How Chef Jessica Perlstein changed Las Vegas

Chef Jessica Perlstein joins The Good Fork, hosted by Diana Edelman of Vegans, Baby to share her culinary journey that started at age 15 and would eventually lead her to the world-famous James Beard House.

In this episode, Jessica shares how she get her start cooking and what it was like working as a young female chef on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip.

We also talk about her time working with celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck’s brand, opening a restaurant in Singapore, and how she ended up being one of the first chefs on The Strip to launch a vegan menu … at a steakhouse.

She also shares how she felt being asked to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in NYC and cooking with a line-up of acclaimed Las Vegas chefs, and her current journey as executive sous chef for the soon-to-open Main St. Provisions in the heart of the Arts District in Las Vegas.

To see Chef in action, watch her show viewers how to make crispy tofu and pasta using staple pantry ingredients … with a restaurant flare, and vegan chocolate chip cookies.

About Chef Jessica Perlstein

Born and raised in California’s San Fernando Valley in California, Jessica spent much of her childhood helping her mother cook in their kitchen for friends and family.

At the age of 15 she became fascinated with the culinary arts and started down the path of her culinary career. Jessica wanted to make people happy through cooking up good food and good conversation and knew the kitchen was where she wanted to be.

In 2001, Jessica landed her first gig at a local strip-side steakhouse in Las Vegas, where she assisted in opening two of Gustav Mauler’s restaurants as their Lead Line Cook.

The next year, she began a 13-year career with the Wolfgang Puck brands starting as Banquet Chef at Postrio, followed by Executive Sous Chef at CUT. In 2010 she opened CUT Singapore as their Executive Sous Chef but after a year of exploring Southeastern Asia, she returned to Las Vegas as the Executive Sous Chef of Spago.

In 2013, Jessica left the Wolfgang family and moved to Portland, Ore. and worked as Sous Chef at the Urban Farmer at Nines Hotel. Her focus was in their catering division hosting many on and offsite events.

It wasn’t long until she was back in Las Vegas the next year, working for Alex Stratta at Tapas by Stratta as part of their opening team.

A new opportunity came up quickly and she received a call from a past mentor and friend, Chef Geno Bernardo who was about to open Herringbone Las Vegas at ARIA Resort & Casino. Jessica spent two years working as the Executive Sous Chef cooking California Coastal Cuisine with Chef Bernardo at Herringbone and later their sister property, FIX Restaurant & Bar at Bellagio before landing her first executive chef role at another sister property in 2018 at STACK Restaurant & Bar at Mirage. She moved over to Searsucker at Caesars Palace as Executive Chef.

In November 2019, Jessica headed to the James Beard House in New York City as one of four chefs representing Las Vegas for the second Vegas Vegan Dinner curated by Diana Edelman of Vegans, Baby.

Currently, she is Executive Sous Chef for Main St. Provisions, a new dining establishment opening in the Arts District.

When she is not in the kitchen, Chef Perlstein spends her time hiking and has a love for the great outdoors.