James Beard Foundation Taste America

Austin’s weekend-long itinerary will kick off on Friday, November 16 at W Austin with a one-of-a-kind, collaborative dinner benefiting the James Beard Foundation. The evening will begin with a reception featuring cocktails and hors d’oeuvre from local chefs and restaurateurs, including Rene Ortiz (Launderette, Austin), Tatsu Aikawa (Ramen Tatsu-ya, Austin), Callie Speer (Holy Roller, Austin), as well as Manuel Rodriguez (W Austin, Austin). Afterwards, guests will be seated for an extraordinary dinner prepared by the Taste America Visiting All-Stars and Taste America Local All-Star Michael Fojtasek (Olamaie, Austin), who will curate a menu showcasing America’s rich and diverse culinary scene. Capping off the night will be a dessert reception featuring Tavel Bristol-Joseph (Emmer & Rye, Austin), Ariana Quant (Uchi, Austin), and Sarah Prieto (Odd Duck, Austin).
On Saturday, November 17, free in-store consumer events will take place at Sur La Table® located at Domain NORTHSIDE. Activities of the day will include a cooking demonstration by the Taste America Visiting All-Stars and a Zero waste demonstration by Chef Zach Hunter (The Brewer’s Table, Austin), as well as book signings, tastings from local producers and artisans, and product demos and tastings from national sponsors. On display at the Sur La Table stores will also be JBF’s latest cookbook, Waste Not: How to Get the Most from Your Food. Reservations for the free cooking demos will begin two weeks prior to each event at www.jamesbeard.org/taste-america. Visit Austin’s event page in July for the full schedule and more details.