944

Pastitsio, pork and lamb done the Jerry Goumroian way

The Fat Greek, a family-run restaurant located 
at Flamingo and Decatur, recently expanded 
its casual dining room and kitchen with the 
addition of chef Jerry Goumroian (veteran of 
restaurant Guy Savoy), who updates classic Greek dishes with modern flair. 

944: When did you take over as chef of The Fat Greek?

Goumroian: I started at The Fat Greek about four months ago. After we decided to expand the restaurant, I started to redo menus, logos, and restructure the kitchen to feed a bigger crowd.

944: When did the restaurant originally open?

Goumroian: My parents opened the restaurant in June 2005. I would help out in the morning before work. My mom and my brother were the only waiters, and me and my dad were in the kitchen. There should have been a camera crew that day, the restaurant got packed within the first hour, and no one knew what was going on. We definitely came a long way.

944: What is your background in the food industry?  What kitchens have you worked in?

Goumroian: I was pretty much born into the industry. Growing up my parents and grandparents ran a cafe/bakery back in Los Angeles. I remember making bread when I was 6 years old with my dad. After moving to Vegas I attended the Culinary Arts Program at VoTech High School, now known as SECTA. I got my first break when I was a senior in High School and the Wynn Las Vegas opened in 2005. Chef Paul Bartolotta became a mentor and gave me the the opportunity to work with him at Ristorante di Mare. Not long after, I met Chef Adam Sobel who also became and still is my mentor in the industry and accepted me into the team at Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace, which made the biggest impact in my career as far as discipline in the kitchen and the proper techniques on classical cooking. After Guy Savoy, I had the opportunity to open Company at the Luxor with Adam. It was then when I decided to move to New York to attend the Culinary Institute of America to get structured training for the industry. While there, I got to work with Chef Hung Huynh and train for the Bocuse d'Or America which became one of the greatest experiences of my life. Being in the city I decided to stick around for a while and did stages at Restaurant Solo, Daniel, and a few other smaller restaurants in the city. I decided to come back to Vegas and received an offer as Sous Chef at Rick Moonen's RM Seafood at the Mandalay Bay. Soon after, we decided to expand the family restaurant and I hopped on board.

944: How are you reinterpreting classic Greek dishes?

Goumroian: I wouldn't call what we do reinterpreting. We take grandmas flavors and dishes we grew up eating and start from there. We take those dishes and cook, season, and present them in a proper manner. We definitely like to offer something different than your average Greek restaurant and we do daily specials according to what we find that day at the market, but at the same time we stay true to the traditional flavors. You would be surprised how far the simplest flavors like salt, fresh herbs, good olive oils, and lemon take a dish.

944: What are some of your favorites?

Goumroian: Street food ... As much as I love the traditional dishes of greece and the food grandma cooks, I have to admit I have always enjoyed a meal more when its being eaten on a sidewalk somewhere with good friends. I love a good gyro or souvlaki on a warm pita bread stuffed with french fries and tzatziki sauce. As much as i hate to say it this is something Las Vegas lacks of, we need to step our game up as far as street food goes. Maybe you'll see Fat Greek Gyro Carts on the Strip someday... maybe.

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