When Justin Mouzoon was 20 years old, he found himself at a proverbial fork in the road. To one side was a job at a local rock radio station in Southern California where he was raised; the other side was culinary school in New York.
“I had two passions—I liked to talk a lot and wanted to be on the radio, and the other was I liked to cook,” Mouzoon says. “So, when the radio station said I couldn’t drive their van because of a speeding ticket, I felt like it was a sign. Six months later, I was going to culinary school, and I never looked back.”
Mouzoon not only graduated culinary school, but also earned a degree in hospitality from UNLV and proceeded to work in the Las Vegas food and beverage industry for more than a dozen years, working every position from server and cook to bartender and management. Since 2014, he’s been with the Golden Nugget, where he’s currently the general manager for both Claim Jumper and Saltgrass Steak House.
Responsibilities for Mouzoon include overseeing a staff of almost 200 between the two restaurants, ordering products, creating menus, administration, finances and any issues that might arise. “I have good people in place,” he says. “If I let them do their job, it makes my job nice and easy. But I do wear a lot of hats; it’s something that I actually like, though.”
You’ll even find Mouzoon getting behind the bar or helping cook in the kitchen. It’s his well-rounded background in the industry, working in various positions, that has helped him step in whenever needed. “To be able to jump into multiple positions—I like having that experience and ability to be able to do it,” he says. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’ve always had that passion for the industry. Working in the hotel-casino environment—there’s nothing like it. I always come back to that fork in the road; I was meant to go to culinary school and end up right where I am.”
Libation: Grilled Pineapple Margarita
With National Finals Rodeo in town through Dec. 11, Mouzoon says, “I expect Saltgrass Steak House to be popping the whole time. Our steaks are to die for, and we’re Texas to the bone. So stop by.” And while there, think about ordering the Grilled Pineapple Margarita to go with your 22-ounce bone-in ribeye or 24-ounce porterhouse. The specialty cocktail is a mix of Don Julio blanco tequila, Cointreau, pineapple juice and a house-made margarita mix infused with grilled pineapple.
Benefit: At Saltgrass Steak House, order your steak “blackened and smothered,” and get the Range Rattler appetizer.
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