Rang’s Cocina Moderne: From a Food Tray Business in the Philippines to a Las Vegas Family Table
Rachelle “Rang” Tan's journey with food began in the Philippines, with a small food tray business. Customers ordered for special occasions, and she saw that food was more than something to eat. “It’s a way of bringing people together, sharing our culture, and making people feel loved,” she told Neon in her 702 Alliance interview.
Today she is the chef at Rang’s Cocina Moderne, the family-owned restaurant she runs with her husband, Benedict Tan, on West Charleston Boulevard. The menu honors the flavors they grew up with and the ingredients they learned to love through their travels, putting Spanish and Italian dishes in conversation with Filipino flavors.
A leap from lockdown
The move to Las Vegas came out of the pandemic. The family had been under hard lockdown in the Philippines for more than a year when they saw on the news that Las Vegas was open again: people walking the Strip, businesses open, life back to normal. With three young children and no assurance of when the pandemic would end, they decided to take the leap, move to Las Vegas and open a restaurant.
Opening with nobody to invite
The hardest part, Rachelle said, was starting without a network. They knew a handful of acquaintances and had no supporters in a new city. “We did not even have a grand opening because we had nobody to invite,” she said. Gaining traction was harder for them than it would have been for a local.
The turning point came the night Chef Gio Mauro of Monzú came in and raved about the food. “I highly respect him and for him to give such high regard to our small restaurant was a great compliment,” she said. He has since come back many times with friends and family, even celebrating his wedding anniversary at Rang’s, and many diners have found the restaurant through his recommendations.
“It is heartwarming to know that in the culinary industry in Las Vegas, we see each other as family, not competition,” she said.
What’s on the table
The dishes show how the influences meet. Bistek pairs a New York strip with onions and a citrus-soy glaze. Aligue pasta uses crab fat, garlic and shrimp. Lengua salpicao combines marinated beef tongue with garlic and olive oil, and pulpo brings braised octopus together with potatoes and Galician sauce. House-made focaccia, pasta dishes and desserts such as tiramisu round it out.
Rang’s serves dinner on West Charleston and marked its third anniversary in 2026, three years after opening in 2023.
Friends and family
For Rachelle, hospitality is the point. “I treat people as friends and family, be it customers or employees,” she said. Every dish that leaves the kitchen is food she would serve her own friends and family, and she wants guests to feel “welcomed in a loved one’s home.”
“Rang’s is more than a restaurant. It’s a piece of our story,” she said. Her hope is that people don’t just leave remembering the food. “They leave feeling something, too.”
Visit the Rang’s Cocina Moderne profile for the address, phone number and website.
Based on Rachelle Tan's completed Neon interview, October 17, 2026, with menu details from her existing profile. For corrections or removal, contact Cody.