Taste of Texas @AustinFoodWine 2012

This year is different.  This year is the first year that FOOD & WINE and C3 are presenting what used to be the Hill Country Wine and Food Festival.  In addition to a different structure to the festival this year, there are some unfamiliar faces coming to play.  Thursday night kicked off with the Live Fire event by the Austin Food and Wine Alliance.  It was a pretty awesome event last year, complete with wildlife.  It was also the first time I had ever put the heavenly Franklin's barbeque in my mouth.  I was sad to miss it this year due to that day job, which happened to have evening hours this semester.  A big thanks to the festival for inviting me as a media guest, and a big thanks to KitchenaidUSA and Whirlpool for providing a pass for my photographer.

The first event of the Austin Food and Wine Festival was the Friday night Taste of Texas event.  Special guests chefs this years included:

• Tim Bryes (SMOKE, Dallas)
• David Bull (Congress, Second Bar + Kitchen, Austin)
• Jason Dady (Jason Dady Restaurants, San Antonio)
• Aaron Franklin (Franklin Barbecue, Austin)
• Bryce Gilmore (Barley Swine, Austin)
• Sarah Grueneberg (Top Chef Texas, Spiaggia, Chicago)
• Rene Ortiz (La Condesa, Napa, Austin)
• Monica Pope (T’afia, Houston)
• Paul Qui (Top Chef Texas, Uchiko, Austin)
• Philip Speer (Uchi/Uchiko, Austin)
• Laura Sawicki (La Condesa, Austin)
• Gabe Thompson (dell’anima, New York City)
• Andrew Weissman (Sandbar, Il Sogno Osteria, San Antonio)
• Nate Wales (La Condesa, Austin).

Just prior to the festival, Josh Ozersky had a Colonel Sanders and the American Dream book signing at Lucy's Fried Chicken. A big thanks to UT Press, Lucy's Fried Chicken and Austin Beer Works for the crunchy chicken afternoon. 

This was on one of the tables at the festival.  I thought it was pretty darn interesting. 

This festival also marked the anniversary of when I first had Franklin BBQ.  Happy Franklin BBQ Anniversary to me! 

As you can see, the Barbecue Jesus draws a line of disciplines where ever he goes. 

@TimBrynes brought an amazing show of three whole porkers.  This is just one of the babies. 

Here's Laura Sawicki's dessert.  That woman is a genius, and her pastry chef of the year honor is well deserved.  If you see her, give her a hug and eat her dessert!

@ChefSarahJayne Grueneberg brought mackerel on grilled pumpernickel toast with black almond tapenade.  Salty + crunchy = win!

And here's the lovely chef!

Here's Chef @MonicaPope and Chef Stephen Cash.  I loved her offering of mushroom dumplings!

And what's a wine festival without Devon Brogile (@dbrogues) of Whole Foods?  Nothing, I say. Nothing.

This was a really interesting and entertaining station.  Chef Gabe Thompson of @Lartusi cooks up pork belly on a griddle using bricks as a makeshift stove.  That's so Texas.  That's also so awesome!