Guest post by Christie Vanover

So you’ve earned your Golden Ticket, and you’re booking your travel. Consider padding on a few extra nights in Las Vegas to get the local’s edge.

Face it, Vegas is a city of distraction. The moment you land at McCarran Airport, slot machines are ringing, calling out for a quick 20. Big screens are flashing in the baggage carousel, enticing you to the latest show. But you’re here for a purpose. You want to hit Fremont Street, cook your ass off and show the world that you’re the best.

Don’t let the glitz and showgirls knock you off your game. Instead, come to Sin City a couple of days early. This will give you time to adjust to the amazement, get checked in and most importantly for this trip, source your ingredients and supplies.

We locals have an advantage. We can stock our fridges, load up our cars and bring the kitchen sink, if we so desire. We know which markets carry the trusted, tested ingredients that will take our dishes to the top.

If you arrive the day of registration, you’ll be busy figuring out where to go, checking in and strolling Fremont Street, head-to-the-sky in awe of the canopy of lights. You’ll bump into competition friends you haven’t seen in a while, and before you know it, time is up. You’re left running to the closest market or relying solely on the pantry. You’ve come too far to leave your dish to chance. Instead, get there a day or two early. Check-in, get acclimated to the excitement that is Las Vegas and figure out your shopping strategy.

Transportation
First thing is first. You need to figure out how to get around. Taxis are prevalent at the airport, on the strip and downtown, but once you venture out of the tourist district, you’re in suburbia, a place where taxis are rare. I recommend renting a car for day 1. Parking is free at hotel casinos. You can get checked-in, get your map and directions figured out and then shop at multiple spots for your winning ingredients. Return the car, and taxi it for the rest of the trip.

If you just rely on taxis, you’re looking at about $30 to get to the market, $30 for the cabbie to wait and another $30 to get back downtown. If you don’t pay for the cabbie to wait, you’ll have to call for a new cab, and you could be waiting with ice-cold groceries for more than an hour.

Where to shop in Vegas
There are a variety of groceries in the valley. Like any big city, they range from traditional chain stores to high-end markets. If you just need the basics, you’ll find those at the closer markets. If you’re looking for ingredients that are a little more eclectic, you’ll need to head a few miles off-strip. You don’t find many olive bars in the downtown area markets.

If you need ethnic ingredients, I recommend three areas of town. For Latin markets, hit Bonanza Road and Eastern Avenue. For Asian markets, visit China Town at Spring Mountain Road and Valley View Boulevard. For Filipino cuisine, visit Maryland Parkway and Flamingo Road.

There are a few butchers sprinkled around town where you can find traditional cuts along with veal, lamb, goat, duck, antelope, buffalo, elk, venison, wild boar, alligator, quail, rabbit and pheasant. You can check these shops out online before you arrive and pre-order your specific cuts.

Looking for farm-fresh produce? There is a farmer’s market held everyday in different parts of the Vegas Valley. Vendors carry high-quality produce grown in Southern Nevada, honey, meats and other unique specialties.

Don’t forget your presentation plates. Instead of packing some in your suitcase, where they could break, pick some up here in town, and ship them back home. We have all the traditional cookware and department stores here, along with a few restaurant supply stores right near downtown.

Registration Day
You’re set. You’re checked in. Your ingredients are ready. You know the area. You can sit back, grab a martini at an on-the-street bar and people watch as all of the unprepared competitors scurry into downtown wondering where to begin. Like a local, you don’t have to worry. All you have to do is cook.

Reward Yourself
After you take home your trophy and fat check, you’ll want to celebrate, so I recommend staying one more night. You can grab a show, get pampered in a world-class spa, let someone else do the cooking at one of dozens of celebrity chef restaurants, or take an excursion to the Hoover Dam or Grand Canyon. After multiple intense days of competing, you’ll deserve it!

Now that you know how to get the local’s edge, I expect you to bring it! Best of luck. See you in Vegas, baby.

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