon left the Edwardian Room and headed to Miami, where he opened Blue Star and Starfish at the Raleigh Hotel. In 1998, he joined Jean Georges Vongerichten to launch and oversee Mercer Kitchen in NYC, Prime in Las Vegas and other properties in Hong Kong, London and Chicago.
In Las Vegas, Simon met his future business partner Elizabeth Blau, and together, they opened Simon kitchen + bar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in 2002 and SIMON LA at the Sofitel in 2006. In 2008 he returned to the city he calls home with two exciting openings: CatHouse at the Luxor Hotel & Casino and Simon at Palms Place.
