Eat Drink
The Lechon booth drew a long line of foodies on opening day, including badass boxer Mike Tyson.
CYRENE DE LA ROSA | June 26, 2021
In the midst of a pandemic, Resorts World Las Vegas bravely opened its doors to the public on Friday. The long-awaited grand launch also marked the birth of the first new Las Vegas Strip hotel casino in a decade, and is expected to bring much-needed business at a time the famous entertainment destination needs most.
Located on 88 acres at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip, the new resort has a lot to offer, including 40 food and drink options. These include dishes from our in-house Pepita’s Kitchen, which is famous in Manila for its lechons, which are filled with delicious rice flavored with truffles, sisig and other delicious treats.
The famous Lechon from Pepita’s Kitchen has landed in Las Vegas.
Pepita’s Kitchen is a proudly indigenous Manila based food company founded by owner Dedet de la Fuente, better known in the Filipino food scene as the “Lechon Diva”. Dedet stumbled upon her business idea after attending a roast pork course under the guidance of well-known Filipino chef Reggie Aspiras, excited about the lechon-making process.
According to Dedet, Pepita’s Kitchen will be part of an interactive 24,000 square foot street food destination in Vegas that will feature 16 food stalls from top chefs and restaurateurs from around the world. The offerings can be found in an area called Famous Foods Street Eats. It has a curated list of restaurants that, along with some well-known Vegas chefs and their establishments, serve some of the best displays of Asian cuisine.
With daughter Liyora shortly before the opening
What can you expect from the Lechon Diva’s booth in Vegas – the only booth handpicked to represent Filipino food on the Vegas Strip, by the way? It is their very favorite Lechon filled with truffle rice along with a newly launched Sisig Panini.
Other notable stalls on the Strip include a Michelin Bib Gourmand-recommended Hong Kong dumpling shop, an iconic family-run Thai beef noodle shop from Bangkok, a traditional Hainanese chicken stand from Singapore, and a handful of other Asian delicacies that share the food arena with the likes of the award-winning James Beard-Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Streetbird Las Vegas. Streetbird will show Samuelsson’s take on American home cooking. There’s also James Trees’ Mozz Bar, an Italian food counter by the James Beard finalist and one of the most popular Esther’s Kitchen in Las Vegas.
The long line on the opening day
Shortly after it opened its doors to the public, Dedet raved about the warm reception of their Lechons via a Facebook post. Their booth drew a long line of foodies on opening day, including badass boxer Mike Tyson. Dedet also released their new Pepita’s Kitchen logo complete with an inspiring statement about their brand’s evolution.
“The Filipino lechonera (female pork roaster) really landed in Las Vegas,” said Dedet. “She’s holding an abaca fan while toasting Lechon. Yes, hindi siya payat (she is not thin) and she is wearing an Adidas Ultra Boost. This picture completes the new logo and the new look of the Lechon Diva from Pepita’s Kitchen. I feel like this represents modern day Filipina. Hardworking, not afraid to do things you normally wouldn’t ask of a girl and comfortably wear what she wants.
[Photos courtesy of Dedet de la Fuente]
