Speaker: Elizabeth Blau MS ’97, Chief Executive Officer

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Ms. Elizabeth Blau is credited with transforming Las Vegas’s culinary scene. Her foodservice career, spanning over 23 years, has allowed Ms. Blau to specialize in restaurant planning and development. Her notable achievements include creating an award-winning, 22-concept food and beverage program for Wynn Resort and Casino and partnering in several successful Las Vegas ventures like Simon Restaurant & Lounge at Palms Place. Along with her husband, chef Kim Canteenwalla, she owns and operates Honey Salt, Andiron Steak & Sea, and Buddy V’s, a partnership with TV’s Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro. In the fall of 2017 she will also oversee the food and beverage operations for the brand new Parq casino complex in Vancouver, BC. Ms. Blau’s professional experience began as a Director of Development at Le Cirque New York and Osteria del Circo. She then served as the Vice President of Restaurant Development at Mirage Resorts before becoming the Executive Vice President of Restaurant Development & Marketing at the Wynn Las Vegas. Ms. Blau founded Blau & Associates in 2002 and has since worked with the Ritz Carlton Hotels and Resorts, Viceroy Hotels, and Celebrity Cruises to name a few. Blau & Associates is a strategic restaurant planning and development company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their services focus on providing clients with fresh business ideas and exceptional food-and-beverage concepts. Blau & Associates takes a holistic, hospitality approach to every concept. Among their numerous accolades are features in Hospitality Design, Huffpost Taste, and Travel & Leisure, and awards such as Restaurant Business Magazine’s “Top 20” and Food Arts Magazine Silver Spoon Recipient. Ms. Blau earned an MS degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.