SXSW Brings Back SouthBites Dinners

José Andres (Photo by Ryan Forbes via sxsw.com)

SXSW is around the corner. That means 50 gajillion bands will be in Austin for the festival. And while we have nothing against Weezer, we have our eyes on other rock stars.

This March, SouthBites will present two culinary star-studded nights, hosted by local Austin restaurants. The first, taking place Saturday, March 11, will feature a collaboration between Austin’s own Andrew Wiseheart and Aaron Franklin, and welcomes renowned chef and restaurant owner José Andres and ThinkFoodGroup. An open bar will accompany José Andres’ paella, Franklin’s celebrated barbecue, and Wiseheart’s culinary creations, focusing on the healthiest and most delicious 100% grass-fed beef in the world, provided by sponsor PRE.

José Andres is the owner of ThinkFoodGroup, has received countless awards and honors in the culinary community, is the Dean of Spanish Studies at the International Culinary Center, and teaches at both Harvard and George Washington University. He was the 2011 recipient of the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Chef,” is the founder of the World Central Kitchen nonprofit, and a passionate advocate for food and hunger issues worldwide.

Aaron Franklin needs no introduction here in Austin, where his Eastside barbecue has sold out of brisket every day since its opening. The winner of nearly every barbecue award there is, Franklin also became the first barbecue chef ever to be nominated for a James Beard Award, and went on to win the award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2015.

Andrew Wiseheart is co-owner and chef at Austin’s Contigo restaurant and Contigo Catering, as well as Chicon, which will be hosting the SouthBites event. Wiseheart is the recipient of multiple culinary awards and has been nominated to Food & Wine’s The People’s Best New Chef: Southwest award for three consecutive years. He has played a huge role in putting Austin’s Eastside on the culinary map over the past couple of years. Tickets may be purchased here.

The second night, taking place the following Monday, March 13, will be hosted by Austin’s Emmer & Rye and will feature the collaboration of chefs Kevin Fink, Naomi Pomeroy, and Michael Chernow. The dinner will include cocktails and menu items that span the country’s culinary offerings, with the three chefs hailing from Austin, Portland, and New York, respectively.

Kevin Fink is the chef and owner of Rainey Street’s Emmer & Rye, a technique-driven restaurant focusing on grains, milling, and fermentation. He was named one of Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs” in 2016, and Emmer & Rye was named one of Bon Appetit’s “Best New Restaurants 2016.”

Naomi Pomeroy is the owner of Beast, a 24-seat Portland restaurant known for its six-course prix fixe dinner menu. Pomeroy received multiple accolades in the first years of Beast’s opening, despite the entire menu being prepared on only two induction burners for the first two years. She is the author of cookbook Taste and Technique, has appeared on Top Chef Masters, and is especially celebrated as a female chef/restaurateur. In 2014 she received the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Pacific Northwest after being nominated in 2010, 2012, and 2013.

Michael Chernow is the owner of Seamore’s in New York City, and is co-owner of the Meatball Shop which, since opening its doors on the Lower East Side in 2009, has since opened five more locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute, he is also the co-author of The Meatball Shop Cookbook and appears regularly on television broadcast segments, such as ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today Show. Tickets for the second night may be purchased here.

In other food-related happenings going on around the Fest, Showtime is bringing the world of Twin Peaks to Rainey Street to help launch the revival of the series. As part of the happenings, the network is creating a Double R Diner pop-up complete with free High Brew Coffee and Tiny Pies cherry pie. Voodoo Doughnut is also creating limited-edition treats available at their Sixth Street shop from 10am-noon and 6-8pm, and at the Double R Diner from noon-1pm March 16-17. The pop-up will be built adjacent to Clive Bar.