Food-o-File
Austin's all over the TV, and Austin chefs are all over the place
By Virginia B. Wood, Fri., May 14, 2004
Austin Food TV Rocks 'n' Cooks
It's no secret the TV Food Network has discovered Austin. Area foods and restaurants have shown up in segments of $40 a Day, Food Finds, The Best Of, Food 911, and All American Festivals within the past year alone. More recently, some popular cooking shows have filmed several upcoming segments here, such as Bobby Flay's new barbecue series, which was all over the Saveur Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival, and the new Cucina Toscana from the jovial Houston uncle and nephew chef team of Damian Mandola and Johnny Carrabba, filmed last week in the kitchens at ACC. Now a homegrown food TV show has debuted on the Austin Music Network, and it couldn't be more Austintatious. San Antonio native and former model Lori Barrera is the creative mastermind behind Rock 'n' Cook, which spotlights musicians and brings them into the kitchen. Barrera has turned her colorful home kitchen into a studio, where she hosts a different band or musician every week. They chat about food, describe their favorite meals, and then Lori cooks up recipes she has developed with band members. Each segment also features a live performance by the musical guest. AMN has scheduled Rock 'n' Cook every Saturday evening at 7:30pm, and Barrera already has several shows in the can. The multifaceted media entrepreneur has great plans for the show and expects to present a promo package to the TVFN sometime soon. Meanwhile, she's using her own estimable music and media contacts, as well as those of rocker husband Aaron Barrera to secure talent for the show and promote it to potential backers. If Dweezil and Lisa can do it, why not Lori Barerra from Austin? Tune in now, and you can say you watched them when.
Chef Scorecard
Former Driskill Hotel pastry chef Jimmy McMillan was lured away by the Houstonian earlier in the spring and has recently been replaced by Mark Chapman, award-winning pastry chef from La Mansion del Rio in San Antonio. Perhaps all it will take for pastry and desserts to be awarded a more important place in the Wine & Food Festival lineup is the arrival of a few high-profile male pastry chefs around town! Meanwhile, Vespaio is now proudly presenting the desserts of Barrie Cullinan (she of the delectable simple shortbreads), and Sheree Wormley is new in the pastry kitchen at Asti. Former Driskill sous chef Tien Ho has returned to Austin and the Driskill after a sojourn in NYC and is implementing a new bistro menu at the 1886 Room. Ron Brannen has left Ciola's for a private chef position, and John Brink has moved from Sullivan's to fill the empty slot at the popular lake-area Italian-American restaurant. Fred Geesin is no longer with Zin Bistro – he expects to reopen Cafe Bleu on the Jonestown end of Lake Travis very soon. Betsy Geesin is putting her good culinary education to use, selling Tupperware at www.my.tupperware.com/betsy. Chef/owner Stewart Scruggs has replaced Michael Hall in the kitchen at Zoot. Award-winning Houston restaurateur Damian Mandola has left the Bayou City for the rustic charms of rural Hays County, where he has purchased a big spread. Word is that Mandola will plant a vineyard and open an avocational cooking school on his new property, but I couldn't get past his media handlers to ask him myself. The cheerful singing chef has a new book out and a new TV series in production, so expect to see him popping up around town.
Hello, Farmers
The Downtown Farmers' Market officially kicks off its second year with a bell-ringing celebration this Saturday morning at 9am at Republic Square park, at Fourth & Guadalupe. They expect a bumper crop of area growers to participate in the big "Hello Birdie, Hello Summer" opener. For more information, call 236-0074 or go to www.austinfarmersmarket.org.
