MGM Resorts Gathers Culinary All-Stars For F1 Experience
Even during a week overflowing with celebrity-studded parties, once-in-a-lifetime dinners and ultra-exclusive hospitality suites, Bellagio’s Fountain Club stood out as a culinary crown jewel of Formula 1’s return to Las Vegas. Built along the edge of Lake Bellagio, overlooking the track’s fastest straightaway, the multi-level venue offered guests an unobstructed, cinematic view of the race — a setup that made even seasoned Vegas veterans stop and take notice.
Celebrities, athletes and various VIPs treated the venue as their home base for viewing the race. Kendall Jenner dropped by her 818 Tequila bar before heading into the Fountain Club for the qualifying night. Naomi Campbell DJed a set from the skydeck. DJ Pauly D took over the turntables at the Red Bull Lounge. Stars such as Jon Hamm, Sofia Vergara, Sofia Carson, Dwight Howard and others appeared throughout the night, drifting between race views, cocktails, and chef meet-and-greets.
A World-Class Gathering of Chefs
To feed this A-list gathering of race fans, MGM Resorts International called in its top chefs from Las Vegas and beyond, peppering the lineup with a few culinary icons from outside the corporate family.
Hours before race time, Bellagio hosted a photo op/press event on the Fountain Club’s rooftop deck, bringing together the club’s entire culinary and beverage lineup: Masaharu Morimoto, Wolfgang Puck, Byron Puck, Antonia Lofaso, Mario Carbone, Mark Wahlberg, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, David Chang, Brooke Williamson, José Andrés, Alex Guarnaschelli, Tom Colicchio, Michael Mina, Jian Heng Loo, Olivia Tiedemann, Sid Ahuja, Michael Voltaggio, Bryan Voltaggio, Dave Beran, Owen Han, H Woo Lee, Dominick De Martolomeo and Wesley Holton.
As they assembled for a group photo, the chefs themselves seemed impressed.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten described the weekend as a powerful gathering point for the global culinary community.
“It’s always great to come here,” Vongerichten told the Food and Loathing podcast, “not only for the race, but to see all our peers. It’s an exciting moment.”
He pointed out that few places in the world could assemble so many top chefs under one roof.
“Vegas F1 is the best. There’s no other city where you have that many chefs contributing… best drivers, best chefs, best food.”
Only-In-Vegas Excess
Though the press event itself was a quiet moment, the weekend’s larger hospitality program was anything but. Bellagio constructed multiple tiers of lounges, bars, show kitchens and viewing decks, including activations from Tao Group Hospitality, 818 Tequila, and Red Bull Racing.
Earlier in the week, Chef Masaharu Morimoto gathered fellow chefs David Chang and Mario Carbone to help assemble a 60-foot sushi roll – a theatrical kickoff to race celebrations that only Las Vegas could execute. He told Food and Loathing that seeing F1 in Vegas over the past two years had transformed his own enthusiasm for the sport.
“The first year, I got shocked. Dynamic, speedy.”
The Iron Chef excitedly imitated the sound of cars rushing past at 200 mph, smiling from ear to ear, before adding, “I’m very excited to see what [else] happens this year.”
José Andrés echoed Morimoto’s enthusiasm, framing the Las Vegas race as one of the sport’s most impressive destinations.
“It’s blooming,” the celebrity chef noted, “becoming one of the best sites to do these races anywhere in the world.”
Wolfgang Puck emphasized how naturally F1 fits the city, calling Las Vegas “the perfect venue, because when you look at the track at night, it’s advertising throughout the world.”
He noted that the race week energy elevates everything the city does with “great food, great wine and watching the cars zoom by.”
A Front-Row Seat to F1 History
When Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and George Russell finished the race and stepped onto the winner’s stage — chauffeured by Terry Crews — Fountain Club guests watched the podium celebration unfold just across the water.
It was the culmination of a weekend that blended high-octane racing with over-the-top hospitality in a way only Las Vegas can. For its combination of access, talent and spectacle, the Bellagio Fountain Club wasn’t just one of the hottest tickets of race week — it became the defining symbol of Las Vegas’ ability to raise Formula 1 hospitality to a level the rest of the world must chase.
