Steve Benjamin OUT at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Blockbuster news out of the MGM Grand. Steve Benjamin, the executive chef at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, is leaving the restaurant after 12 years to head to Los Angeles, where he will open the new Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills.

Back in February, the James Beard Foundation nominated L’Atelier for Outstanding Restaurant. JBF describes this as a “restaurant in the United States that serves as a national standard bearer of consistent quality and excellence in food, atmosphere and service. Must have been in operation 10 or more consecutive years.” Benjamin opened L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Paris and 2003 and then moved to Las Vegas in 2005 to open L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand as executive chef.

Last March, Claude Le-Tohic left neighboring Joël Robuchon. The 2010 winner of the James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef Southwest to open his own place in San Francisco.

• All Coverage of Steve Benjamin [ELV]