Feast on
FOXWOODS
Celebrity chefs have taken the hospitality to the next level at Connecticut ’ s first casino BY ROGER GROS
Jason Guyot had a busy week in February . First , the season finale of the Fox TV show Hell ’ s Kitchen , filmed at Foxwoods , came down to a battle between chefs Hannah Flora and Kyle Timpson in a dramatic showdown . Guyot was there to congratulate the winner , Timpson .
A few days later , the Foxwoods CEO welcomed the legendary Martha Stewart for the announcement of her newest restaurant concept , The Bedford . It ’ s the first East Coast location for the brand — the first Bedford debuted at Paris Hotel Casino in Las Vegas in 2022 — which , said Guyot , “ highlights our commitment to working with the most respected names in the industry to continually elevate the guest experience and redefine what ’ s possible at Foxwoods .”
It all comes during the 33rd anniversary of Foxwoods , a milestone that Guyot takes seriously .
Jason Guyot , CEO , Foxwoods
“ As we celebrate 33 years of Foxwoods , it ’ s humbling to reflect on how far we ’ ve come — from a vision rooted in the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation ’ s determination to a destination that now redefines what a resort casino can be ,” said Guyot .
That anniversary includes a brand new and improved poker room in the Fox tower , and a boutique , contemporary retreat-style renovation of the original hotel , the Great Cedar Hotel .
Past Perfect
The roots of Foxwoods come from a very humble bingo operation that dates back to the mid-1980s operated by the Mashantucket Pequot tribe . The passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988 allowed the tribe to expand that game to one of the largest in the country . Hiring former New Jersey regulator Mickey Brown was the lynchpin for the Foxwoods expansion . Brown brought in the Genting company from Malaysia , which at that time ran the largest casino in the world .
Genting funded an expansion that first included table games and later slot machines , which were approved by the state government in a compact negotiated by Brown and the Pequot chairman at the time , Richard “ Skip ” Hayward . The resort followed .
For several years , Foxwoods was the only game in town for New England , until it was challenged by the Mohegan tribe , which opened its own casino a few miles away . Mohegan Sun was fueled by Sol Kerzner , who developed casinos in South Africa and the Bahamas , along with luxury hotels around the world . This launched an “ arms race ” between the two tribes resulting in a pair of five-star resorts in the woods of Connecticut .
The Mohegan project started with a well-thought-out master plan , while Foxwoods responded to demand by adding on to its property every time , including an outlet mall , several casino expansions , a zip line , a new hotel tower thanks to a short-lived partnership with MGM Resorts , and a smaller hotel across the street from the casino . But it all worked , thanks to
22 TRIBAL GOVERNMENT GAMING 2025