NYT Stars, 'The Bear' Producer at Austin Food & Wine Fest

Austin Food & Wine Festival Returns to Lady Bird Lake

The Austin Food & Wine Festival is back at Lady Bird Lake from November 1-3. The talent roster is impressive, featuring James Beard Award nominees and Food & Wine Best New Chefs throughout the weekend.

Sunday’s demo tent is packed with star talent. The New York Times recently named its 50 Best Restaurants in the U.S., and two chefs from this list will make an appearance, sandwiched between two other major names from Austin and TV.

Kevin Gillespie of Nàdair in Atlanta and Ashleigh Shanti of Good Hot Fish in Asheville, N.C., are slated for Sunday afternoon demos. The Times called Gillespie’s restaurant a "Scottish-Southern mash-up no one knew American dining needed," and praised Shanti’s restaurant for its fried catfish and hush puppies, describing it as "Southern fish camp meets Black Appalachian foodways."

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Preceding them at the demo tent is Edgar Rico, one of Austin’s top culinary stars. Rico’s Nixta Taqueria is ranked in the city’s Top 10 by the Statesman. He was named a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2023 and to the Time 100 in 2022.

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Capping the afternoon is Courtney Storer, the culinary producer for the FX show “The Bear.”

The weekend’s roster includes:

• Amanda Turner of Olamaie in the demo tent
• San Antonio’s Nicola Blaque of Jerk Shack at the Fire Pit on Saturday
• Levi Goode from Houston and Ali Clem from La Barbecue in Austin at the Fire Pit on Sunday

Chefs serving at the grand tasting events include Austin favorites Daniel Berg (Bill’s Oyster), Shawn Cirkiel (Parkside), Krystal Craig and Ian Thurwatcher (Intero and Poeta), Roberto Espinosa (Tacodeli), Sarah Heard and Nathan Lemley (Foreign & Domestic and Commerce Café), Davis Turner (Huckleberry), Joseph Zoccoli (Casa Bianca), and more.

The weekend kicks off with the Made in Texas VIP event at the Long Center, featuring food from Tyson Cole (Hai Hospitality), Diego Galicia and Rico Torres (Mixtli), Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin (Best Quality Daughter in San Antonio), Rebecca Masson (Fluff Bake Bar in Houston), Berty Richter (Ezov), and more.

Tickets are available at austinfoodandwinefestival.com/tickets, including Sunday tickets ($195), Weekender ($275), and VIP packages ($750).