By Elizabeth Willoughby on
Picture a dozen kids in the kitchen cutting their names out of dough and learning to make pizza from scratch. Now imagine the teacher is an executive chef, and the kitchen is in none other than Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant in Las Vegas.
Watching Chef Eric Klein, associate partner at Spago, conduct his team in the kitchen is like watching a symphony orchestra, whether Klein is preparing a meal for President Obama, granting a child’s wish for Make-A-Wish Foundation or providing a gourmet fundraising dinner for Keep Memory Alive (KMA).
Fun in the kitchen for Klein is breaking food down to its molecular level and building it up again to challenge how his guests think about food. Fun in the kitchen for him is also teaching children how to make pizza and having a party. “If you support a charity,” says Klein, “you need to be involved.”
An even bigger draw is when the two chefs team up. MGM’s annual fundraising dinner for KMA had both Puck and Klein providing one of the courses, last spring for 3,000 people. KMA uses the proceeds to fund the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, a research hospital striving to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
Klein’s passion for cooking and sharing is as palpable as the aromas wafting from his plates. Last week he was giving tips and demonstrations to passengers on Holland America’s m/s Maasdam cruise ship in the Canadian Maritimes. Back home this week, on September 16, he’ll team up with Puck again for the third Sip & Savor wine-and-dine evening, again benefiting KMA. In 2014, the event raised over $20,000. This one is expected to be as star studded as the last.
You can buy tickets here.
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