Austin Food & Wine Alliance Brings ‘Live Fire!’ Back To Camp Mabry, April 14th, 2022 Leave a comment
Austin Food & Wine Alliance (AFWA) is bringing back Live Fire! to Camp Mabry after a 2-year hiatus on Thursday, April 14th, 6:30– 9 p.m.
This year, Live Fire! is throwing a Texas-sized party highlighting the culinary traditions of the Lone Star State. Top-notch chefs from across the state will showcase the versatility of Texas beef in innovative bites cooked over an open flame. The live-fire cooking event debuted with the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival in 2011 and has continued to attract a sold-out crowd. One of Austin’s most popular and provocative culinary events, this beefy Texas bash features the best in cooking craftsmanship alongside impressive wine, craft beer, and premium spirits tastings.
Keeping with tradition, a blazing lineup of nationally recognized chefs and statewide favorites will turn up the heat. Fanning the flames will be some of Texas’ most recognized chefs, including Austin favorites Franklin Barbecue; Jakub Czyszczoń (Garrison); Evan LeRoy (LeRoy & Lewis Barbecue); Bradley Nicholson and Susana Querejazu (Lutie’s); Edgar Rico (Nixta Taqueria); and Food & Wine Best New Chef 2021 Fermín Núñez (Suerte).
The red-hot list of talent also includes visiting chefs Laurent Réa (Brasserie Mon Chou Chou — San Antonio); Rebecca Masson (Fluff Bake Bar — Houston); Nicola Blaque (Jerk Shack — San Antonio); Diego Galicia and Rico Torres (Mixtli — San Antonio); and Bobby Matos (State of Grace — Houston). Guests will also get a sneak peek of TLV chef Berty Richter’s upcoming San Antonio concept Ladino. More culinary talent will be added in the upcoming weeks.
The 2022 edition of Live Fire! will also feature an exclusive VIP experience showcasing the collaborative talents of Texas’ most acclaimed chefs. Jason Dady (Alamo BBQ Co., Jardín, Range, Tre Trattoria, Two Bros BBQ Market — San Antonio) Aaron Bludorn (Bludorn Restaurant — Houston); Nilton “Junior” Borges (Meridian — Dallas); and André Natera (Alliance board member and former culinary director of Fairmont Austin) will create an unforgettable feast with a special guest chef, to be announced. VIP tickets are $175 with limited passes available.
Live Fire! is AFWA’s first fundraising event under the new Texas Food & Wine Alliance (TFWA) executive director Erika White, overseeing AFWA, Dallas Food & Wine Alliance, Houston Food & Wine Alliance, and San Antonio Food & Wine Alliance. A food festival veteran with more than a decade of experience, White is the former director of the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival and helped launch the Austin Food and Wine Festival and Nashville’s Music City Food + Wine Festival. She recently served as vice president of events and programs for Dallas’ Klyde Warren Park.
Additionally, TFWA is proud to welcome Borges to the TFWA board of directors. A trailblazer in modern Brazilian cuisine, Borges is the executive chef of Meridian and the vice-president of culinary for The Village in Dallas.
“We’re thrilled to bring the best of Texas to Camp Mabry for the return of Live Fire!,” says White, “We can’t wait to show Austin all the surprises we have in store.”
Proceeds from the signature tasting event will help AFWA give back to the local culinary community through a vibrant grant program for chefs, farmers, artisan producers, and nonprofits by funding projects focused on culinary innovation. Since 2012, AFWA has awarded $404,500 in grants to fund local culinary projects.
As the sole beneficiary of the Austin Food + Wine Festival, held every year in November, the Austin Food & Wine Alliance also features educational programming and culinary events showcasing Central Texas’s chef talent along with artisan and local producers, world-class wine and spirit makers, and craft brewers.
The Alliance is supported by communities partners. H-E-B is presenting sponsor, and other key supporters include ABC Bank, Austin Monthly, American Lamb Board, Barton Springs Mill, Braly Family Foundation, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Con’ Olio Oils & Vinegars, Dungan Jack Certified Public Accountants, Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, Fairmont Austin, Fever-Tree, Fistful of Bourbon, Float On Boat Rentals, Giant Noise, Hudson Wine Brokers, Les Dames d’Escoffier Austin Chapter, Lifeworks Restaurant Group, Milagro Tequila, Mountain Valley Spring Water, The Number Foundry, Pabst, Patrón Tequila, Polsinelli, Premiere Events, Republic National Distributing Company, Side Street Hospitality, Siete Family Foods, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Sysco, Texas Beef Council, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, The Truffle Masters, Unifresh, US Foods, and Vital Farms. For more information about AFWA, visit austinfoodandwinealliance.org. Stay up to date with Austin Food & Wine Alliance happenings on Facebook and Instagram.
