Gjelina's Las Vegas kitchen at The Venetian Resort is rolling out a new chef series called In Season, a run of multicourse dinners built around Southern California produce that lands on the Strip through the fall and winter. Each evening is priced at $125 per person and includes wine pairings, with the ingredients shipped fresh from Gjelina's home turf each week, according to KLAS 8 News Now.
The series was announced Wednesday, according to KLAS 8 News Now, and is billed as a celebration of seasonal ingredients sourced from the farms and purveyors Gjelina has relied on since its Venice Beach beginnings. Founder Fran Camaj said in a statement that “seasonality has always been at the heart of Gjelina,” adding that the dinners are meant to share not just the food but the sourcing relationships and stories behind it, per the station's report. Each event in the series carries its own distinct menu, and guests can add an extra wine and spirits tasting for more.
A Farm-To-Desert Supply Chain
Keeping that Southern California pantry stocked in the Nevada desert takes some logistical muscle. Gjelina makes frequent pickups and drives from the Santa Monica Farmers Market to its Las Vegas kitchen, and founder Fran Camaj anticipated California produce shipments two to three times per week, according to the Observer, a detail that underscores the effort involved in preserving the restaurant's farm-to-table identity in Las Vegas. The Venetian outpost, which opened in December 2024, marked Gjelina's third location worldwide following its original Venice Beach restaurant and a New York venue, per the same account.
The brand's roots go back to 2008, when Camaj founded Gjelina in Venice, California, naming it after his mother, Gjelina Camaj, a Montenegrin immigrant and former assembly-line worker who mortgaged her home at age 60 to help fund the restaurant's launch, according to Gjournals. That family-first origin story is part of Gjelina's history.
First Dinner Spotlights A Coachella Valley Date Ranch
The series opens next Wednesday with Welcome to Fall with Bautista Family Organic Dates at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, featuring Bautista Family Organic Dates and rare Barhi fruit alongside Laura Chenel goat cheese from Sonoma, California, and curated cocktails from Altamura Vodka, per KLAS 8 News Now. The dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. and costs $125 per person inclusive of spirits and wine pairing.
Bautista Family Organic Dates operates a 14-acre certified organic ranch in Mecca, California, producing roughly 100,000 pounds of dates annually across seven cultivars, including the Barhi and Medjool varieties featured on the menu, according to the Los Angeles Times. Laura Chenel supplies the goat cheese featured on the menu. The evening's cocktail partner is Altamura Vodka.
Holiday Preview And A Race Weekend Brunch
A second dinner, 'Tis the Season – Holiday Preview, follows on October 23 at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, showcasing Gjelina's specialty holiday menus built around fall and winter ingredients, KLAS 8 News Now reports. That evening also starts at 6:30 p.m. and matches the $125 per-person price, inclusive of spirits and wine pairing.
The series closes with From Garden to Grid: Race Weekend Brunch on November 21, a Saturday brunch running from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. that features a mobile espresso martini with Common Room Roasters, a raw bar sourced from the California coast and freshly carved charcuterie, according to the same report. It costs $125 per person, with endless spirits and wine pairing packages available for an additional cost. Common Room Roasters is a Long Beach, California-based specialty roaster known for Melbourne-style espresso blends and single-origin coffees, per the roaster's own Common Room Roasters blog.
The brunch takes place during Las Vegas race weekend, as reported by KLAS 8 News Now.
Part Of A Bigger Push At The Venetian
In Season is part of Culinary Crossroads at The Venetian Resort. The Venetian's broader culinary lineup includes high-profile chefs such as Thomas Keller, Wolfgang Puck and José Andrés, according to The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.
Gjelina's arrival and its seasonal dining events coincide with a $1.5 billion makeover at The Venetian Resort, described by resort executives as the biggest and priciest hotel renovation in history, according to the Observer. Gjelina's arrival adds to the property's food and beverage lineup.
