For immediate release
November 20, 2006
For further information, please contact: Lori Hutzler Eckert
850-855-0055
lori@eckert.com
Mimi Rice, Emeril’s Homebase
504-524-4241, mrice@emerils.com
Gulfport, MS (November 20, 2006) -- Island View Casino Resort officials announced today that Gulfport’s only casino has signed an agreement with world-renowned chef Emeril Lagasse to open Emeril’s Gulf Coast Fish House.
Lagasse an internationally recognized restaurateur, television personality and author joined Island View Casino owner Rick Carter at a press conference this afternoon at the casino to unveil renderings of the 9,000 square-foot, 200-seat restaurant.
The restaurant, which will serve lunch and dinner, was designed by Friedmutter Group of Las Vegas and will be a sister restaurant to the award-winning Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House in Las Vegas. It is expected to open at Island View Casino Resort in spring 2007.
“When we opened Island View we made a commitment to the Gulf Coast community to operate a casino resort of the highest quality. By introducing an Emeril Lagasse-signature restaurant we know we are creating a resort that fulfills that promise. Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House is a brand known for its standard of excellence created by a chef of unparalleled passion and talent and we are pleased to create this association with him,” says Rick Carter.
“I am very happy to partner with Rick and Terry and their team at Island View for this exciting project,” says Emeril Lagasse. “I receive offers everyday to build new restaurants all over the world, but I chose to open a restaurant on the Gulf Coast because it means a lot to me to be a part of the rebuilding of this community. My family and I have very close ties here - my wife Alden grew up in Gulfport and we have spent a lot of time with our family and friends here, as well as our involvement with the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center.”
Today, Lagasse also announced a grant of $25,000 to be awarded to the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center by the Emeril Lagasse Foundation. The grant will go towards performing arts outreach and educational programming.
Editor’s Note: A full press kit with graphics is available at
www.bbwagency.com/islandview/emeril
Island View Casino Resort opened on Sept. 18 as the only casino in Gulfport, Miss. The land-based casino, located on 40 acres of waterfront property, currently offers a 30,000-square-foot casino with 15 table games and 1,033 slots. Island View has 562 hotel rooms and a 350-seat buffet. Upon final build out, which is expected to be in the spring of 2007, Island View will feature a 520,000-square-foot-resort with 80,000-square feet of casino space including 2,400 slots and 50 table games, as well as an Emeril’s New Gulf Coast Fish House, a 24-hour steak house, coffee shop, sand-beach pool and covered parking. Island View Casino Resort is privately held by Rick Carter and Terry Green, two Gulfport natives and longtime casino executives committed to the post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Chef Emeril Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of nine award-winning restaurants including three in New Orleans (Emeril’s, NOLA and Emeril’s Delmonico); two in Las Vegas (Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House and Delmonico Steakhouse); two in Orlando (Emeril’s Orlando and Emeril’s Tchoup Chop); one in Atlanta (Emeril’s Atlanta) and one in Miami (Emeril’s Miami Beach). Lagasse became a national TV personality with the Food Network’s productions, “The Essence of Emeril” and “Emeril Live” and he is also a food correspondent for "Good Morning America.” A best-selling author, his creative approach to Creole cuisine is best summarized as “new” New Orleans cooking, also the title of his first cookbook. Eleven more cookbooks have followed including his most recent books Emeril’s Delmonico, and Emeril’s There’s a Chef in My World. Lagasse has received accolades and awards for his culinary expertise. In 1991, Lagasse was named "Best Southeast Regional Chef" by the James Beard Foundation. In 1998 he was chosen as "Man of the Year" by GQ magazine, and in 1999 was named one of People magazine's "25 Most Intriguing People of the Year." He was chosen as “Executive of the Year” in 2004 by Restaurants & Institutions magazine. In 2005, he received the “Distinguished Service Award” from Wine Spectator for his significant and long-lasting contributions to the wine industry. In 2006, he was inducted into the MenuMasters Hall of Fame by Nation’s Restaurant News. In September 2002, Emeril established the Emeril Lagasse Foundation to support and encourage programs creating developmental and educational opportunities for children. Lagasse's corporate office, Emeril's Homebase, is located in New Orleans.
The Emeril Lagasse Foundation supports and encourages programs creating developmental and educational opportunities for children within communities where Emeril's restaurants operate. In 2003 and 2004, Emeril and Alden Lagasse served as co-chairs for a capital campaign at the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center. Alden Lagasse, a Gulfport native, was a friend and tennis partner of Lynn Meadows for whom the museum was named.