It’s fitting that Eric Vaughn started his new job right after Halloween, because his role would likely scare off many other chefs. After all, he will be director of culinary operations for the new CAESARS FORUM, a 550,000-square-foot conference center built all on one level opening in March.

The space will accommodate events with more than 10,000 participants. That’s a lot of mouths to feed

“CAESARS FORUM is not your average conference center; we’re going to be managing some of the largest events in the world,” says Don Ross, vice president of meeting operations for the Las Vegas region.

“As our customers’ meetings are getting bigger, our focus has been to not only provide a restaurant-quality food and beverage experience, but to actually take it to another level. Everything we’ve done in setting up the ballrooms—from where the kitchens are located to having pantries right behind the ballrooms—will make it easy for us to prepare and serve food à la minute, as you would in a restaurant.”

A Passion for Food

Vaughn grew up just outside of Chicago and got his first cooking gig at a breakfast spot housed in a tiny resort near Lake Michigan.

“It was absolutely mesmerizing for me to simply make something, and people would love what I prepared  and appreciated the experience; that really was all it took for me to decide that cooking  is what I wanted to do,” recalls Vaughn, who went on to study at Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute, in addition to honing his craft at various hotels, resorts and restaurants before joining Harrah’s in Joliet, Ill.

“I had a great job running their small high-end restaurant. I had creative freedom and a really great team,” says Vaughn, who then became executive sous-chef for Harrah’s in St. Louis.

In 2005, Vaughn moved back to Las Vegas to be the assistant executive chef for the Flamingo Las Vegas, then Paris and Bally’s properties with x restaurants, a commissary and a bake shop that prepares x breads and rolls daily. Five years later, he was promoted to director of culinary operations for Paris, Bally’s and Planet Hollywood.

“Being director of culinary for those three properties was my dream job; I was making an impact and working with Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant recipes and menus,” he says. “Earlier this year, I was approached about managing the culinary team for all of catering in Las Vegas including CAESARS FORUM. The decision to take on this amazing opportunity was obvious: Don Ross, vice president of meeting operations; Bill Dosch, executive director of catering and convention services; and Matt Nitsche, CAESARS FORUM director of banquet operations, are among the best in the industry. This is a rare opportunity to build a team from the ground up, and as a chef, you’ve got to be pretty lucky to get to be part of something special like this.”

Finding the Perfect Fit

Luck had nothing to do with it, notes Ross, who says Caesars Entertainment had many talented potential candidates to head up culinary. But this role requires talent and specialized expertise.

“We were looking for a leader who was managing the culinary teams in large properties and overseeing not only banquets but also restaurants, in-room dining and grab-and-go service. Eric was just that candidate,” he says. “He’s worked in large-scale operations and has fine-dining experience, working closely with Gordon Ramsay, Steve Martorano and other celebrity chefs that have restaurants in our Caesars Entertainment portfolio. He has the culinary skills, industry knowledge, management style, creativity and attention to detail that we are looking for.”

Dosch adds that Vaughn has impressed everyone since joining Harrah’s in 2001.

“Eric’s done an amazing job over the years. Not many people can claim that they’ve run food and beverage operations for three mega-hotels, from large-scale conventions down to fine dining,” he says.

Preparation is Key

Ross and Dosch have attended many industry shows to scope out the latest hotel, restaurant and culinary equipment and accessories for CAESARS FORUM.

“We’re really proud of everything we’ve selected, such as stylish buffets, beautifully designed china and silverware and high-quality linen,” Ross says. “We’re also reinventing our banquet experience, focusing on the overall presentation in addition to assuring the food is innovative, flavorful and current with the trends. When participants walk into one of our events, there’s a wow factor.”

Vaughn adds that the kitchen design combined with cutting-edge equipment is going to make things a little less heated in the kitchen in terms of production.

“The layout and the equipment will make preparation much easier and will give us more time to focus on presentation,” he says. “Also, a lot of thought has gone into developing CAESARS FORUM catering menus, providing a restaurant-quality dining experience.”

After seeing how banquet operations run for many years, Vaughn has set the bar high for this new challenge.

It Takes a Village

Having a huge resource of talent within Caesars Entertainment is a real benefit and assures that CAESARS FORUM can open with an experienced team, Ross says.

“We’ve had the pleasure of being able to involve our teams in the planning of CAESARS FORUM. We have experts in so many areas that have been able to provide their input with the kitchens, dishwashing areas—the storerooms, the loading docks, reviewing diagrams and so on,” he explains. “When we had questions about building the pastry shop, our executive pastry chefs provided helpful information so that we could build a facility that can accommodate the more than 10,000 participants per day.”

Caesars Entertainment has a collaborative culture. Vaughn was thrilled that chefs throughout the enterprise have made themselves available to assist.

“I have taken time to get to know the hundreds of chefs working for Caesars Entertainment and every one of them has said, ‘If you need anything, I’m there for you,’ and I’m super excited about that,” he says.

Because Vaughn will oversee culinary for catering for all the Caesars Entertainment properties in Las Vegas, Ross is confident that customers will be especially well taken care of.

“When we have a party for 35,000 people, it takes a village: members of our teams from all properties help execute events,” he says. “That’s the power of Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas—all teams from all 10 properties working together as one team.”

A Strong Hand at the Wheel

Between the chefs, cooks and stewarding staff, several hundred team members report to Vaughn in his new role, which requires a strong leader, Ross notes.

“Eric is organized, has a great demeanor and is inclusive. He inspires his team,” he says. “Over the years, we’ve watched him grow. All the chefs and the line employees enjoy working for him.”

Vaughn admits that as a young chef, developing leadership skills came later.

“In the beginning, I fell in love with food and I cared about learning everything there is to know in the kitchen from the preparation to ingredients,” he recalls. “Later, I started paying more attention to the people around me and realized that it takes a team to make it happen. I am just a member of a larger team and I strive for success. When you create an environment where people feel valued and appreciated, people are willing to go the extra mile for you.”

Up for the Task

When opening a new facility, there are a lot of unknowns, according to Dosch.

“Everyone works together towards a successful opening,” he says. “It’s very exciting.

“In the next few months, we will be working diligently to welcome our first customers. Having Eric as our culinary leader gives me great confidence, as he brings so much talent and passion to the role.”

Vaughn looks forward to creating restaurant-quality experiences for participants.

“We look forward to instagrammable moments,” he says. “It’s all about flavors, colors, personal touches, garnishes and textures that you’re combining.”

The Word is Out

Advance buzz for CAESARS FORUM has generated impressive numbers that have far exceeded Caesars Entertainment initial projections: More than 125 contracts for meetings and events—representing more than US$390 million—have already been signed, with more than 70 being new business. Industry leaders including ConferenceDirect, Cvent, HelmsBriscoe, MPI and the Professional Convention Management Association have chosen CAESARS FORUM for their upcoming annual meetings.

Vaughn says he’s keeping his vision pretty broad, and aims to impact diners at all Caesars properties in Las Vegas.

“I also have my team to help build that vision, so they have as much ownership in this as I do,” he says. “I’ve got one person in place who’s really strong with banquet logistics and another that’s just awesome with food. By putting people in strategic positions together with myself, we’re going to be unstoppable.”