While most people have one career, Marie-Joe Tabet has two. And, while some people don’t necessarily love their job, Tabet is passionate about both. “I don’t look at them as jobs. These two things, I love to do. It’s my life,” she said.
She’s talking about her first life at Rao’s at Caesars Palace, and her second life at Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater. When not at Rao’s, Tabet dances and is the associate director for the dance theater that performs regularly at The Smith Center downtown. Tabet believes both jobs find a way to intertwine.
“Being in the dance world, being an artist, transfers into my managing skills. You have to be on your feet, you have to think quick—being proactive, being a step ahead,” she said.
At Rao’s, Tabet serves as the restaurant’s general manager. She started out as a hostess with the traditional Southern Italian restaurant, and in just three years has moved up the ladder to her current position.
The New Yorker
Tabet considers eating at Rao’s a form of entertainment, too. Her goal is to have the guests enjoy not only the food, made famous more than a century ago in East Harlem, N.Y., but the ambience as well.
“Part of my job is making sure people have a great time,” she said. “Just like when I’m onstage and want one person to feel one thing when I dance, I want at least one person to walk out of here and say, ‘Oh my god, Rao’s was awesome.’”
The New Yorker
Tabet was responsible for revamping Rao’s specialty cocktails, putting eight new choices on the menu. “They’ve done phenomenally,” she said. Each is a throwback to the original Rao’s, and one of the most popular is The New Yorker. This martini-style cocktail mixes Skyy vodka infused with moscato, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup and basil. The smooth drink is quite refreshing, with the basil serving as a contrast to the sweetness. –KM
