Most awesome @Chef_Morimoto photo & Saturday demos at @AustinFoodWine Festival 2012

The first day time event of the Austin Food and Wine Festival started with possibly the most awesome photo ever.  I mean ever.  I must admit that I am little bit biased since I was photographed it.  Gifted with a media pass, I was able to get into the grand tasting earlier to spot Morimoto.  I started watching the Japanese Iron Chef somewhere in 1999 or 2000, and needless to say, I was a little in awe (kinda sorta, ya know). 

Morimoto is one of those magical legends of celebrity chefs, and he was doing a book signing.  As I waited for him to do his signing, the personality started to come through.  He gave me the Hook'em!  And then a double Hook'em!  See below.

If you want to know, I'll give you my six cents on how to prepare for the festival.

1. Wear comfortable shoes.  You'll be walking from where you parked to the festival, and all over the festival.  The terrain is quite sandy and dirty, so best be prepared by wearing shoes with traction.
2. Sunblock.  Sunblock.  Sunblock.  And sunblock.
3. Unless you have a VIP pass, it might be wise to wait until the last hour of the grand tasting.  During the VIP period, it was pretty tame.  However, during general admission, it could get a little squishy.  If you wait until after most of the crowd had eaten their fill, the tents started to clear out.
4. Neti-pot (with distilled or boiled water) when you get home.  It was quite dusty, and your sinus will thank you.
5. If you must wear a dress or a skirt, make sure it has some structure and substance so it doesn't get blow around.  The wind was causing some free peep shows.  
6. Arrive very early to the cooking demos.  The lines can start as far as an hour in advance. 

Here's some photos from the grand tasting.  It seems like pie is big this year, so do make sure you hit up all the pie vendors. We got to check in with our friends from Columbus Salame (San Fran, CA) pictured below along with many other Austin Favorites. 








 HEB had a really neat center piece of bamboo stalks. 


I was happy to see that Alaska Brewing was represented well.


Kitchen Aid put on a display that would make any baker wet his/her pants!

After eating a great deal of super tasty treats and drinks, I headed down to check out the Tyson Cole hands on demo.  I didn't get to participate, but I did get to take some photos. 

Chefs Tyson Cole and Paul Qui stop for a second to give us a smile. 

The hands on demo area.

Busy chefs preparing for the demonstration.

This guy made a hilarious face, and yes, he was having a great time. 

The final product from some of the attendees. 

More happy sushi students.

This woman did a great job with her display, and she seems quite pleased with herself. 

Chefs under Fire an the Carillon's Tasting Menu

I had the opportunity to attend the Chefs under Fire event on Nov. 30th at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center.  While I didn't have the opportunity to try the dishes made by the challengers, I did have the opportunity to sample some tasty bites from the Carillon by Chef Josh Watkins.  If you haven't been to the Carillon yet, here's your chance to give them a try.  From Wednesday, Dec. 16th - Saturday, Dec. 19th, Chef Josh Watkins will be offering a fabulous tasting menu for just $30.  This meal is a steal.  Judging from the chit chat about it on Twitter, you'll want to make reservations.  Menu posted below.  Other photos from Chefs under Fire by me, unless otherwise noted. The candied garlic in this dish was simply fantastic.  It was sweet and nutty, and something that you wouldn't expect to with red meat.  The Braised Beef Short Ribs with celery root, apricot glaze, and black pepper gastrique was amazingly tender.  This morsel has set the standard for fork tender in my book.  I had to eat about five of these, just to make sure they were really all that tender.  I think they are, but I might need more just for testing.  Photo by John Knox. Pineapple, cheese, and curry aren't usually served together, but I don't think the Carillon is the usual restaurant. I tried to capture some photos of the flurry of chefs in the kitchen prior to the judging, but alas, most of them looked like a blur. The main activity of the evening was the judging of the dishes by Celebrity Chefs David Bull, Tyson Cole, and Kent Rathbun.  While I was expecting an intense presentation, the judging was more entertainment than I had imagined.  The three celebrity chefs had jokes up their sleeves that kept the crowding laughing all night.  These photos are by John Knox.  More Photos here. Information and details about the Chef under Fire winners here.  Busy chefs. Tyson celebrates something. Sharing chef secrets. Martin Weaver, the creator of the pumpkin bbq sauce. David, would you like some rosemary? Loren Root wins!