The day has come! Tickets for the Austin FOOD & WINE Festival go on sale today, November 8, at 10 a.m. CST. The Festival, which takes place April 26-28, 2013 at Auditorium Shores and Republic Square Park, will feature a myriad of food and wine events, including hands-on seminars, food, wine, and cocktail tastings, book signings, live music performances, and much more.

The first Austin FOOD & WINE Festival was held in April 2012 – taking the place of the long-standing Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival. Tickets are $850 for a Savor pass and $250 for a Taste pass.

The Savor pass includes priority access to demos, tastings, hands-on events, Grand Tastings, VIP lounges, and the Taste of Texas and Rock Your Taco evening events. Unlike last year, Taste pass holders may also purchase individual tickets for Friday night’s Taste of Texas event ($150) and/or Saturday night’s Rock Your Taco event ($200).

Christina Tosi

A lineup of renowned chefs, talented sommeliers, cocktail experts, and food celebrities will headline the festival, including Marcus Sammuelson, Susan Feniger, Christina Tosi, Tim Love, Paul Qui, Andrew Zimmern, Marc Murphy, and numerous others.

Marcus Sammuelson. Photo taken by Paul Brissman.

The Taste of Texas Kickoff Event at Republic Square Park will feature live music performances by Delta Spirit and Whiskey Shivers and tastings from well-known chefs, including: Tim Byres, chef/co-owner of SMOKE; Jason Dady, chef/owner of Jason Dady Restaurant Group; Ned Elliot, executive chef/owner of Foreign & Domestic; Jodi Elliot, pastry chef/owner of Foreign & Domestic; Aaron Franklin, pitmaster of Franklin Barbecue; Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner, executive chefs/owners of The Pass & Provisions; Sarah Grueneberg, executive chef of Spiaggia; James Holmes, executive chef of Lucy’s Fried Chicken and Olivia; Paul Qui, founder of East Side King; John Russ, executive chef of Lüke; Chris Shepherd, executive chef of Underbelly; Philip Speer, pastry chef of Uchi and Uchiko; Blaine Staniford, executive chef of GRACE; Danny Trace, executive chef of Brennan’s; Tre Wilcox, executive chef of Marquee Grill; Andrew Wiseheart, executive chef of Contigo; and Jamie Zelko, executive chef/owner of Zelko Bistro.

Terrence Gallivan & Seth Siegel-Gardner

At the Rock Your Taco event, a number chefs will compete against each other in creating the “ultimate” taco. Tyson Cole, executive chef of Uchi and winner of last year’s Rock Your Taco competition, will compete against a mix of local and national chefs, including David Bull, executive chef/owner of Congress, Second Bar + Kitchen, and Bar Congress; Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, chef/owners of Animal and Son of a Gun; Susan Feniger, executive chef of Border Grill; Bryce Gilmore, chef/owner of Barley Swine; Tim Love, owner of Love Shack, Lonesome Dove, and Woodshed Smokehouse; Tony Mantuano, chef/partner of Spiaggia; Marc Murphy, executive chef of Landmarc and Ditch Plains; Rene Ortiz, executive chef of La Condesa and Sway; Marcus Samuelsson, chef/owner of Red Rooster Harlem; Laura Sawicki, pastry chef of La Condesa and Sway; Christina Tosi, pastry chef of Momofuku Milk Bar; Jonathan Waxman, chef/owner of Barbuto; and Andrew Zimmern, host of Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods. There will also be a live music performance by Allen Stone at the event.

Paul Qui

The Rock Your Taco winner will be selected by three judges: Christina Grdovic, publisher of FOOD & WINE, Adam Richman, host of Man vs. Food, and a special guest judge. This year’s lineup also features a mix of sommeliers and mixologists, including Tony Abou-Ganim, Devon Broglie, Craig Collins, Anthony Giglio, Ray Isle, Russ Kane, Cathy Mantuano, Bill Norris, Mark Oldman, June Rodil, Jason Stevens, and Nate Wales.

For more information on the fesival or to purchase tickets, please visit the Austin FOOD & WINE Festival website. Follow the Austin FOOD & WINE Festival Twitter and/or Facebook for schedules, details, and news as the festival approaches.

Tagged: 2013 Austin Food & Wine Festival, Andrew Zimmern, Auditorium Shores, austin, Austin Food & Wine Festival, Blaine Staniford, Chris Shepherd, Christina Tosi, Foreign & Domestic, Jamie Zelko, Jason Dady, Jason Dady Restaurant Group, John Russ, Jon Shook, Layne Lynch, Marc Murphy, Marcus Samuelsson, Ned Elliott, Paul Qui, Republic Square Park, smoke, Susan Feniger, Tim Byres, Tim Love, Tre Wilcox, Tyson Cole, Vinny Dotolo

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.)

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It’s not too late to snag a couple of seats for the twelfth annual Stephan Pyles Celebrity Chef Dinner in Dallas this coming Sunday evening, December 4, sponsored by the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas.

This year the line-up of star chefs from across Texas includes Stephan Pyles and Joel Harrington of restaurant Stephan Pyles and Samar by Stephan Pyles (Dallas), Jason Dady of the Lodge (San Antonio), David Garrido of Garrido’s (Austin), Nick Badovinus of Neighborhood Services Bar & Grill (Dallas), Rebecca Rather of Sugar & Smoke (Fredericksburg), and Renee Morgan from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts (Austin); Morgan is the winner of last year’s scholarship (but more about that later).

On the lineup for the extravagant five-course wine dinner are the following:

A Trio of Hors d’Oeuvres: Bone Marrow Brulée Tartlet with Cranberry and Red Onion Relish; Country Ham, and Gouda Grits Fritters; and Tomato Martini Shooters with Mozzarella & Basil Oil (Chef Morgan)

Scallop with a Bacon-Potato Ball, Red Jalapeño Crema, and Pumpkin Seed Chardonnay Gelée (Chef Garrido)

Bay of Fundy Salmon Confit with Horseradish Panna Cotta, Honeycrisps, and Manchego Chicharrón (Chefs Pyles and Harrington)

Cider Roasted Texas Quail, Butternut Squash Grits, Luxardo-Walnut Compote (Chef Badovinus)

Pan-Seared Lamb Loin with Root Vegetable Spoonbread, Fennel, Wild Mushroom and Smoked Huckleberry Bordelaise (Chef Dady)

Sweet Potato Doughnuts with Garrison Brothers Bourbon, Bacon Caramel Sauce, and Caramel Ice Cream (Chef Rather)

What is the cost of this culinary extravaganza? A mere $150 per person (wine’s included, or did I say that already?), with the proceeds going to fund a $15,000 annual scholarship for a lucky Texas culinary student. (The winner is selected by a panel of culinary professionals from three finalists competing in a timed cook-off.)

Following the dinner there will be a short but action-packed live auction that will include rare and fine wines (that’s how you can stockpile some holiday cheer), assorted luxury items, and restaurant packages.

But hurry. The event is almost sold out. Call 512-327-7555 or visit www.winefoodfoundation.org. The dinner will be held December 4 at Stephan Pyles restaurant, at 1807 Ross Ave., Dallas, with hors d’oeuvres at 6 and seating at 7. The ticket price is nonrefundable.

The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas is an Austin-based nonprofit membership organization committed to the excellence of food and wine. To date, the foundation has given over $1.25 million to support public television, scholarships, and grant projects throughout the state. The foundation also offers unique classes, tastings, and special events to members.

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