As Max Brenner general manager Ryan Sterling says, he's a bald man, but he's not the bald man, referring to the eponymous chocolatier, who opened the first West Coast location of the world's largest chocolate restaurant in August at The Forum Shops at Caesars. Sterling oversees day-to-day operations for the new location, which has been earning rave reviews.
"Who doesn't love chocolate?" Sterling asks, to no objection. "It's such a comforting thing. It appeals to little kids and it appeals to adults, and that's what people need nowadays is that comfort."
Prior to moving to Las Vegas from Southern California, Sterling served as the garde-manger at Border Grill in Santa Monica, then as a product development chef for an L.A.-based consulting firm.
Since joining the Max Brenner team, he's been helping the company build the brand in a market that's largely unfamiliar with the chocolatier and his creations. That should all change with one look at the food.
"The facial expressions that people get when the banana waffle comes to their table, I never get tired of that," he said.
But a restaurant cannot survive on chocolate alone. Max Brenner offers plenty of savory items, too, including some that rival the signature sweet treats.
"Our macaroni and cheese is off the hook," Sterling said. "In the past three days, I've had two separate people call me begging me for the macaroni-and-cheese recipe."
— Originally published in Las Vegas Magazine
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy