Kerry Simon's love of cooking was not his first love. In his late teens, Simon found himself saving up for an electric guitar by working at Little Caesar’s Pizza restaurant in Chicago. This summer job ignited a spark that eventually led to enrollment at the age of 20 in the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

After graduating, Simon logged many hours of hard work in various prestigious kitchens until landing a spot at the former Lafayette restaurant in New York's Drake Hotel. At the Drake, Simon formed a synergistic, creative relationship with another rising culinary star, Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Holding both pastry chef and sous chef positions, Simon contributed to the burgeoning “New American” cooking movement and helped Lafayette receive its New York Times four-star rating in 1988.

As one of the young culinary elite in 1989, Ivana Trump asked him to be executive chef at the Edwardian Room in New York's high profile Plaza Hotel (the youngest executive chef in the hotel’s history.) Fueled by his friendship with renowned artists and art dealers, Simon’s chef’s table in the restaurant kitchen served starving (and some very famous) artists and landed him a place of honor in the underground classic book and video entitled The Starving Artist Cookbook. Celebrities and food critics regularly booked the chef's table at the Edwardian Room until 1991, when Rolling Stone named Simon one of the top personalities of that year with the unofficial title of “Rock n' Roll Chef.”

As the 80's faded, Simon traveled to Miami, spending time at the Blue Star, followed by Starfish, Max’s, and finally Mercury. In Miami, Simon showed his love for comfort food - simple American fare prepared with the intuition of a master chef and this became his signature food.

Simon joined long time friend Jean-Georges Vongerichten's organization in 1998 as Cuisine and Design Developer. This new challenge encompassed every phase of restaurant development. He continued to hone his skills by traveling the world developing, opening or overseeing restaurants, notably Mercer Kitchen in New York and Prime in Las Vegas. An opportunity came along in 2001 to settle in Las Vegas and open a restaurant bearing his name and showcasing his signature American cuisine. In October of 2002, Simon Kitchen and Bar opened to extraordinary success.

With his natural cravings for foods such as chicken curry, beets, sea bass, and tuna and yellowtail tartare, Simon adds personal passions to his signature menu. Sides at Simon Kitchen and Bar feature American favorites such as Macaroni and Cheese and Buttermilk Onion Rings.

With a desire to take on any challenge the culinary world has to offer, Kerry Simon's passion delivers integrity with ingenuity. “If I could invite 180 people to my home every evening and cook for them, this is exactly what it would be like,” he explains. “From the design and décor to the menu and ambiance, everything is very personal to me. I want to create a restaurant that people will really enjoy experiencing and are drawn to time and time again.”