Sam DeMarco

The Venetian | The Palazzo

FIRST Food & Bar at The Palazzo

Executive Chef

Chef Sammy D. may phonetically sound as if you’re saying “Chef Boyardee,” but when it comes to this chef’s kitchen don’t expect to find beefaroni or mini raviolis on the menu...on second thought, don’t count it out.

Chef Sam DeMarco, known to his circle of fans and friends as Chef Sammy D. ran the kitchens of legendary restaurants for years under the tutelage of famed chefs before branching out on his own.

In 1993 Sammy D. stepped into the culinary limelight, opening his first restaurant, aptly named First, in the East Village of New York. First was responsible for putting “industry dining” on the map and chef’s new venture quickly became a hotspot for diners who appreciated great food in a high-energy atmosphere. The restaurant also became a haven for high-profile chefs including Wolfgang Puck and Charlie Trotter who frequented the restaurant to have Sammy D.’s take on classic nostalgic cuisine topped with a dash of inner city flavor. These regular after-hours stops by chefs and their staffs earned him the title of “the chefs’ chef.” First was also a mecca for elite New Yorkers and on any given night you would find Mayflower Madam Sydney Biddle Barrows sipping a cocktail and sitting next to Judge Ed Koch downing the chef’s mini burgers.

Sammy D. brings his east coast flavor to the west coast with a new project in Las Vegas. FIRST Food & Bar, a concept opening in spring 2009 inside the Shoppes at the Palazzo, offers the authenticity and character of a neighborhood bar or restaurant. FIRST will feature a slight reincarnation of First NYC classics, but with a modern day spin. The restaurant which is located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip features Chef Sammy D. where he likes to be – right in the middle of his open counter kitchen greeting guests and cooking up whatever you’re in the mood for.

Grab a bite, take a nibble and have a nosh in Chef Sammy D.’s kitchen.