CultureMap Dallas's Teresa Gubbins reported that well-known and well-liked Dallas chef Randall Copeland, of Restaurant Ava and Boulevardier, has died at the age of 39. The cause of death was unknown, according to a spokesperson for the restaurants.
Weeks after his James Beard Best Chef: Southwest nomination, Underbelly chef Chris Shepherd has yet another accolade to add to his long list of recognitions. The Houston chef has been nominated as one of the ten "Best New Chefs in America" by Food & Wine magazine.
Your initial response to the queue for extraordinary cue is likely to be some variation of "Holy #$%@$! No way." But get in that festive tailgating-style line and make friends with your neighbors and Franklin's tireless employees, who, without a hint of attitude, come around selling drinks, handing out samples, and doing their best to make sure you're happy. Next thing you know, hours have flown by and you're seated in that turquoise temple inhaling succulent pork ribs, juicy sausages, and what may be the state's best brisket.
The Dallas Morning News announced the winners Sunday for the Dallas Morning News and TexSom Wine Competition. Now in its twenty-eighth year, the competition is the largest wine competition in the country outside of California and has developed a fine reputation for carefully evaluating wines for excellence.
Thirty-year-old Larry McGuire, Austin’s most prolific high-quality restaurateur, sits down to lunch at his newest restaurant, Josephine House in the capital’s central Clarksville neighborhood. With impeccably clean hands, he straightens his Rag & Bone shawl collar cardigan before placing a crisp napkin into his lap. Josephine House opened last month, and its dining room, with white-washed wood-paneled walls and marble counters, is already packed with neighbors and food aficionados.
(Photograph by Chris Wilkins | Texas BBQ Posse)
In a move that seems long overdue, today we named Daniel Vaughn as Texas Monthly's first barbecue editor.
Robert Sietsema, the Village Voice's food critic, is a cheerleader. Back in January he, along with nearly every other New York food writer, wrote a piece rah-rah'ing the New York barbecue scene.
Bryce Gilmore, of Barley Swine, in Austin, and Chris Shepherd, of Underbelly in Houston, were among the eight Texas chefs, writers, and restaurants nominated for a James Beard Award, the highest honor given in the food world. Garden and Gun magazine recently caught up with the two chefs to ask them how they celebrated the news:
Rene Ortiz and Laura Sawicki are two of the most respected chefs in the Austin culinary scene right now. After creating an impressive menu program at the upscale, modern Mexican restaurant La Condesa, the duo moved on to open Sway, a Thai-inspired restaurant, late last year.
Recently, the talented executive chef and pastry chef talked with Texas Monthly about their James Beard recognitions, opening Sway, and how they’ve become best friends through the years.
The Wine: