There are three things we love: Las Vegas. Food. And the obsessive culture built around the world of celebrity chefdom (take a bow Food Network). In honor of these things that make our world go around, we are taking a look at 10 of the most dominant figures in the culinary world of Las Vegas.

This two-part entry is not meant to be a list of the best restaurants in Vegas, the best cooks in America or even our own personal favorites – because you know Tom Colicchio would be way higher if it were. It is dedicated to the chefs who have the greatest physical presence in the City of Sin. So without further ado, let’s begin with a culinary icon who celebrated his 60^th birthday this year.

10) The Chef:  Guy Savoy 

The Diggs: Guy Savoy (Caesars Palace) 

The Goods: We feel a little strange putting Guy Savoy at the bottom of any Top 10 list but this is about influence in the Las Vegas restaurant industry. Although he only his self-titled restaurant is his lone enterprise in Sin City, it has also received two Michelin stars and is consistently named one of the best restaurants in the United States. On second thought, maybe the Guy Savoy should be bumped up a couple of spots.

9) The Chef: Tom Colicchio

The Diggs:

Craftsteak (MGM Grand)

Heritage Steak (Mirage)

The Goods:

Straight out of New Jersey (insert over-embellished accent here) Colicchio has been recognized with multiple James Beard Foundation Medals as well as the organization’s 2010 award for Outstanding Chef. The accolades are nice accompaniment to his reality show superstar status, appearing on every edition of Top Chef since it first aired in 2006. Having just launched his second Las Vegas restaurant (Heritage Steak) Colicchio’s legend should only continue to grow.

8) The Chef: Shawn McClain

The Diggs:

Sage (Aria)

Five50 (Aria)

The Goods:

McClain built up his culinary street-cred in Chicago where he is the executive chef of three restaurants. The story goes that he got into cooking to impress a girl – now that’s our kind of guy. McClain opened his first Vegas restaurant, Sage, in 2009 to rave reviews for everything from food to service. He followed that up this past July with the Five50 pizza bar. It’s hard not to get excited when a chef of McClain’s caliber dedicates his newest launch to the art of pizza making.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imkd3Lh0ovc 

7) The Chef:  Todd English

The Diggs:

Todd English P.U.B. (City Center – near Aria, Vdara and the Mandarin Oriental)

Olives (Bellagio)

The Goods:

Apart from being a world-class chef, Todd English also has a look about him that would make him a perfect casting choice for the next James Bond villain. His Bellagio location is a spin-off of the original Olives based in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston. The Todd English P.U.B., located at City Center, is one of several Vegas establishments that have encouraged the growth of the city’s casual dining scene – it was inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame in 2013. 

6) The Chef: Joël Robuchon

The Diggs:

Joël Robuchon (MGM Grand)

L’Atelier (MGM Grand) 

The Goods:

At 68-years-old Joël Robuchon is the elder statesman of our listing and was even named Chef of the Century by Gault et Milau, a French restaurant guide, in 1989. All totaled his worldwide network of restaurants has netted him 28 Michelin stars.  And if you like Gordon Ramsay, then you should know that this is the man who mentored him. Robuchon may not have the most dominant presence in Vegas but similar to Savoy less seems to be more.