Austin Food + Wine Announces Line-up

Austin Food + Wine Festival announced the chefs, restaurants and wine & spirits line-up for the ninth annual festival, April 24-26, 2020. 

The ninth annual Festival will feature more than 100 chefs, restaurants and wine & spirits experts over three days at Auditorium Shores and Fair Market, including the return of Friday night's Grillin' and Chillin' hands-on, interactive dinner party hosted by chef and festival partner Tim Love (Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Woodshed Smokehouse, Queenie's Steakhouse, Love Shack, White Elephant Saloon, Gemelle); the star-studded Rock Your Taco competition on Saturday night featuring several first-time competitors and James Beard Foundation Award nominees and winners; engaging cooking demonstrations; pitmasters and chefs cooking over interactive Fire Pits; samples of signature dishes from local chefs and restaurants; dynamic wine, beer & cocktail tastings; live music; book signings; and much more.

"It's always thrilling for us to be a part of bringing great culinary experiences to life," says FOOD & WINE Publisher Thomas Bair. "Year after year, Austin Food + Wine continues to raise the bar, serving up creative tasting sessions, cooking demos, and events featuring standout talent in an amazingly fun setting — and this year is no exception."

On Thursday, April 23, Feast Under the Stars, an intimate, outdoor dinner celebration, will once again be hosted at Austin's Auditorium Shores before the weekend officially kicks off. The family-style sustainable dinner will be hosted in collaboration with chef Kevin Fink and the Zero Foodprint initiative in support of Austin's Zero Waste program, which aims to reduce 90% of the trash sent to landfills by 2040, and will feature a sustainable menu from award-winning chefs. Feast Under the Stars tickets are $250/per person (inclusive of wine pairings and parking) and must be purchased separately from any Festival tickets at www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com/tickets.

"Austin is one of those towns that is so attractive to us because it has all of the things that we are passionate about — food, music, culture and history,” says Mashama Bailey and Johno Morisano of The Grey, Savannah, Georgia. “We are excited to be a part of Austin Food + Wine this year and bring a little of our version of the South to the Southwest. We also just can't wait to meet chefs and restaurateurs from the area and, most importantly, eat their food."

The Festival officially starts on Friday, April 24, with the return of Grillin' and Chillin', Tim Love's ultimate hands-on grilling dinner party hosted at Auditorium Shores. This event offers All-In ticket holders the opportunity to sharpen their skills as they join Love for an interactive and lively night of grilling, drinks and dinner, all underneath the Austin skyline. Grillin' and Chillin' attendees will share a charcoal grill with a partner and prepare their own dinner as Love guides them through the menu while offering tips for how to become a grilling expert. Grillin' and Chillin' is exclusively included with the All-In ticket and will be the only time that the hands-on grilling demo will be offered throughout the weekend.

"I'm excited to be a featured chef for my third year of Austin Food + Wine," says Eberly's Jo Chan. "As an Austin chef, it's incredible to see our community come together, hosting one of the most fun and delicious events in the country, and welcoming in talent from all over to our beautiful city."

On Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, the Festival grounds will come alive with cooking demonstrations, book signings and an interactive area where chefs and pitmasters will cook over live Fire Pits and offer tastes to attendees throughout the weekend. The Fire Pits will showcase live fire cooking expertise from Simon Stallard (The Hidden Hut; Cornwall, UK); John Bates (InterStellar BBQ); Sonya Coté (Eden East, Hillside Farmacy); with more pitmasters and chefs to be announced.

"The Austin Food + Wine Festival has always brought together innovative and inspiring chefs to the table," says Nixta Taqueria's Edgar Rico. "We're looking forward to connecting with our peers, learning from one another, and interacting with guests from all over the country and world. It's a humbling experience being asked to participate for the second year in a row and we're excited to showcase our baby taqueria again."

Rock Your Taco, Saturday evening's signature tasting event at Fair Market, will bring out the competitive side of all participants. Chefs will square off against one another to create the ultimate taco, with a People's Choice award going to the best taco. Rock Your Taco competitors include: Tatsu Aikawa (DipDipDip Tatsu-Ya); Mashama Bailey & Johno Morisano (The Grey; Savannah, GA); Anne Burrell (TV Personality, Chef; New York, NY); Tyson Cole (Hai Hospitality);Scott Conant (Mora Italian; Phoenix, AZ); Andrew Curren (ELM Restaurant Group); Jason Dady (Chispas); Diego Galicia & Rico Torres (Mixtli; San Antonio); Sarah Heard & Nathan Lemley; JJ Johnson (Field Trip; Harlem, NY); Tim Love; Ryan Pera (Agricole Hospitality; Houston, TX); Aarón Sánchez (Johnny Sánchez; New Orleans, LA); Charles Schlienger (Sway); Philip Speer (Comedor); and 2019 reigning Rock Your Taco champion, Andrew Zimmern (TV Personality, Chef; Minneapolis, MN).

"Austin Food + Wine is an incredible experience: the grounds are teeming with celebrity chefs, local chefs and people who get excited about food and wine," says Foreign & Domestic's Sarah Heard and Nathan Lemley. "It's a great opportunity to experience take a class from or share a glass of wine with your favorite chef."

A star-studded roster of sommeliers, wine, beer & spirits experts will help round out the Austin Food + Wine Festival line-up, including Master Sommelier Devon Broglie (global beverage buyer, Whole Foods) and Master Sommelier Craig Collins (Italian portfolio sales manager, Vintus).

Tickets for the 2020 Austin Food + Wine Festival are on sale now at www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com/tickets.

All-In ($625/per person)

The All-In ticket includes Saturday and Sunday Festival access; interactive cooking demos & book signings; hands-on beer, wine and cocktail tasting sessions; wood-fired culinary creations from the Fire Pits; tastes from Austin's best chefs & restaurants; Friday night's Grillin' and Chillin' with Tim Love; Saturday night's signature Rock Your Taco competition; and more.

Weekender ($250/per person)

The Weekender ticket includes Saturday and Sunday Festival access; interactive cooking demos & book signings; hands-on beer, wine and cocktail tasting sessions; wood-fired culinary creations from the Fire Pits; tastes from Austin's best chefs & restaurants; and more.

Feast Under the Stars ($250/per person)

Feast Under the Stars tickets provide access to the intimate outdoor pre-festival dinner celebration at Auditorium Shores. The family-style sustainable dinner, hosted in collaboration with chef Kevin Fink and the Zero Foodprint initiative in support of Austin's Zero Waste initiative, includes wine pairings and parking.