World-renown chef and Food Network star Jet Tila never had a problem whipping up a tasty meal in a big television studio.
The only problem was serving the meal through the TV screen.
Known for his authentic sushi, Chinese and Thai food as well as fun, iconic blends, Tila was making plenty of fans, but not a lot of dinner reservations. A chat with Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia changed all that.
“It started about two years ago. I was doing an event in Philly with Wolfgang Puck,” Tila recalled. “Wolfgang did the main evening and I did the cocktail hour and we were signing books and getting to know people. I was talking with Rob Esplen (Senior Vice President of Operations for Live! Casino & Hotel) and he actually had the idea. He said Luk Fu really needs an identity. And I agreed. It was a really good restaurant, but how do you take it to the next level?”
The newly minted “Luk Fu by Jet Tila” partnership was born shortly later, bringing a fresh, high-energy dining experience to its world-class gaming and resort destination. The Luk Fu by Jet Tila partnership has since spread to Live! Casinos in Maryland and Louisiana since opening in South Philly in May.
“You see me on Food Network and on socials but the No. 1 question was how do you get to eat my food?” Tila said. “So Rob and I came up with this idea to take over the Luk Fu restaurants nationally. The closing factor for me was the team. It can be easy to be paid to put your name on something but you gotta have the quality and the trust.”
Luk Fu is an award-winning restaurant on the gaming floor of Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, which opened five years ago on Packer Avenue. For the casino, bringing in Tila, who is known for his warm personality on shows like Iron Chef and Ready, Jet Cook, was an easy decision.
“Our award-winning restaurants consistently offer world-class cuisine and service to our guests, and this union further demonstrates our commitment to continually bring our very best to the table,” said Jake Joyce, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia.
Tila said he not only wanted to add another layer to the fine dining experience for high-rollers. He wanted to strengthen the core menu and give less expensive items more personality. There are options for everyone.
“I think that’s what made me successful in Vegas,” Tila said. “The really high-end dishes — I know how to make. But I also know my guests who are like me. I’m an Asian-American kid and I love pineapple rice and chicken wings and all these sweet, sticky dishes, so we had to cover all our bases. I think I know the gaming guests and I love the gaming guests.”
Guests can now experience standout dishes like the Tempura Crunch Roll with Yuzu Miso, Hamachi Chili Ponzu, Sweet Heat Chicken Wings, Thai Pineapple Fried Rice, Salmon Dynamite Bowl and Chef Jet Tila’s take on classic Pad Thai.
In a word, Tila’s additions were fearless.
“I think a lot of my colleagues get a little too full of themselves on authenticity,” he said. “Yeah, my sushi, my Thai and my Chinese are all authentic, but I’m not afraid to put bang bang chicken on the menu or spicy tuna on crispy rice on the menu because that’s just all the (stuff) I want to eat, myself.”
Tila has a history of ambitious ventures. He has broken several world records including World’s Largest Stir Fry (Weighed 4,010 lbs.), World’s Largest Seafood Stew (Weighed 6,656 lbs.), World’s Largest Fruit Salad (Weighed 15,291 lbs.) and World’s Longest California Roll (Measured more than 504 feet long).
“I don’t think I’ve broken a world record in about eight to 10 years,” Tila said with a laugh. “But you never know. There’s nothing planned but I’ve never had a world record be a thing that was a long time planned out. Maybe we’ll break some kind of record at Luk Fu.”
Although Tila said world records might not be on his mind, additions to his menu at Luk Fu certainly are. Although less than a year into the venture, Tila is cooking up more ideas to get his food onto his fans’ and customers’ plates.
“We’re playing around with menus because it’s been almost a year already,” Tila said. “It’s proven to be great. It’s done really well. It’s exceeded my expectations but we’re ready to keep it fresh. We created a bunch of classics but I think we can take the higher-end menu higher for our gaming guests and we can make the core-middle menu more fun. I wanted to play it safe and delicious at first.”
Now he’s ready for his next challenge.
“My motto in life is to make people feel something, either through their tastebuds or emotion through TV or social media or writing cookbooks,” he said. “Your pallet is connected to your brain and I’ve made people feel something through TV and they feel like they know me. I think the relationship just strengthens when they taste my food.” ••
