'I'm walking into somebody's memories': Bellagio celebrates 25th anniversary

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Sunday was a special day for the Bellagio, which celebrated its 25th anniversary.

The Bellagio opened on Oct. 15, 1998. The casino cost an estimated $1.6 billion, which was the most expensive resort in the world, at the time.

Celebrity chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Michael Mina, and Julian Serrano look back on when they were first approached about opening restaurants in the casino.

Serrano and Vongerichten remember Steve Wynn discussing the matter when he visited Vongerichten's restaurant in New York.

"After I talked in several meetings with Steve, I read his mind that this would be something special," Serrano said. "I called Michael and asked him what he thought. Finally, Steve called me and said Julian, you don't have time. I don't have time. You have to make up your mind quickly because we are late for everything. Obviously, I said yes."

"[Wynn] said to me I want you to come to Vegas. I said I can't this weekend. My parents are here from France. I'm going to host them. He said everyone is going to Vegas tomorrow. I said okay. Let's check it out," Vongerichten said. "We stayed next door. He took us through the whole building, with my parents. He said I have two choices for you. It was a fish restaurant or the steakhouse. I said I could do meat and potatoes in Vegas so we chose the steakhouse."

That became Prime steakhouse, which also got its name moments after Vongerichten agreed to open the restaurant.

"On the way to the airport, he called me. He said I need a name before you leave. I said a name? I just said yes today. I don't have a name," Vongerichten said. "He asked what we were going to serve. I said we're going to serve potatoes, prime meat, sauces. Prime. That's the name."

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Mina said Vongerichten's decision to open a restaurant in Vegas led to him saying yes to opening one of his own.

"I was originally approached by Elizabeth and Gamal Aziz, when they were here together, and they said we have one restaurant left and it's the fish restaurant. We're going around the whole country looking at everybody to select the fish restaurant and would you be interested," Mina said. "They said Jean-Georges is doing a steakhouse. I said Jean-Georges is doing a steakhouse? They told me everyone who is going to be in here. It was him doing a steakhouse and I said I wanted to be in there."

Mina remembered having an audition of sorts with Wynn trying his food.

"He made six reservations at Aqua. He didn't show up to any of them. Each time I had prepared 10 courses ready for him. On the sixth time, he showed up and he said he has 15 minutes for dinner. I sent out the caviar parfait. He sent it back and said I don't eat caviar. I thought I'm done. I'm dead," Mina recalled laughing. "I sent out the second dish, a tuna tartare. He said I love this. I'll stay for dinner. Then he said I want to do this with you. You're in."

According to Mina, the casino was built from front to back and his restaurant was the last one built and he remembers "The Great Flood" on opening night.

"Opening night, there was a big flood from the spa that was upstairs. I remember saying oh my gosh. Literally, the first night of this and everybody's coming that night," Mina said. "From there, it was amazing."

Vongerichten said when the Bellagio opened, there were 16 restaurants and Serrano added that when the casino opened, people started trying to imitate what they were doing.

"I think everybody, after we opened Bellagio, every company, every hotel copied us with their restaurants," Serrano said. "And after we opened, [other celebrity chefs] decided to come here."

In terms of restaurant employees, Vongerichten said it's amazing that staff has been so consistent.

"I think we still have 45% of the same cooks in the kitchen. I would say 80% of the same front of house staff," Vongerichten said. "To have that, to help the customer get the best service. People sit down and they get their drink and don't even have to ask. They look at a waiter and know each other. It's very special."

One of the main attractions at Bellagio is Cirque du Soleil's show O, which had its showroom built specifically for that production. On Sunday, Cirque du Soleil co-founders Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix attended the show and looked back on 25 years.

"We're adventurous. We like the challenge of unknown territory, unknown artistic field and that's what stimulates us," Laliberté said when the show opened in 1998.

"Water has a mind of its own. You work with it. You don't work against it," Ste-Croix previously said.

The pool can go up to 17 feet deep and is full of 1.5 million gallons of water. Since opening in 1998, O has also featured the most Olympic athletes of any Cirque show. Every show takes 77 artists and 125 technicians to bring the magical production to life.

For Rhonda Povelko, Bellagio's entertainment manager, it has been fun to see how Las Vegas has changed over the years.

"It just keeps getting better and better and better. It's a mecca. There's so much to look forward to," Povelko said. "I think it's so eclectic right now that there is something for everybody and I think that's key. Some like entertainers. Some like production shows. Some like the big arena shows and now we have sporting events. That's so exciting."

Povelko was part of the Bellagio team since day one and she said working for the company has led to memories that will last her for a lifetime.

"One thing my parents always taught me was what you put out, you're going to get back and what I have been given the past 25 years, there's really no words to describe. It's unbelievable. I hope I'm here for another 25," Povelko said. "The experiences have been unbelievable. Every day, I know I'm walking into somebody's memories and that, you can't put a price on. It's something that is such a gift and I love it every single day."