If you know what’s going on in music and food in Las Vegas today, you already know Bree DeLano and Jolene Mannina. Maybe you just didn’t know they’re BFFs.
Born in New Orleans, Mannina—creator of the Relish culinary events company, the Late Nite Chef Fight TV show and many, many delicious local experiences—first met DeLano while working at the Palms, when the LA-born DeLano was brand-new to Vegas. That was 10 years ago. “Now we are family,” says DeLano, aka DJ 88, who has held residencies from Downtown to the Strip, curated countless musical events and soundtracked Fremont Street’s game-changing venue Insert Coin(s).
Mannina and DeLano are frequent collaborators, too, having found their styles to be similar. “We’re both capable of doing a lot of different things, and known for taking the extra steps that lead to results that are a bit more polished,” Mannina says.
“I think people seek out the things we do because we’re both very adamant about doing things outside the box,” DeLano says. “Our common denominator is our personal and professional style. We’re definitely the get sh*t done girls.”
And they don’t let up. Mannina maintains her stranglehold on the city’s coolest food events, from the upcoming Great Vegas Festival of Beer to serving as director of F&B for the returning Further Future music festival. DeLano just delivered her second Pop-Up party at Ghostbar, a music-first series celebrating a galaxy of sonic genres, and continues her cultural curation through her 88 Ways podcast and appearances as Fox’s local music correspondent.
These friends are two of the under-the-surface local industry titans who make our city’s special events special. And it’s hard not to keep an eye on them.
