Not bad at all: Texas captured four of seventeen finalist slots in Food & Wine’s new “People’s Best New Pastry Chef” competition.” That’s really impressive, considering that the Texans are up against chefs from Chicago and New Orleans, among other cities (we are in Central, one of three competition areas). So go vote for somebody from here, y’all. We can’t let our folks down.

But now, while I’ve got your attention, let me say that I’m completely baffled that there are no finalists from Dallas, San Antonio, or Fort Worth, and that three of Texas’s four are from Austin and only one from Houston, a much, much larger city. If that seems crazy to you, I strongly suggest you contact the Food & Wine folks.  The more they hear from readers about the geographical imbalance of the competition the more likely they are to take steps to fix the next one–that’s my opinion, anyway, for what it’s worth.

That said, do vote for a Texan. The contendahs are as follows:

Steven Cak, Parkside, Austin, who is well-known for his classy s’mores (pictured) with cinnamon marshmallow, dark chocolate ganache, cinnamon foam, and white chocolate cream.

Vanarin Kuch, Tiny Boxwood’s, Houston, famous for Anjou pear tart tatin with crystalized ginger caramel on puff pastry with a crispy apple chip.

Josh Matlock, Paggi House, Austin, known for deconstructed goat’s milk cheesecake with fresh blueberries, graham cracker crumbs, and snickerdoodle.

Laura Sawicki, La Condesa, Austin, famous for her crema cocida, consisting of vanilla-bean panna cotta with watermelon, agave, queso fresco, pickled watermelon rind, and roasted pepitas.

Tagged: Food & Wine, Josh Matlock, la condesa, Laura Sawicki, Paggi House, Parkside, People's Best New Pastry Chef, Steven Cak, Tiny Boxwood's, Vanarin Kuch

There’s nothing like a bandwagon. No sooner did Food & Wine and Bon Appétit fall all over themselves to give Austin a whole lotta love than StarChefs.com (an online magazine for chefs and culinary insiders) decided to hold one of its four national awards ceremonies in Austin this year.  Their editorial board scoured the landscape for the top talent in Texas’ capital city (and in San Antonio, too) and recently announced more than a dozen winners in nine categories.

As a result, in February, a gaggle of the hottest chefs in Austin and San Antonio are going to be in one place at one time, offering samples of their best bites. And there will be some choice wine and cocktail sips too.

Here’s what you need to know: The tasting will be held on Tuesday, February 21, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Driskill Hotel. Tickets are $85 for regular admission, $125 for VIP, and can be purchased online at starchefs.com/tickets or by calling 212-966-7575.

So, is StarChefs.com on the mark as far as their choices go? In my humble opinion, absolutely. They considered around 60 candidates (which they found through talking to local media and doing their own research, followed up by in-person tastings and interviews).

OK, it’s time to cut to the chase. Who won?

In the chefs category, it’s David Bull, Congress; Ned Elliott, Foreign & Domestic; Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue; Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine; Rene Ortiz, La Condesa; Paul Qui, Uchiko; Quealy Watson, The Monterey, in San Antonio; Andrew Wiseheart, Contigo.

In the pastry chefs category, it’s Plinio Sandalio, Carillon; Philip Speer, Uchiko. In the sustainability chef category, it’s Michael Sohocki, Restaurant Gwendolyn, in San Antonio. In the hotel chef category, it’s Josh Watkins, Carillon. In the artisan category, it’s John Bates and Brandon Martinez, Noble Pig. In the restaurateurs category, Tyson Cole, the Uchi group; Jason Dady, Bin 555, Tre Trattoria, Two Bros. BBQ Market, all in San Antonio. In the sommelier category, it’s June Rodil, Congress. In the mixologist category, it’s Jeret Peña, The Esquire, in San Antonio.

The host chef is  Jonathan Gelman, Driskill Grill. (By the way, the photograph is from a StarChefs.com  gala held in New York last year.)

Tagged: Aaron Franklin, Andrew Wiseheart, austin, Barley Swine, Bin 555, Bon Appetit, Brandon Martinez, Bryce Gilmore, Carillon, Congress, Contigo, David Bull, driskill grill, Food & Wine, Foreign & Domestic, Franklin Barbecue, Jason Dady, Jeret Pena, John Bates, Johnathan Gelman, Josh Watkins, June Rodil, la condesa, Michael Sohocki, Ned Elliott, Noble Pig, Paul Qui, Philip Speer, Plinio Sandalio, Quealy Watson, Rene Ortiz, Restaurant Gwendolyn, san antonio, StarChefs.com, the Monterey, Tre Trattoria, Two Bros. BBQ Market, Tyson Cole, uchi, uchiko