Culinary Odyssey returns to roots

For the last five years, the Las Vegas Odyssey has become one of the premier food, wine and art events for locals.

Many of the changes that have taken place to improve the event are the result of participant feedback. Although last year's Lake Las Vegas site was a much loved affair, people wanted to keep the event close to accessible restaurants on the Strip. So Virginia and Mark Martino, husband and wife co-founders of the event, brought the Odyssey back to its origins. They also scaled it down to the five most cherished events and added a golf tournament.

"This year, to commemorate the five-year anniversary, it's smaller," Virginia Martino said. "It's more exclusive. We picked five events based on what people have really talked about the last few years."

The idea for a celebrity chef golf tournament, the first of its kind for the Odyssey, came from Terence Fong, executive chef of Chinois at the Forum Shops. Martino said the Odyssey creators wanted to host a golf segment for some time, but the timing just wasn't right.

This year, the golf event will accompany the Blues Luncheon, the farewell event set for Nov. 7, and will offer either an alternative or an accompaniment to the lunch.

But the biggest attraction for residents is still the food. Martino said more than 30 chefs from Las Vegas and other parts of the country are set to prepare feasts for an exclusive number of guests.

For the chefs, the Odyssey provides a chance to create original dishes, design their own program and have a break from preparing dishes from a single genre.

"We're starting with the Art of Food and Wine dinner at Giorgio Caffe and Restaurant on Thursday, Nov. 4," Martino said. "There will be sugar-blowing demonstrations, a chocolate sculpture (and) that's just the opener."

The following night, the black tie Master's Dinner at the Four Seasons will showcase the talents of ten chefs and rally residents for a good cause. Artist in residence Thomas Arvid is scheduled to show his work, which will be sold at a silent auction with proceeds benefitting Keep Memory Alive, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and locally for Le Cordon Bleu student scholarships.

As the grand finale of that event, a live auction will take place that will offer a dinner prepared by ten Odyssey chefs for one winner plus 25 guests at the scenic Southern Wine & Spirits building. Mont Blanc also donated a diamond watch valued at around $5,000 to be raffled.

Nov. 6's event adds mystique and romance to the celebration.

"It's dinner with a twist," Martino said. "Every course will be created out of aphrodisiac foods. There will be some body painting and live mannequins."

Arnauld Briand, chef and owner of Ventano Italian Corner & Oyster Bar, has participated in the Odyssey since its inception and is on the advisory board.

The event, besides being a place to explore culinary creativity, offers a once-a-year chef conference. Briand said.

"It's a good thing to put all the chefs together," he said. "It's the only time we get to fraternize with those guys. You get so busy running the business that you don't have time most of the year. But at these events you can have a good laugh and a good time. It's for a good cause and it's fun."

Planning the events each year is a huge job, according to Martino. Coordinating the hundreds of people in one place for one event is just the tip of the iceberg.

"The hardest part was getting a good core," she said. "But we've got a great advisory board. The biggest pleasure is when we can promote the chefs and the city and help some awesome charities. That's what it's all about."

Special room rates are offered at the Four Seasons to those attending Odyssey events.

Those interested in attending the Odyssey , with events ranging in price from $75-$500, can visit www.lasvegasodyssey.com or www.odysseylifestyle.com, or call 257-2345.


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