Welcome to the Bootlegger Bistro, new home of Chef Maria Perry and family serving Las Vegas since 1949. As Nevada's first Restaurateur of the Year, Maria and her husband Albert are respected pioneers of the Las Vegas restaurant community.

In 1943, Maria and "Al" along with their baby daughter, Lorraine and Al's sister Madeline embarked on an adventure that would change their lives forever.

For personal health reasons, Maria and Al were forced to leave their family and friends in Niagara Falls, New York and move to a little known, dry, dusty town called Las Vegas, Nevada.

Maria's exceptional culinary skills and Al's affable and outgoing personality lead them to the restaurant business.

From the famous Fiesta Village of the forties, where the likes of Howard Hughes, Jane Russell and other Hollywood legends "hung out" in Vegas, Maria and Al learned the restaurant business.

In 1955, with family, they opened the Venetian Pizzeria of Fremont St. and in the sixties, the Venetian Restaurant on West Sahara.

In 1972, they opened the Bootlegger Ristorante at Tropicana and Eastern, joining forces with their now grown daughter, Lorraine. At the time, Lorraine was a popular entertainer, appearing on the Las Vegas Strip. She brought "pizzazz," new ideas and energy to the established family business.