Image Courtesy of Austin Food & Wine Alliance

Tickets are now on sale for the Austin Food & Wine Alliance’s 2nd Annual Wine & Swine. The hog-centric event will take place on Sunday, November 4 at Pioneer Farms in Austin.

A dozen chefs including The Noble Pig’s John Bates and Barley Swine’s Bryce Gilmore will roast whole Berkshire pigs and provide other swine-centric delicacies for attendees to savor and sample. A selection of Texas wines will be served along with the eclectic pork dishes as well. Proceeds from this event will go to benefit the Austin Food & Wine Alliance, a non-profit organization that fosters awareness and innovation in the Central Texas culinary community. To purchase tickets to this culinary event, see this link.

Tagged: Austin Food & Wine Alliance, Austin Food and Wine Festival, Bryce Gilmore, John Bates, Layne Lynch, Nobel Pig, Pig, Pig Roast, Pioneer Farms, Swine, wine, Wine & Swine

At the prime age of 42, Marcus Samuelsson has already attained a lifetime of culinary success. As a 24-year-old chef, he became the youngest chef ever to receive a three-star rating from The New York Times; in 2003, he received the ”Best Chef: New York City” award from the James Beard Foundation; in 2009, President Barack Obama invited Samuelsson to cook at his first state dinner; and in 2010, Samuelsson won Top Chef Masters.

Most of what the public knows about this charismatic chef stems from watching him in his numerous appearances on popular food shows – up until now that is. Samuelsson recently released a memoir, “Yes, Chef,” detailing the story of how he went from being an Ethiopian-born orphan to becoming one of the most respected culinary minds of our time. The book is captivating in all its great detail and overt honesty, likening it to such greats as Gabrielle Hamilton’s “Blood, Bones & Butter” and Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential.”

This July, Samuelsson will be stopping in various Texas locations on his book tour and took some time to talk with TEXAS MONTHLY about “Yes, Chef,” his Harlem restaurant Red Rooster, and what stands out to him about Texas cuisine.

Marcus Samuelsson. Photo taken by Kwaku Alston.

A lot of chefs come out with cookbooks every few years or so, but what made you know it was time for a memoir?

I felt that this would be a book that I would want young chefs to read. These kinds of books weren’t around when I was growing up, and you can get recipes from chefs all the time. The journey of how the chef got to where he is isn’t sitting around all the time. I felt that it was important to share my story now. The book isn’t just for chefs though; it’s for everybody. Everyone can learn about me, learn from me, and even learn from my mistakes. Just like you said, cookbooks come out from a chef every three years or so, which is great, but I see this as a different way of communicating and telling my story.

Touch a bit on the title of the book for me. I read about how you came up with it and I thought it was rather unique. 

“Yes, Chef” is about a pretty humbling life. For a long time all you can say back in the kitchen is “Yes, Chef,” but saying those words teach you a lot. It taught me a lot about staying humble, teamwork, respect, and patience. I learned a lot just by saying, “Yes, Chef” or “Oui, Chef.” When my chef Michael, my team, and I cooked at the White House [in 2009], we got the chance to meet the president. It’s funny because when Mike met the president he got so nervous he called out, “Yes, Chef!” The whole team and even the president laughed. But, I realized that’s a personality from our world as chefs and a mark to the humbleness and patience we must possess.

There’s always a moment when a chef realizes food isn’t just going to be a source of nourishment or enjoyment for them. When did you realize that cooking would be your career?

When I was a teenager I loved cooking with my grandmother, but I didn’t see it as a profession. Part of [why I became a chef] was my not becoming a professional soccer player. That taught me a lot about converting rejection and working within a team, and I’ve always viewed the kitchen as a team. I remember coming up as a young chef and someone saying that there was a lot of travel in cooking. They told me about the kitchens of France, Paris, and Asia. I thought it was intriguing that you could cook, travel the world, and speak different languages. I knew that that was something I could do. The journey was there; it was just about working really hard to get there. I knew it was attainable and that if I worked hard enough that there would be a chef in that room who would see me and that he or she would recommend me to the next place. It was all a journey.

I know there were are a lot of obstacles that came your way in your journey to becoming chef. What kept you going through all that?

The love for the craft. Every year I set different goals for myself. I remember sitting in my room and writing down all my goals. When I was in Switzerland, I wanted to go to France. When I was in France, I wanted to come to the U.S. When I became a chef, I wanted to make three stars. I confidently set humble, attainable goals for myself, and that always kept me going. That helped me immensely in my life and my career.

What did you envision for Red Rooster when you opened it? More specifically, why did you chose to open it in Harlem?

I love living in New York. I’ve lived there all my life as an American. It’s such an incredible part of the world, and it’s a part of the world people come to for innovation, creativity, passion, and food. But, I realized that only part of this city is activated and realized. We aren’t utilizing the whole city if we aren’t doing anything in Harlem. I lived in Midtown before opening Red Rooster, but I realized one thing I could do for myself and the city at the same time is move to Harlem, understand the community, and eventually open a restaurant. We changed the view of dining in Harlem and we also addressed unemployment. We allowed more people of color to participate in dining, not just from a cooking point of view, but also from a participation point of view. I come from a mixed background of white parents, green cousins, and just an overall mixed family. Dealing with race was something I’ve been exposed to ever since I was young.

On that note, tell me about the cuisine you make at Red Rooster and how that food embodies you as a chef. 

I moved up to Harlem five years before I opened the restaurant because I felt like I didn’t know enough about Harlem. I walked a lot and biked a lot around Harlem to learn about the nuances: the Italian heritage, the Mexican heritage, the Puerto-Rican heritage, the African-American heritage. This Americana landscape of immigrants, and that’s what we cook here. The menu is seasonal, but it’s driven by the people of Harlem. Sure, you’re going to have this African-American Southern tradition of fried chicken, collard greens, and catfish, but you’re also going to have moles as well because east of us there is a big Mexican community. We wanted to take a look at Harlem from more of a diverse view and create the menu around that.

When did the celebrity chef role come to you and is that something you want to move forward with?

I will always be a chef. That’s what I am. That’s my craft. I’m lucky enough in that whatever I do creates great interest, but I take great value in that interest. That’s why “Yes, Chef” took five years to craft and Red Rooster took five years to make. Whether it’s a book or a restaurant, I want to do what I do well. I value and respect the consumer, but this word celebrity, I didn’t go to cooking school for that. For me it’s about being privileged to cook and respecting the customer. If I continue that, I’m sure people will come. I worked a long time to be where I am today, but I don’t think that entitles me to anything. The value I have is about exceeding expectations. I want to continue to inspire the chefs coming up behind me. We put the restaurant in Harlem not just to keep it packed today; we want chefs to open restaurants in Harlem twenty years from now. If we can do that, then I know I’ll have succeeded.

Were there any culinary memoirs you looked to for inspiration when you were writing your own book?

Yes, there were a few. “White Heat” by Marco Pierre [White] was one. That was just an entirely a different book to me. It opened up my eyes to the life of a chef. Also, when Anthony [Bourdain's] book came out, I was like, “Wow, I can really relate to that story.” Gabrielle Hamilton’s “Blood, Bones & Butter” was amazing, too. I didn’t want my book to just necessarily be a great seller. I wanted it to connect to the reader through all my ups and downs. They are going to learn a lot about my journey, and that’s what those books did for me at the time.

You were recently in Texas for the Austin Food and Wine Festival. What stands out to you about Texas cuisine?

First of all, I love Texas. I’ve probably been to Texas more than any other state outside of New York. California and Texas are the big two actually. Texas has its own identity, which is great for chefs. Within Texas, the food is very diverse. San Antonio is different from Austin, and Austin is different from Houston and Dallas. The pride Texans have in their food is similar to an Ethiopian’s pride in their food. And I love that. That’s important for a chef to have. Austin is also one of my favorite cities. It’s a town that has a lot of soul, and that speaks to me. A lot of great chefs come from Texas. I have some of my younger guys that worked for me and went on to Dallas and Houston, and I have a great friendship with guys like Tim Love and Dean Fearing. It’s fun to see the younger generation of Texas chefs coming up right now, and you know there is going be a history of great chefs in Austin because of what’s going on there right now.

Would you ever compare Austin’s dining scene to New York’s?

It’s just different. I don’t think Austin should compare itself to New York at all. It should have its own dining scene. It’s a different part of the world that does its own thing. Obviously in New York you have influences from all over the world right there in front of you. In Texas, you have other influences. For its size, Austin is a fantastic food town. You can find great Vietnamese restaurants like Elizabeth [Street Café], and that’s not always obvious to outsiders like me. Austin shows again and again that it can stand on its own and doesn’t need to compare itself to anyone.

You start out the book talking about your biological mother. How has she influenced your life and your cooking, despite the fact you never really knew her or even saw a picture of her?

Seeing a picture of your mother is something that is in front of you for the rest of your life, and even though I don’t have one of her, I still know that woman. She is strong. She has a lot of dignity. She knows how to navigate. She walked us those seventy-five miles to the hospital. Even though she couldn’t save her own life, she did save me and my sister. Even the way she ate on that journey: eating dry food and cooking it when it was dark outside so we wouldn’t get too hot, there is a lot of dignity in that. I’m a chef that came from a place where food is a struggle every day, but I learned about food from my grandmother in Sweden where it was about chicken soup, chicken and dumplings, and using leftovers in the right way. Then I moved on to become a professional chef. With all that happened to me, I knew I had to become a chef. Maybe I didn’t know it step by step, but looking back, I can tell it’s always been my profession.

What’s next for you? Do you still have some goals written down that you haven’t gotten to?

I want it to mean something to put on your resume that you worked in Harlem when it comes to being a chef. That means something to me. We want to open up the door for chefs to come. We’ve got a long way to go, but if we keep working and keep aspiring, I feel like we will get there in five to ten years from now.

Tagged: austin, Austin Food and Wine Festival, Chef, Layne Lynch, Marcus Samuelsson, memoir, Top Chef Masters

There aren’t many Anna Wintours out there in the world. In fact, most magazine editors generally prefer to stay hidden from the glare of media exposure. Glued to recorders and notepads, they are the ones who conduct interviews, the ones who bury themselves in research, the ones who feel awestruck by celebrities, the ones who keep their opinions to themselves. Gail Simmons is a rare exception.

Her culinary expertise and sophisticated palate make her one of the most respected and talked about minds in food media. This season, viewers watched as Simmons judged Top Chef Texas in the scorching summer days of San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin. Simmons returns to Texas this weekend for the Austin Food & Wine Festival to cook up her version of cowgirl cuisine and devour her way through the festival and its city. Simmons talked with TEXAS MONTHLY about the festival, her experiences while filming Top Chef Texas, and how Austin compares to New York.

Gail Simmons

What’s going on in Austin right now that makes it worthy of its own festival?

Just to be fair, I wasn’t the sole person responsible for bringing Food & Wine to Austin. I certainly spent some time there this past summer and, simultaneously, Food & Wine was working with people in Austin to see if they could make the festival happen, and I’m so glad they did. I don’t think it could be at a better time. For a long time now, Austin has been rumbling and starting to buzz, and the buzz has been getting bigger and bigger, and I think it’s just a perfect moment to bring a big food festival of this caliber down to Austin. I was there for the first time ever this summer when we were filming Top Chef, and, having spent time in Dallas and San Antonio and lots of other places, I certainly felt the second I got to Austin that there was this amazing, young energy of all different kinds of things: music, art, and food, of course. [There are] a lot of great young chefs doing fun, exciting food. Food that really pays attention to the history and traditions of Texas, of barbecue, and Tex-Mex. But at the same time, they are elevating it, refining it, twisting it, making it modern, and making it their own. It’s a great time to show that off to the world.

What was your filming experience like in Texas? You guys have been all over on Top Chef. What was the highlight of the Top Chef Texas filming?

We had a lot of fun in Texas, and I had never been to the state of Texas before. I didn’t know what to expect, and I was very nervous about the fact that we were filming for the full summer. July was the hottest month on the record in like sixty years, if you recall, so that made for a pretty daunting introduction to Texas. But, I have to say, we had a blast. It was the first season we did where we moved within a season from city to city, so that brought a huge element to the season. I learned so much because there was a lot that I didn’t know about [Texas] in terms of learning about barbecue, learning about Tex-Mex, learning about the history of that part of America that I really had no exposure to until then. The food was great, too. We specifically had a blast in Austin. We went out and saw live music almost every single night when we weren’t working. We ate at a lot of food trucks. We would get off at eleven at night and go sit at a little food truck park and get a six-pack of Shiner Bock, drink cold beer, and sit outside underneath the hanging lights. It was a blast. And there are some amazing restaurants there.

Who are you looking forward to seeing at the festival?

I’m very excited to see Paul [Qui], the winner of Top Chef Texas. I’m excited that now that the show is over he and I can just be friends and I can actually just hang out with him, have a cocktail, and get to know him a little better. When I was there in July last summer, I visited Barley Swine and absolutely adored it. I was just so completely enamored with the space, and I had known the chef a little bit because Bryce [Gilmore] is a Food & Wine Best New Chef, so I had gotten to know him a little bit the year before, but it was great to see him in his own setting and finally eat his food. I’ll definitely be visiting him, too. There are places I still want to check out. I never got a chance to go to Foreign & Domestic, and I’ve heard such amazing things about them. I’m really looking forward to the Rock Your Taco event on Saturday night that I’ll be judging. I think that’ll be really fun because there are some Texas chefs and chefs from out of the state. It’ll be fun to see them go head-to-head with their best tacos.

You’re doing a demo, right?

I’m doing a cooking demo. When I was in Texas, I was inspired by the food, and I’m doing a demo that pays an ode to cowboy food. Chefs like Tim Love are going to be there doing cooking demos with big pieces of meat, grilling, and all that stuff. I’m doing what we named Cowgirl Cookin’. I’m cooking with all those really great flavors that I was inspired by in Texas, but that are made in a feminine way. I’m actually not cooking with any meat, but there is some meat flavoring. I mean, you got add bacon in! Just a little bit. I’m cooking mussels steamed in Shiner Bock and I’m doing cheddar, bacon, and chive biscuits. I’m also doing a peach skillet pudding. This stuff is inspired by my time in Texas, but is a little lighter, very refreshing, and perfect for the summer.

You live and work in New York. How would you compare its dining culture to Austin’s?

The culinary world takes tips from each other all the time. Chefs travel. The word travels. Trends travel, and I’m seeing a lot of trends in New York that I think are really influenced by Austin and vice-versa. The food truck culture that has been going on in Austin for so long has really only been in New York for the last two years. I think that no one does it better than Austin. They’re inexpensive, but have great, flawless food. I love that there can be three or four of them right by each other, but each of them will have really different cuisine. The creativity is really high in Austin. I see a lot of similarities between New York, in that way. In New York right now there are also a ton of Southern restaurants opening. Not necessarily Texan restaurants, specifically, but there has been a huge amount of barbecue places that are opening all over New York. Hill Country Barbecue, certainly, and others. A lot of the same aesthetic that young, hyper-creative Austin chefs are bringing to their food can be said the same of New York: young chefs who have exceptional formal culinary training who want to do something different and who are starting small. Barley Swine is a great example. [Bryce] is starting small and doing something very focused that is casual and comfortable. There is no pretense, but the food is pushing us forward.

Are you doing another season of Top Chef Desserts anytime soon?

We are doing another season of Top Chef proper, first. That’s all I know. One series at a time. It takes up so much time to shoot, so when we start shooting that later on this year, we’ll go from there.

Tagged: austin, Austin Food and Wine Festival, Bryce Gilmore, Foreign & Domestic, Gail Simmons, Paul Qui

Moments after Tim Love’s late-afternoon announcement on Jan. 31 that he would open his long-awaited Fort Worth restaurant, Woodshed, that evening–a day earlier than anticipated–the indoor-outdoor smokehouse with a worldly menu of wood-fired foods was instantly swamped with hungry, thirsty patrons. Situated on the banks of the Trinity River, close to TCU and the Cultural District, Woodshed is Love’s fourth Cowtown restaurant. Stacks of pecan, hickory, mesquite, and oak keep the smokers, stoves, and heaters going and the air fragrant, and plenty of adult beverages keep the crowds lively. We asked him to fill us in on some of the fine points.

Q: Have you figured out what to call this style of cuisine yet?

A: No, I still don’t know! Y’all are supposed to do that, coin a phrase. It’s not barbecue like we think of barbecue. Some people have suggested global barbecue, but it’s more than that. I like to call it my backporch food, because it’s stuff I’ve been doing at home for family and friends for a long time.

Q: How did you start cooking with so many different kinds of wood?

A: I’ve done it since we opened Lonesome Dove, but I really started doing it when I began cooking on the road so much, probably five or six years ago. I knew I was formulating something, the next restaurant, but I wasn’t sure what for a while. I just knew I loved cooking without electricity.

Q: What’s been the biggest challenge in producing this menu?

A: Getting the ingredients I want. We have bought out North America’s supply of baby artichokes in the past week! We went through 22 cases in our first four days. And our green bean dish has miso flakes, and I realized we were going to have make our own because there’s not enough to buy here.

Q: What in the meat world has been the most fun to do?

A: Perfecting the beef shin has been a real process. We’ve probably done 250 versions over the past six or seven months, trying to get it just right. We’ve smoked it and braised it and have done I don’t know how many variations. The guys at [the meat processing supplier] thought I was just crazy. But working with the whole animal is really fun. You learn so much every time out.

Q: What do you think has been the biggest surprise for guests at Woodshed?

A: I’m selling the hell out of the bulgogi with kimchi; people are really warming up to it, probably because it’s inexpensive. Some people tell me they don’t know what it is but they love it.

Q: How are those big-ticket items doing? Are people understanding that the $90 bistecca florentina with crispy potatoes is for the whole table?

A: It’s starting to catch on. It’s up to the servers to sell it, explain it. People are coming in and sticking their toe in, ordering smaller, inexpensive things, then they’re coming back and going for the bigger stuff. It’s getting better by the day.

Q: How is that Skinny Chicken Sandwich (grilled camp bread with seasoned, fried chicken skin, fresh mayo, watercress and shaved red onion) selling?

A: Girls order it because they think it’s a skinless chicken breast and then they say,’Ohmigod, I ate chicken skin?’ But the guys dig it! It’s so good.

Q: Are people liking the wines on tap and the craft beer, or are they still sticking to their Miller Lite?

A: Since we opened [six days ago], we’ve gone through 18 kegs of craft beer, plus five kegs of wine. It’s really exciting. The distributors are thrilled.

Q: What are you going to eat tonight?

A: It’s pig night. I’ll have cracklings on homemade tortillas.

Q: What’s exciting you most about the Austin Food & Wine Festival this year [Tim is one of the principals involved in working with Food & Wine magazine and others to bring this new regional festival to Texas; dates are April 27-29]?

A: It’s probably the coolest event I’ve ever done, and I do a lot. I’ll be teaching a hands-on class for 200 people. It’s how to grill a steak and teaches you everything from lighting the perfect fire to creating the perfect bite of steak. There’s cold white wine to drink during class–I always grill with a glass of cold white in my hand–and guests will get to take home about $200 worth of goodies from my new kitchenware line from Sur La Table. It’s so exciting to be involved with this.

Find the Woodshed at 3201 Riverfront Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76107, 817-877-4545.      Posted by June Naylor.

Tagged: Austin Food and Wine Festival, Tim Love, Woodshed

Want to know how Texas wines rate on a national level? Yes, many are winning national awards from East Coast to West, but how does the general sphere of wine experts view regional wine, and more specifically Texas wine? I recently had a few minutes to catch up with Food & Wine magazine wine expert, Anthony Giglio who will be on deck to discuss a few different wine topics at the inaugural Austin Food and Wine Festival this April. (Tickets on sale here.)

Giglio is a New York-based wine expert, CBS Radio wine correspondent, wine and cocktail speaker and author and is the editor of the annual Food & Wine Magazine’s Wine Guide—which reviews around 1,000 out of close to 4,000 wines tasted. He’s also guiding a 10-day tour of Sicily this summer for 20 people. Want to go? I know I do, but the tour sold out in three days. So we’ll just have to hope he offers another one.

TM: Having traveled all over the world tasting wine, what are your thoughts about regional wine and, more specifically, Texas wine?

I’ve written a lot about regional wine and I can tell you that the challenge for different regions across the country is weather and climate. The big three wine states—California, Washington and Oregon—are blessed with amazing weather that other parts of the country just don’t have. On the East Coast, for instance, you just don’t get 360 days of sunlight like you do on the West Coast. Without great sun, you can’t have great grapes. So they have to adapt.

Texas has plenty of sun, but it also has heat. It also has a constant struggle with Pierce’s disease (a bacteria disease which suffocates the vines), and a lot of other weather challenges. There are a million things to contend with. I visited Dry Comal Creek about a year ago and loved their wines, especially what they’re doing with native Black Spanish grapes.

But I’ve seen it so many times where people think it’s going to be this romantic thing to start a vineyard and what end up realizing is that they’re basically farming. But it’s farming at its ugliest. And it doesn’t matter how much money you have to put into it, you’re still fighting nature and nature cannot be controlled.

Texas is making some notable wines and has a wine history that predates California by a few hundred years through the Spanish missions, and it should also be proud of the fact that it was Texas rootstock from Thomas Munson that essentially saved the European wine industry, in the late 19th Century. That wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for a Texan.

NOTE: Phylloxera is a small pest to grapevines worldwide that is native to North America. The pest was introduced to Europe when botanists collected specimens of American vines that carried the pest and brought them to Europe. The result was virtual plague on European vines that decimated the European grape growing industry. Because phylloxera are native to North America, the native grape species are resistant to the pest, but as Europe found out, their grape vines were not. Some estimates hold that between two-thirds and nine-tenths of all European vineyards were destroyed. The remedy to the epidemic that came from North America was also discovered in North America by notable Texas horticulturist, Thomas Munson, whose work on Native American rootstock development provided European grape growers with phylloxera-resistant stocks, a discovery that saved and restored the European wine industry as we know it.

TM: One of the things that Texas Grape growers and winemakers have found in the past 10 years or so is that warm weather grapes such as Spanish Tempranillo, French Viognier and even Italian Sangiovese do better in Texas than other cooler weather varietals that have done well in California.

AG: I think it’s brilliant that they’re using Spanish [and Southern French and Italian] grapes! I was surprised to learn how well Tempranillo was doing in Texas, but it really makes sense. I think there’s something poetic about the Spanish grapes making landfall in Texas since it was the Spanish that began the whole industry there centuries ago. And I’m so glad that they’ve decided to stop the madness of growing French grapes everywhere.

It’s the same thing Chile and Argentina have done. They have grapes there that you don’t expect and that’s what is making them successful. I don’t need to drink another new Chardonnay for as long as I live as long as there are white Burgundies from France and Chardonnay from California.

I think Texas is really still in its infancy as far as having the kind of wine that it had 30 years ago because they’re finally not in the bind of saying “We have to grow Chardonnay or Merlot because that’s what everybody likes.” Instead, they’ve figured out how to grow these warmer climate grapes that work better for the Texas climate. I’m interested to see  where the state will be 10 years from now.

TM: How does that discovery in Texas pertain to regional wines across America?

The majority of Americans love wine now. It’s more approachable than it has ever been. But, because of the way California first started marketing their wines many many years ago, Americans in general talk about grapes when referring to wine rather than region. They say, “My favorite Chardonnay is,” or “My favorite Cabernet Sauvignon is,”

But very few people talk about appellations, or where the wine comes from. It’s just not how we talk about wine. Which is funny because it’s exactly the opposite in Europe. Europeans are always scratching their heads at Americans because we’ll say “Oh, I love Chardonnay,” But they want to know, from where? Conversely in France, when you say you love white Burgundy, they automatically know you’re talking about Chardonnay, but the key is that you’re defining a very specific taste and flavor profile of that wine because of the region it is from.

I think the discussion for Americans is going to start to move in that direction. I think in the next decade we’ll hear more and more people say that they like Washington Cabernet Sauvignon, Anderson Valley Pinot Noir or even Texas Hill Country Tempranillo, realizing that place matters completely when you’re talking about wine. Instead of going into a restaurant and saying, “I’ll have a Chardonnay,” people will say, “Can I have an oaky California Chardonnay,” or “I’d prefer a crisp, white Burdundy,” knowing they’re talking about the same grape, but completely different styles of wine because of where they’re from.

TM: So Texas wine will have a part in that overall discussion?

AG: Someone may see a Texas Sangiovese and say, “I’ve never heard of that grape before.” But in asking questions about it, they’ll eventually find that it’s the same grape that is used to make wines that they are very very familiar with such as Chianti or Super Tuscans.

Those wines may not taste the same if you put them side by side. In fact, they most likely won’t, but when you tell them that the same grape they use in Chianti is the Sangiovese and that this is a Texas version of Sangiovese, people will start to understand that place really does matter when it comes to understanding the grapes that make the wine.

TM: So as a wine expert/educator/speaker, how do you go about teaching people about different wines?

AG: I never want anyone to feel uncomfortable about not knowing certain things about wine. I tend to treat it like a game of Jeopardy. People love trivia and when you talk about wine, it’s a lot less intimidating if you’re giving them a chance to participate.

I’ll say, “You like this Champagne? What are the grapes that make Champagne?” A lot of people that Champagne IS a grape. But when you tell them that the sparkling wine is actually made with three primary grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunniere they’re usually blown away. It’s a great way to start a conversation.

Guys love to tell me that they love Cabernet. It’s like a right of passage or something. I

l’ll be in an elevator or on a plane with someone and tell them I write about wine and they say, “I had a great Cabernet last night, I love Cabernet.”

And I think, “Well of course you do. You’re American and you’re male, so of course you love Cabernet.”

But if I say, “How about Bordeaux? Do you like many Bordeaux wines,” and they’ll give me a deer-in-the-headlights look not realizing that most of the world’s great Bordeaux wines are primarily Cabernet Sauvignon. But when they ask about it we always end up in a great discussion and they end up with ideas of a few new wines to go out and try.

I still come across plenty of people these days who are snobby about wine and I am right there to let them know that I have zero patience for any of it and I will not stand for anyone being made fun of for what they may not know about wine.

Wine should be a part of everyone’s life. Robert Mondavi once said something like “Like what you drink and drink what you like and everything will be fine from there.” That couldn’t be more true.

I threw about 2/3 of what I learned as a sommelier out the window because it’s not what Americans need to know or even care about. What they really want to know is how to feel confident about wine and not be intimidated by something that is essentially fermented grape juice.

TM: So what can we expect from you at the Austin Food and Wine Festival in April?

AG: I’m doing three different seminars. One is called “Temperature Tantrum” where I’ll discuss how people need to drink wine at the correct temperature to be able to really enjoy it. I won’t get too scientific about it, but I’ll show people how much the taste of wine changes after just five minutes in an ice bath. If you taste the same wine blind at different temperatures, you would never believe it was the same wine. I’ve given the seminar many times before and I’ve made complete Temperature Tantrum soldiers out of it. People now go into restaurants and tell their waiter how to chill their wine correctly if they don’t do it right off the bat. It drives restaurants crazy, but now those people are enjoying their wine even more.

I’m also doing a seminar on Chardonnay versus Burgundy. So many people associate Burgundy with very fancy, expensive red wines or horrible, cheap gallon wine from California. But so few people know that the term “Burgundy” is not to describe a color, but a region from France. And few people also know that there is white wine from Burgundy and that white wine is made from Chardonnay. I’ll talk about the different styles of Chardonnay like the refined, minerally, crisp Chardonnay of Chablis as well as the over-the-top oaked Chardonnays like the kind you’d see women with big shoulder pads drink in Dynasty in the 1980s.

I’ll also do a similar class on Syrah and Shiraz, which are actually the same grape, just different based on where they’re grown. The Rhone region in France is known for Syrah, and the Australians essentially nabbed the same grape, began growing it in their country and changed the name to Shiraz. The grapes may be the same, but the wines taste very different. It’s the same discussion on how PLACE matters when you’re talking about wine.

- Jessica Dupuy

Tagged: Anthony Giglio, Austin Food and Wine Festival, Dry Comal Creek Vineyards, Food & Wine magazine, Jessica Dupuy, texas wine

After 26 years of showcasing the Texas Hill Country as one of the most desirable destinations in the Lone Star state, the Texas famed Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival will don a new name, a new home, and new leadership for the next festival in the spring of 2012. The new Austin Food & Wine Festival will now be a part of the nationwide culinary series by acclaimed Food & Wine magazine and will be produced by C3 Presents (of Austin City Limits Music Festival fame) along with Texas culinary juggernauts Tyson Cole (Uchi/Uchiko, Austin), Tim Love (Lonesome Dove Bistro, Fort Worth), and Jesse Herman (La Condesa, Austin).

Recent James Beard award winner Tyson Cole, chef/owner of Uchi and Uchiko has spearheaded the renewed festival concept for the past year. “I’m proud to the lead the way in bringing Austin’s culinary landscape into the national spotlight with the creation of the Austin Food & Wine Festival,” says Cole. “It’s the next step in a city coming into it’s own in the food world, and I’m excited to use this as a vehicle to feature a wide array of talent our city has to offer.”

Most “foodie-philes” are aware of the celebrity-studded Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, which draws the likes of high profile chefs as James Beard award-winning José Andrés, Tom Colicchio, Mario Batali, John Besh, and Thomas Keller. This new event will build on the national brand that Food & Wine magazine has bestowed on Aspen but with a decidedly Tex-ified style.

“We really wanted to be a part of creating something that is representative of the changing food scene in Austin as well as the rest of Texas,” says La Condesa owner Jesse Herman who will work with C3 Presents, Cole and Love to leverage local and national contacts to create a well rounded showcase of Texas food and wine culture. “We really want to create a food and wine festival that is on par with the greatness of the ACL Festival and South by Southwest.”

The architects behind the original Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival will now restructure the organization to become a 501c3 nonprofit extension of the Austin Food & Wine Festival that will be the festival’s charitable arm and will receive annual support as a beneficiary to the festival’s success.

“This is a huge endorsement of the many years of work and commitment that has gone into the previous festival and we’re excited to support the new Austin Food & Wine Festival, which will bring Austin’s food and wine community in the national and international spotlight,” says Cathy Cochran-Lewis, President of the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival whose leadership in 2011 brought the festival its most profitable year to date, a coup which will give the new nonprofit arm a firm foundation with which to promote the food and wine culture in Central Texas. “This opportunity aligns with the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival’s original mission to create a platform and awareness of the outstanding chefs, restaurants, artisan producers, wines and spirits that makeup our unique culinary culture.”

The changeover not only marks a significant boon for the city of Austin as a premier culinary and viticultural destination, but for all of Texas. And with an ever increasing number of James Beard Award nominees, Food & Wine magazine Best New Chefs, and chef contestants on national food competition television shows, the event will garner national recognition for the Capital City not only as the Live Music Capital of the World, but as a culinary force to be reckoned with.

The official announcement of the new Austin Food & Wine Festival was made today by Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell at an event held at Jesse Herman’s Malverde bar. The 2012 Austin Food & Wine Festival is scheduled for March 30 – April 1. Stay tuned for details as the event planning unfolds!

- Jessica Dupuy

Tagged: Austin Food and Wine Festival, C3 Presents, Cathy Cochran-Lewis, Jesse Herman, Jessica Dupuy, Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival, Tim Love, Tyson Cole