[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 8384]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING WOLFGANG PUCK

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the city of Las Vegas, in my native State of 
Nevada, is recognized as the entertainment capital of the world.
  Our amazing resorts offer many options for fun, but one of their 
greatest attractions is world-class dining.
  Over the last 12 years, many of our Nation's leading chefs have 
opened restaurants in Las Vegas, transforming our desert city into even 
more of a culinary oasis.
  The man most responsible for this remarkable transformation is 
Wolfgang Puck.
  Wolfgang Puck was born in Austria. He began his formal training at 
age 14, inspired by his mother, who was a hotel chef. By the time he 
came to this country at age 24, Wolfgang had prepared himself for 
success, but nobody could have predicted just how dramatic that success 
would be.
  By combining classic French techniques with influences from Asia and 
California, and by using the finest ingredients from local purveyors, 
he has changed the way Americans think about food and the way chefs 
prepare it.
  Along the way he has become American's most famous chef, and created 
an empire comprising a dozen fine dining restaurants and more than 50 
casual and quick service establishments.
  Four of his best restaurants are in Las Vegas: Spago and Chinois at 
the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace; Trattoria Del Lupa at Mandalay Bay; 
and Postrio at the Venetian.
  One thing all these places have in common is a remarkable attention 
to detail. Wolfgang Puck is a person who thinks about everything that 
could possibly affect the dining experience. Some would even call him a 
worrier. The story goes that before his first Spago restaurant opened, 
he couldn't sleep for two days because he was worried that nobody would 
show up. Well, people did show up, and they lined up to get in. So 
Wolfgang's reaction was to worry about how he would ever be able to 
feed such a crowd.
  Wolfgang Puck has been influential because of his cooking techniques 
and his approach to food; almost every American chef has learned 
something from him. But you don't have to be a chef to learn from 
Wolfgang Puck. We can all learn from his willingness to take risks and 
try new ways of doing things. He has said that he learned more from his 
one restaurant that failed than he learned from the many that 
succeeded.
  Wolfgang has a great partner in life and in business--his wife, 
Barbara Lazaroff. She is an acclaimed architectural designer who has 
created magnificent environments where diners can appreciate Wolfgang's 
food. I'm sure Wolfgang would be the first to acknowledge that he 
couldn't have accomplished what he has without Barbara by his side.
  Wolfgang and Barbara and their two sons live in California, but we 
think of them as part of our Las Vegas community. They are very active 
in charitable activities in Nevada, as well as California. Their Puck-
Lazaroff Charitable Foundation was established in 1982, and has raised 
more than $5 million for charity. It sponsors the annual American Food 
and Wine Festival, which raises money for Meals on Wheels.
  Wolfgang and Barbara are also major supporters of the American Cancer 
Society, the American Heart Association, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Big 
Brothers and Big Sisters of California and Nevada, and the Alzheimer's 
Association.
  In fact, on May 15, Wolfgang will be the honored guest at Keep Memory 
Alive, an annual dinner in Las Vegas that combats Alzheimer's by 
raising money and public awareness. This event began in 1996 as an 
intimate dinner party. It has been repeated each year since, thanks to 
Larry Ruvo and Bobby Baldwin. Last year, Keep Memory Alive had grown to 
a feast for 300 people at Postrio. Wolfgang and other chefs prepared a 
memorable dinner, and Muhammed Ali and other celebrities auctioned off 
some memorable items. The evening raised $2.6 million to fight 
Alzheimer's.
  It is entirely fitting that this year's event at the Mirage will 
honor Wolfgang Puck for his work to combat this horrible disease. 
Please join me today in saluting Wolfgang and Barbara for all their 
contributions to the southern Nevada community, and the entire country.

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