A celebration of all things beer will offer Clark County brew aficionados a chance to experience a number of events headlined by celebrity chefs.
From Feb. 16 to Feb. 19, ilani’s Brewfest will take over the Cowlitz Ballroom and a number of the casino resort’s restaurants with a focus on beers, seltzers, ciders, spirits and wines. Alongside hundreds of varieties of drinks, celebrity chefs will lead live cooking demonstrations and attendees can taste food pairings to go with their beverages, a release from ilani stated.
Debuting in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event features more than half a dozen chefs who have been featured in a number of cooking and restaurant-focused television shows.
Brian Duffy, from Paramount Network’s Bar Rescue, alongside chef Doug Adams will kick off the weekend’s events with a beer, bourbon and burgers dinner at The Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 16.
Brewfest’s main event will be “grand tastings” on Saturday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19. Hundreds of drinks will be available to try while the chefs do live demonstrations on stage.
Outside of the larger-scale events, Kara Fox-LaRose, ilani’s president and general manager, noted Brewfest also features smaller offerings, like seminars on craft beer or bourbon whiskey.
Chefs like Robert Irvine, a host of a number of Food Network shows, and Antonia Lofaso, who owns restaurants in Los Angeles and has made several TV appearances, are among those taking part in the weekend’s events. Irvine will head up the weekend’s “beer, bubbles and bloodies brunch” on Sunday, Feb. 19 at Rose and Thorn as he serves up a menu curated by himself and ilani Executive Chef Chris Pauls.
Bringing in celebrity chefs is part of ilani’s effort to provide “aspirational experiences” attendees might only be able to have at the resort, Fox-LaRose said.
Those chefs will take part in Friday’s “celebrity chef dine around” where attendees will be able to taste food and drink pairings while those chefs get to work on their live cooking stations.
Fox-LaRose said ilani looked for chefs with personalities that “really interact with our customers.”
“Not only is it important for us to find the quality to bring forward,” but also the overall experience with those chefs, Fox-LaRose said.
Fox-LaRose said ilani’s focus on Brewfest is similar to many other festivals held on the reservation as it highlights what the Pacific Northwest offers. After opening ilani’s meeting and entertainment center in 2018, the resort had an opportunity to highlight entertainment of all sorts, not strictly the gaming available on the casino floor.
Fox-LaRose remarked on her own time at prior Brewfests where she was surprised by how a certain beer could bring out the flavor of a certain food or vice versa.
“They really try to create pairs and matches that really bring that culinary experience,” Fox-LaRose.
She said Brewfest, like ilani’s Winefest and BBQFest, are ways the resort can provide a range of activities beyond what some may associate with a casino.
“It reminds people, or perhaps gives people perspective, that we’re not just a gaming venue,” Fox-LaRose said. “We’re not just a standalone ballroom facility and we’re not just a casino.”
Information on the event and tickets for Brewfest are available online at ilanibrewfest.com.
