The chef who quit a position on the Las Vegas Strip to sell hot dogs in a bar parking lot has announced yet another venture.
Just weeks after Christopher Palmeri celebrated the opening of Naked City Pizza Express in the Blue Diamond Saloon, he has announced a deal with the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Naked City Pizza is now the official pizza concessionaire for the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Their big debut is planned for the first major event of the year, NASCAR Weekend, in mid-March.
“We are excited to welcome Naked City Pizza to the LVMS family and look forward to providing our fans with some great pizza at our events,” LVMS President Chris Powell said. “Naked City Pizza has built a reputation for high quality and delicious pizza, and it is a great addition to our already robust variety of food options at LVMS. We think our fans will enjoy the product just as much as we have, and we anticipate a great partnership for years to come.”
Palmeri moved to Las Vegas from Buffalo, New York, in 2003. He landed a job as a sous chef at a Mexican restaurant in the MGM Grand. Not soon after taking the job, he became the youngest executive chef on the Las Vegas Strip.
In 2009, he quit the job to open a hot dog cart outside Dino's in Downtown Las Vegas. It wasn't just any ordinary hot dog cart and pretty soon he opened a sandwich shop next door to Dino's. The name of it was Naked City Sandwich Shop.
A friendship with the owner of Moon Doggie's bar on Arville Street resulted in Palmeri opening Naked City Pizza inside of the bar. Palmeri says that he knew there were a lot of former New York residents that would appreciate a taste of the food from back home. An appearance on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives" resulted in a monster amount of exposure.
Since then, he has opened Naked City Pizza on Paradise, Naked City Tavern on Pecos Road and Naked City Pizza Express inside the bar on Blue Diamond Road.
Although Naked City became famous for its pizza, that is not the only item on his restaurants' menus. Other popular selections include the Suicide Fries featuring a hot pepper blend and habanero-garlic sauce, the Steak in the Grass Sub made with rib-eye steak and spinach, an authentic Beef on Weck sandwich, an edible bacon candle, stuffed mushrooms, and chicken wings. Palmeri is also known for his off-the-menu specials and themed dinners.
Michael Palmeri, Christopher's brother, helps him manage the various restaurants and has been instrumental in the opening of the new ventures.
