Miami’s ‘Top Chef’ Winner Jeremy Ford Opens Michelin-Starred Restaurant in Las Vegas

Stubborn Seed. | Michael Pisarri/ Grove Bay Hospitality Group The award-winning Miami restaurant opens at Resorts World Chef Jeremy Ford’s introduction to Las Vegas came in June 2024 when the World’s 50 Best Restaurants descended upon the city with a series of dinners and events leading up to the awards ceremony. As part of the event, Ford hosted a preview dinner for his upcoming Michelin-starred restaurant, Stubborn Seed, which will open on February 10 at Resorts World on the Las Vegas Strip. In 2022, Stubborn Seed earned Ford both a James Beard semifinalist nomination in the Best Chef: South category and his first Michelin star. With an ever-changing tasting menu that’s artfully, almost painstakingly plated, it’s tough for Ford to say exactly what will be on the menu. Diners can expect a “vegetable-forward meal” accompanying proteins such as salmon or duck. With swipes of sauces that appear on the plate like a painter’s brushstroke, airy foams, and flavorful condiment dots atop certain dishes, Ford has a modernist take on food that leans towards Japanese flavors. That evening, at Resorts World’s top-floor Allē Lounge, the Top Chef season 13 champion served an eight-course tasting menu to a group of invited guests. Meant to be a show of what was to come, Ford put out a series of small snacks — littleneck clams with a carrot Thai chili vinaigrette; bison tartare; Kaluga caviar macaroon with citrus crema; and a corn souffle with foie gras. Michael Pisarri/ Grove Bay Hospitality Group Stubborn Seed. Michael Pisarri/ Grove Bay Hospitality Group Stubborn Seed. The bites were intermingled among the main courses ferried that evening by white-gloved servers. There was a Sichuan-cured Japanese yellowtail served with mango and spring peas; spiced barramundi in a coconut green curry with baby artichokes and leeks; and dry-aged duck with beets and turnips. While Ford’s one-off dinner was a fancier affair, he says his Vegas restaurant will be a more approachable experience. Whether his tasting menu concept — a rarity for a casual come-as-you-are restaurant in Las Vegas — catches on is something to keep an eye on. Michael Pisarri/ Grove Bay Hospitality Group Stubborn Seed. “I always went to Vegas and was kind of in awe,” Ford told Eater Vegas on a call from his Florida farm. “It’s bigger than life. It’s kind of a dream to be opening there. I’m over the moon. I know I can’t bring my produce from my farm in Miami, but we’ll be alright.” For the second location, Stubborn Seed is bringing a South Beach vibe to Las Vegas. Ford teamed with Celano Design Studio to create an electric Art Deco-style interior. With seating for 130, it’s twice the size of his Miami original. The bar features a three-tiered circular chandelier overhead and a view of the glass-enclosed wine collection. The highlight in the main dining room is a hand-painted mural of a curved canvas of a graffiti-strewn blue wave and mountain in the Japanese style of Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” It hangs over a long, rectangular window allowing diners a peek into the exhibition kitchen. A sunroom patio will open this spring. Michael Pisarri/ Grove Bay Hospitality Group Stubborn Seed. While Ford won’t have his Florida farm to rely on, he says he’s sourcing ingredients both locally and regionally, but he didn’t disclose the names of the actual farms. Ford has also hired Ricky McCormick, who worked at both Guy Savoy and multiple Gordon Ramsay restaurants in town, as chef de cuisine at Stubborn Seed. “When you come to a new city, you need to surround yourself with the best,” says Ford, who wanted to lean on someone with more knowledge of the Vegas dining scene. Based on past menu items, expect dishes like sake and citrus-cured Japanese yellowtail with compressed Asian pear and passionfruit buttermilk emulsion; truffle ricotta gnudi topped with maitake mushroom and buttery greens; wagyu beef tartare cannelloni; and duck topped with brown butter soubise and lion farm’s mushrooms. Michael Pisarri/ Grove Bay Hospitality Group Stubborn Seed. Stubborn Seed’s beverage program is equally compelling. Ford describes the restaurant’s signature cocktail, the Kill Dill, as a fresh, vibrant, green cocktail that combines gin and the absinthe-like Dolin Génépy with cucumber, dill syrup, Fresno pepper, egg white, and lime. he Sage Butter Baby cocktail combines aged bourbon, Disaronno, sage demerara, egg white, and lemon juice. A Florida native, Ford grew up watching cooking shows like Emeril Live and the Galloping Gourmet, getting inspired to grow much of his own food with the goal of putting them on the plates in his Miami restaurant. Michael Pisarri/ Grove Bay Hospitality Group Stubborn Seed. Another element of Ford’s approach is in the tiny details and eye-catching plating. Think