Legendary chef Wolfgang Puck celebrated the 40th anniversary of Spago in 2022 and the 40th anniversary of Chinois in 2023, but he’s still energized by the prospect of creating new restaurants.

This weekend (Feb. 9), Puck will debut Caramá at the former Lupo space inside Las Vegas casino-resort Mandalay Bay, with a soft-opening ahead of Sunday’s big game. Indeed, Puck and his son, Byron, are looking forward to unveiling Caramá in time for the Super Bowl LVIII, which will take place at Allegiant Stadium near Mandalay Bay on Feb. 11.

The Austrian-born Puck grew up in Sankt Veit an der Glan, a small town on the border of Italy, and Caramá will showcase northern Italian food and be a tribute to his mother. He admits he was nervous about turning Lupo, which he says had its best year ever in 2022, into a new restaurant. But Mandalay Bay is the middle of a makeover, and he knows it’s time for a revamp with some new energy.

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“We want to have real Italian food,” he tells Observer. “We’re building a salumeria in the middle of the restaurant. I’m excited about it, and change is good.”

Puck’s son and right-hand man, Byron,........

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