BREAKING: Patina Exec Chef Going to Wynn Encore

There's been a lot VegasWire of late but there are some strong LA-Vegas connections right now, and this is a biggie: Patina exec chef Theo Schoenegger will get his own signature restaurant at the Wynn's new Encore resort. Although Schoenegger's been in the French-Cali realm of Patina cuisine for five years---he opened the Disney Concert Hall resto downtown and received numerous accolades---Theo's will be Italian with California flair. "I'm Italian and grew up eating and cooking Italian. This is definitely the ultimate opportunity," says the chef. He adds that while he's sad to leave the ocean behind, he doesn't foresee any huge challenges to the Vegas move: He can get all the fresh ingredients he gets here ("it's just four hours away"), in addition to having all the resources that comes with running a restaurant at the Wynn. As for leaving the Patina Group and Joachim Splichal behind, he's grateful for his time with them: "It's an outstanding company, there aren't many like it." Schoenegger starts the new gig in September, and Theo's will open at the Encore sometime this winter, say reps---late December or early January.
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