Top Chef Masters: Marcus Samuelsson and Rick Moonen Serve Up a Dinner at Mandalay Bay

Marcus Samuelsson and Rick Moonen duked it out on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters during season two until Samuelsson came out the winner in the finale. The two chefs took out 17 of the country’s best during their run. Now the two put aside their foodie differences to host an evening of cooking side-by-side at Moonen’s RM Seafood Upstairs at Mandalay Bay on June 23. The evening benefits Three Square Food Bank, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending hunger in Southern Nevada.

Samuelsson kicks off the 5 p.m. event with a cooking demonstration with Moonen serving as sous chef. Afterward, you have a chance to sample hors’ d’oeuvres and cocktails during a reception. The chefs go at it again to serve a five-course dinner that shows off their distinct culinary styles.

Samuelsson cut his knives at Aquavit in New York City where he received the 2003 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: New York City. This Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised culinary star has written cookbooks such as The Soul of a New Cuisine and New American Table. He even served up the White House’s first State Dinner for President Barack Obama honoring the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Sing. He’s developing the Red Rooster, which will celebrate the roots of American cuisine in Harlem.

Moonen uses delicacies from the sea in the middle of the desert. The James Beard Award winner has RM Seafood and the newly opened RM Seafood Upstairs at Mandalay Bay, where he serves his sustainable seafood delights. Moonen has been on Oprah, Top Chef Las Vegas and both seasons of Top Chef Masters.

While you’re at this event, you can chat with both chefs and pick up copies of Samuelsson’s cookbook, New American Table, which was nominated for a 2010 James Beard Foundation Award, and Moonen’s Fish Without a Doubt, each personalized with an autograph.

Tickets are priced at $125 per person. For reservations, call 702.632.9300.