Episode #106: Sarah Thompson

Sarah Thompson is the chef of Casa Playa in the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts and is a Culinary Institute of America graduate who spent many years working in New York City at restaurants like Marea and Alder, but when taking a job with Enrique Olvera and Daniela Soto-Innes at Cosme, she fell in love with Mexican cuisine. When that restaurant wanted a variation of it called Elio in Las Vegas she was tapped as the executive chef. They opened right at the same time the pandemic hit, so after months of openings and closings and instability on the Las Vegas strip it closed. However, she was able to convince the Wynn to let her take over the space and serve her form of Mexican cooking.

Casa Playa serves coastal Mexican food, but it’s not attached to any specific region. She has no sentimental background with a grandmother in Michoacán or anything like that, so she doesn’t try to insinuate that she does and just lets the flavors work together as she sees fit. She even whips the masa for her tamales with coconut oil. It’s a very particular environment, running a restaurant inside of a casino. The way people dine is different. They often come in large groups. She has a late-night taco menu for those that want to stop in for a quick bite before during or after going to a club or some kind of attraction. The lighting is beyond her control at times. These unique attributes also give her an opportunity to do things a little differently. It’s a really fascinating world in Las Vegas. I know it seems like a place I wouldn’t like, but I’ve never really gone there for all of the money and excess and nightlife that it has a reputation for. I’ve always appreciated just the weirdness of Las Vegas which is everywhere, though sometimes you have to peel back what’s on the surface.

Read more at New Worlder.