Muriel Stevens, longtime Sun columnist and culinary expert, dies at 90

By Ed Koch and Rebecca Clifford-Cruz

Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 | 10:15 p.m.

As the Las Vegas Sun's veteran restaurant critic, Muriel Stevens blended years of expertise in the culinary arts with a liberal measure of grit, a dollop of determination and two cups of chutzpah to help readers choose which eateries — from the tiniest of bistros to the fanciest of Strip hotel gourmet rooms — offered the best meals and best deals in town.

For four decades in the news media, which also included writing and editing cookbooks and hosting syndicated radio and television shows, Stevens not only brought the world of fine cooking to the masses, but also participated in numerous charity food events to bring attention to worthy causes, especially those that helped children.

Stevens said it was not uncommon for her to attend two or three charity events in one evening. And she mused that, for the sake of research, she sacrificed her oft-cheery disposition and girlish waistline by sampling what was offered at the affairs' dinners.

"You try smiling after eating two or three rotten meals in a row," Stevens once said.

Stevens, the longtime Sun food, wine and travel editor and columnist, who was regarded by many hungry and discerning readers as the Julia Child of Southern Nevada, died Monday after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 90.

A celebration of life will be 1 p.m. Sunday at Congregation Ner Tamid, 55 N. Valle Verde Drive in Henderson.

In her writings, Stevens tried to bring food to life, often with witty observations and a knack for turning a phrase.

In her 2002 pre-Valentine's Day column, Stevens reminded readers that meals on the traditional day for lovers do not have to be fancy or expensive to be romantic.

"One of the most enjoyable meals I ever had was of Champagne and hot dogs," Stevens wrote. "What could be more romantic than having your name squiggled in mustard from a squeeze bottle onto a Chicago hot dog? ... Finding a romantic meal is a cinch in Las Vegas. It doesn't matter where you dine or how much you spend, love blooms as well in a bowl of chili as it does in a plate of truffle-covered pasta."

On the attempted comeback of the long-declining Cafe Heidelberg on East Sahara Avenue in September 1999, Stevens wrote of its charming past, its fall into decay and its attempted resurrection to again become a respected local eatery:

"It was a colorful, small cafe with a decent menu and a good selection of deli items: German breads, baking supplies and many German groceries. But the years were not kind to Old Heidelberg. With each change of ownership the cafe declined a little more.

"Cafe Heidelberg's current owner ... is a UNLV Hotel College graduate and a savvy businesswoman. Under her ownership the cafe and dining room are now clean and attractive. The grocery, gifts and other areas have been spruced up and ... the food I ordered was delicious. ... Have the warm, vinegary German potato salad with the schnitzel. It's a tasty pairing."

On the opening of the BOA Steakhouse in the Forum Shops at Caesars, Stevens wrote not only of the fine cuisine but also the atmosphere to give readers a true sense of the complete dining experience.

"The California-inspired decor includes 800-year-old driftwood trees," Stevens wrote. "After undergoing a series of treatments, including a form of petrification, the riftwood became the elegant trees throughout the dining room. The result is stunning."

Of BOA's food, Stevens wrote: "Where else can you find a bone-in New York Strip dry-aged for 40 days? This top seller was my choice and it was terrific. After trimming the bone from my succulent steak I wanted to sink my teeth into the tasty beef-filled arch. Instead, I used the French steak knife to delicately carve out choice small bites. Not nearly as much fun as gnawing on the bone, but delicious."

And Stevens would salt and pepper her columns with tips for restaurant goers to help them better enjoy their dining experience. She once wrote: "I much prefer to add salt at the table than to have over-salted food" from the kitchen.

But Stevens' work in the culinary field went far beyond eating food and writing about it.

In the 1970s, she was appointed by then-Gov. Mike O'Callaghan as a consumer member to the Nevada State Dairy Commission. President Gerald Ford later appointed Stevens to the National Consumer Commission.

For two terms, Stevens served on the Board of Advisors for the Southern Nevada Extension Service Nutritional Council and SOS, an international anti-hunger program,

In the early 1970s, she also began what would be four decades on television and radio. In addition to her mid-day talk show on KLAV radio, Stevens had a cooking show on KLAS-TV that was produced by her late husband, Maury Stevens.

The show was so successful that the Stevenses joined forces with Jack McClenahan, founder of Trans-American Video Inc., then the largest independent videotape company in the world, and nationally syndicated Muriel's show. The Stevenses and McClenehan in 1977 sold Trans-America to entertainment giant Merv Griffin.

Maury Stevens, who served as public relations director at the El Rancho Vegas, Thunderbird and Caesars Palace, and was general manager of the Tally Ho Hotel, died in 1982 at age 59. He was found slumped over the wheel of his car in the driveway of the couple's home in Paradise Valley.

Although devastated by the sudden loss of her husband, Stevens pressed on, throwing herself into her work over the next quarter of a century.

Born in Philadelphia on Dec. 22, 1925, Stevens began regularly cooking for her family at age 8. She said she tested her "mistakes-turned-upside-down-cakes" on her brothers and other family members en route to honing her baking skills.

Stevens later attended several culinary schools and traveled worldwide in pursuit of fine dining experiences to share with her readers. Though not a linguist, Stevens learned to order meals in several languages.

After the Sun started a food section in the late 1970s, Stevens' column developed a loyal following for giving the real scoop on what to expect at local restaurants. Stevens said she did not as a rule tip off restaurateurs when she planned to visit their establishments and purchase a meal, meaning that chefs and managers always had to be on their toes and maintain high quality meals and service for all customers at all times.

Stevens also wrote freelance columns and articles on food, wine and travel for magazines including Alaska Airlines, United Airlines' Hemisphere and Town & Country. In the 1990s, she penned a weekly restaurant article for Showbiz magazine, a Sun sister publication that at the time was delivered to more than 90,000 Las Vegas hotel rooms.

For many years, Stevens was editor of the Las Vegas Zagat restaurant survey and she penned the restaurant section of the Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas from the 2004 to the 2009 editions.

Stevens in 1975 wrote "The Muriel Stevens Cookbook," a collection of 77 recipes including soups, salads, leftovers and desserts along with anecdotes from her radio and television shows. She included in the book recipes from celebrities including Shecky Greene, Diahann Carroll, Jack Carter, Juliet Prowse and Jan Murray.

PotatoPatchRecipes.com republished the Sweet Potato Biscuit recipe, calling it, "truly the type of potato recipe that will be handed down from mother to daughter and generation to generation."

Stevens also co-authored "The Unofficial Guide to Ethnic Dining" and wrote the foreword for "The Diabetes Holiday Cookbook: Year-Round Cooking for People with Diabetes."

Stevens was the first Nevada woman member of the international gourmet society known as Le Confrerie de Chaine des Rotisseurs and was a member of the National Association of Food Journalists and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

She was regularly a regional judge for the James Beard Foundation Awards and was a participant in Playboy's 25 Best Restaurants in America issue in 1997.

Stevens was an honorary member of the Food and Beverage Association of Nevada and the Fraternity of Executive Chefs of Las Vegas. She was the first woman to receive the Food and Beverage Association's Autrui Award, honoring that organization's person of the year.

Stevens in 1999 was recognized for her contributions to the culinary world by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at the first Nevada Culinary Olympics. An annual $5,000 scholarship was named for her and has been awarded to UNLV Hotel College students.

During her long career she garnered many additional honors, including the first Woman of Achievement Award from the Nevada Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television.

She also mentored teenagers who were considering becoming food journalists. Stevens called that experience one of the most rewarding of her life.

Stevens served on many civic and charitable boards, including the Lied Discovery Children's Museum and the Nathan Adelson Hospice.

Stevens donated some materials from her archives to UNLV Special Collections to preserve for future generations of students who want to research Las Vegas' culinary roots.

Among the items in that collection are records of Stevens' work as a television chef, brochures from the Restaurant Hotel-Motel Expo and the National Fancy Food and Confection Show, recipes for cooking demonstrations, the Boardwalk Regency Hotel and Casino chef's menu, cooking certificates, city maps and newspaper stories about a milk supplier controversy that included allegations of kickbacks.

Late in her career, Stevens wrote what was the city's only weekly shopping column for the Sun and started an online advice column, answering questions ranging from marriage issues to baking muffins.

When Stevens retired from the Sun a few years ago, the number of cookbooks in her office was so extensive, she had to bring in a personal assistant — and the two of them needed three months to inventory and clear the room of her massive collection.

Muriel is survived by her son Bruce Stevens, her daughter Robin (Daniel) Greenspun, grandsons Johnathan Stevens and James (Zoe) Greenspun, granddaughter Moira (Henry) Tarmy, great grandchildren Jack Tarmy, August Tarmy and Wilder Greenspun, her brother Harvey Allen Godorov, as well as many loving nieces and nephews and her best friend Larry Spitler.