Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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"WE GROW WHAT WE CAN IN THE DESERT. SQUASH, EGGPLANT, AND TOMATOES LOVE THE HEAT." GENO BERNARDO NOVE'S ITALIAN FOOD MAESTRO GETS FRESH INGREDIENTS FROM LOCAL FARMS. THE FARMER: M any Las Vegas chefs follow the farm-to- table philosophy, but chef Geno Bernardo of Nove in the Palms Casino Resort takes this one step further by working closely with local farmers to fulfill his produce needs for the restaurant. His passion for farm- fresh ingredients began as a young chef shopping at the renowned Chino Farms in San Diego. After Bernardo moved to Vegas, chef Rick Moonen introduced him to Claudia and Steven Andracki, who run an organic farm an hour away in Pahrump. Bernardo has been passion- ate about local farming ever since. Growing bountiful crops of lush produce in a desert climate can be daunting. "We grow what 108 vegasmagazine.com we can in the desert," he says. "The cold evenings and harsh winds create a challenge, but squash, eggplant, and tomatoes love the heat." He talks enthusiastically about foods grown on the land of local farms, including the Andracki's, which pro- duces his basil, turnips, squash flowers, and radishes. And when the Andrackis introduced him to Patrick Tipton, whom he calls "the cat's meow of farming," it helped Bernardo develop an even closer relationship with the land. Tipton grows produce specially for Bernardo, who worked with Tipton on the farm, developing a culinary telepathy of sorts. "We understand what the other is thinking," Bernardo says. "He thinks like I do about a restaurant, but through his land." A purist, Tipton employs cover cropping and does not use greenhouses or chemicals. He even gauges the stress levels of the produce to guarantee the purest flavor. Each year the men review what crops turned out well, and discuss what they should plant the following year. Bernardo receives cage-free eggs from local farmers Michael and Michela Griffin, and he will work with them this summer to raise red wattle pigs—arguably some of the tastiest pork available. Great food does not just magically appear, as Bernardo is eager to tell diners. "We strive to teach guests what it is all about so that it is an experience," he says. "This is the Nove way of life. We tell a story so people know where the food comes from."