The Austin Food and Wine Festival is set for April 26-28, 2013 at a rejuvenated Auditorium Shores. Our own Addie Broyles broke the news of the fest line-up. I was deputized to cover the lunch that followed.
The chefs, food writers and festival staff gathered around a long table for potent bites of food, served family style. We munched on farm salad with soft, broken eggs, crispy tostatos with a twist, peppers stuffed with quinoa, a little pork belly for luck and a small, salty ice cream sandwich.
Among the guests were familiar food names such as Matt McGinnis, Karen Odom Spezia, Jessica Dupuy, Margaret Christine Perkins and Lynn Margolis.
I lucked out by sitting near C3 folks, who solicited ideas for festival demonstrations, and celebrity chef Tim Love, who talked about Fort Worth’s reborn riverfront, his expanding pack of restaurants, techniques for grilling and smoking, his childhood in Texas and Tennessee, the introduction of great food to the TCU football stadium and the possibility of that happening at Royal Memorial, as well as a crackerjack story about the big heads from Purina seeking him out about grilling culture since they want to develop a “grilled” cat food product.
He’s a guy I’d love to profile, perhaps when he opens an eatery in Austin. Would be the easiest assignment of the year, given his storytelling skills.
More stuff on the festival: Backers plan all-day mini-camps so that guests can ask questions as chefs slow-cook meals. They also want more grilling demos, more chefs and wines from Texas and enhanced outdoor experiences.
Earlier this year, we spent only a small time at the hot, dusty inaugural festival. After this lunch, we want to spend the whole weekend come next April.