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Chef Wolfgang Puck Opens Mother-Inspired Restaurant at Mandalay Bay

Wolfgang Puck's Lupo restaurant, which operated at Mandalay Bay for 24 years, will be closed in June, with an Italian concept replacing it.

SymClub
Jun 8, 2024
2 min read
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Wolfgang Puck says a new restaurant concept called Caramá will replace his former Lupo trattoria...
Wolfgang Puck says a new restaurant concept called Caramá will replace his former Lupo trattoria inside Mandalay Bay in early 2024. Caramá is an Italian eatery honoring Puck’s late mother, who he credits as his first culinary teacher.

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Chef Wolfgang Puck Opens Mother-Inspired Restaurant at Mandalay Bay

Mandalay Bay declared the imminent shutdown of Wolfgang Puck's Lupo restaurant in June, bringing its 24-year run to a close. Fast-forward three months, and the renowned chef is unveiling booking details for the eatery set to succeed Lupo.

This week, Puck's company announced that a new concept known as Caramá - a tribute to the chef's late mother, Maria Topfschnig, would take Lupo's place and be ready by January 2024. Caramá is an Italian restaurant that will offer traditional dishes, a salumi station where guests can interact with the chef, a meticulously curated wine list from premier Italian vineyards, and a pastry bar.

"Growing up on the border of Italy, I had the opportunity to experience the cuisine of all the nearby regions, savoring their textures, sounds, fragrances, and flavors. Caramá will take you on a delightful culinary adventure," remarked Puck.

Born in southern Austria, Puck stayed there until he moved to France and eventually the United States in 1973.

The cheesecake enthusiast's mother, Maria Topfschnig, was a pastry chef who he regards as his first culinary mentor. Puck's disapproving stepfather, a coal miner named Josef Puck, did not encourage Wolfgang's culinary aspirations.

Wolfgang's MGM Partnership

Puck's diverse restaurant chain has graced the Las Vegas Strip for ages. He was enshrined in the American Gaming Association's Hall of Fame in 2005.

Puck unleashed Spago - his first solo restaurant that catapulted him to prominence in the American restaurant business - in 1982 on West Hollywood's Sunset Strip. By 1992, Spago had made its way to Southern Nevada.

Spago ran at Caesars Palace's Forum Shops for 26 years before shutting down in February 2018. MGM Resorts tempted Puck and Spago to relocate to a top-notch location at Bellagio, where the iconic fountains are visible, the same year.

In addition to Spago at Bellagio and the upcoming Caramá at Mandalay Bay, Puck oversees CUT by Wolfgang Puck, an upscale steakhouse at The Venetian Resort's Palazzo. Puck also operates Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill within MGM Grand.

Puck appears to be strengthening his restaurant presence in Las Vegas following the pandemic. Over the course of the virus, his company shut down Five-Sixty in Dallas, The Source in D.C., and Wolfgang Puck Steak at MGM Grand Detroit.

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