Tickets On Sale Today for Austin Food + Wine Festival, April 22 - 24, 2016 Presented by C3 Presents and FOOD & WINE

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Austin Food + Wine Festival co-founders Charlie Jones, partner of C3 Presents, chef Tim Love, and restaurateur Jesse Herman, in partnership with FOOD & WINE, are pleased to announce that tickets for the festival, April 22-24, 2016, go on sale today, January 20, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. CST, at www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com/tickets.

"Austin is one of the greatest cities in the country, thanks to the music, architecture, culture, and of course, food, which is out of this world," says Love. "We are so excited to be entering our fifth year of the Austin Food + Wine Festival, and could not be more proud of the lineup of chefs, musicians, and beverage experts. It's such an honor to cook alongside such a talented group of individuals in a city I consider my second home." 

"At Food & Wine, we're obsessed with creating incredible experiences for people who love wine and food, and the Austin Food + Wine Festival is no exception," says Christina Grdovic, VP/Publisher, Food & Wine Magazine.  "We're enormously proud to be a part of what has become a well-established event on the food festival calendar in just five short years. It brings together an incredible mix of extraordinary local talent, star chefs from around the country, and celebrated winemakers in an casual atmosphere of camaraderie and fun with a real sense of place."

The fifth annual Austin Food + Wine Festival will feature a special Sunday Gospel Brunch at Auditorium Shores by award-winning steel pedal guitarist Robert Randolph and the Voices of Greater Calvary Gospel Choir.  Also new this year is the addition of two separately ticketed events: Friday night's Social Hour at The Madison and Cheers to 130 Years!, an intimate dinner celebrating The Driskill Hotel and Trefethen Family Vineyard's 130^th anniversaries. Other festival highlights include more than 40 events over three days at Auditorium Shores and Republic Square Park, including hands-on grilling demonstrations; interactive fire pits helmed by an all-star lineup of chefs; Grand Taste Tents offering food, wine and cocktail tastings; live musical performances; chef tastings; book signings; and more.

"As the live music capital of the world, Austin is one of the most exhilarating places for a musician to perform," says Randolph. "I am honored to be part of the city's dynamic musical heritage and perform alongside the Voices of Greater Calvary Gospel Choir."

The Driskill Hotel and Trefethen Family Vineyards will celebrate 130 years of great hospitality and wine with an intimate dinner on Wednesday, April 20, at 6:00 p.m. Cheers to 130 Years! will be hosted at the historic Driskill Grill (604 Brazos Street). Join executive chef Troy Knapp for a multi-course menu paired with award-winning wines, selected and presented by Hailey Trefethen.  Tickets are $300/per person (inclusive of wine pairings) and must be purchased separately from Festival tickets at www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com/tickets.  

On Thursday, April 21, the pre-Festival Feast Under the Stars will be held on-site at Austin's Auditorium Shores, offering a five-course menu and intimate outdoor celebration. Chefs David Bull (Second Bar + Kitchen); Tyson Cole (Uchi, Uchiko); Omar Flores (Casa Rubia); Ford Fry (State of the Grace); Tim Love (Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Love Shack, Queenie's Steakhouse, White Elephant Saloon, Woodshed Smokehouse); and pastry chef Janina O'Leary will prepare a collaborative, family-style, al fresco meal. Feast Under the Stars tickets are $250/per person (inclusive of wine pairings and parking) and must be purchased separately from any Festival tickets at www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com/tickets.   

Get a head start on the weekend at Friday night's Social Hour.  Enjoy inventive cocktails, crafted by Austin's own mixologists Justin Lavenue and Dennis Gobis of The Roosevelt Room, and bites from The Peached Tortilla's chef Eric Silverstein.  Hosted at The Madison (307 West 5^th Street) in downtown Austin, the Social Hour is sure to be a fun start to a night out on the town.  Social Hour tickets are $75/per person and must be purchased separately from any Festival tickets at www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com/tickets.  

The 2016 Festival officially kicks off on Friday, April 22, with Taste of Texas, held at Republic Square Park in the heart of downtown Austin, with music by a guest DJ.  With a lineup showcasing the Lone Star State's brightest chefs, Taste of Texas will feature signature dishes from: Tatsu Aikawa (Ramen Tatsu-Ya); Matt Balke (Bolsa); Richard Blankenship (CBD Provisions); Luis Colon (Folc); Mary Cuclis (Pondicheri); Andrew Curren (ELM Restaurant Group); Adam Dorris (Pax Americana); Michael Fojtasek & Grae Nonas (Olamaie); Ford Fry; Diego Galicia & Rico Torres (Mixtli); Steve McHugh (Cured); Wayne Mueller (Louie Mueller Barbecue); Susana Querejazu (Barley Swine, Odd Duck); Cody Sharp (Filament); Ryan Shields (Bullfight); and Marc Vetri (Pizzeria Vetri).

On Saturday, April 23, and Sunday, April 24, the festival grounds at Auditorium Shores will come alive with cooking demonstrations, book signings and interactive stations where chefs will be cooking over live Fire Pits and offering tastes to attendees throughout the day.  Offering four stations daily, the Fire Pits will provide an interactive experience cooking with live fire. Chefs include Ned Elliot (Foreign & Domestic); Bryce Gilmore (Barley Swine, Odd Duck); Jack Gilmore (Jack Allen's Kitchen); Paul Qui (Qui); Kent Rathbun (Abacus, Hickory, Jasper's); Blaine Staniford (Grace, Little Red Wasp); and Andrew Wiseheart (Contigo, Gardner).

Tim Love will once again host the world's largest hands-on grilling demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday. During Love's interactive demos, he will teach attendees how to master the grill and share his personal tricks and tips for perfectly cooked meals. Attendees must have an All-In ticket to take part in the interactive demo, and are guaranteed one spot when they pre-register and select one day at time of purchase.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Chef Showcase will feature a dynamic roster of chefs serving samples of their signature dishes to festivalgoers in the Grand Taste Tents. Enjoy bites from participating chefs, including: Joe Anguiano (VOX Table); Jeff Balfour (Southerleigh); John Bates & Brandon Martinez (Noble Sandwich Co.); John Brand (Hotel Emma); Damien Brockway (Counter 3. FIVE. VII); Thai Changtong (Thai-kun); Tyson Cole; Sonya Cotê (Hillside Farmacy, Eden East); Todd Duplechan & Melissa Moss (Lenoir); Kevin Fink (Emmer & Rye); Kazu Fukumoto (Fukumoto); James Holmes (Olivia); Josh Jones (Salt & Time); Clinton Kendall (East Side King); Lance Kirkpatrick (Stiles Switch BBQ); Tim Lane (Burn); Rick Lopez (La Condesa); Tim Love (Lonesome Dove); Harold Marmulstein (Salty Sow); Sarah McIntosh (Épicerie); Frank Mnuk (Geraldine's); David Norman (Easy Tiger); Olivia O'Neal & Steve O'Neal (Sugar Mamas); Michael Paley (South Congress Hotel); Ji Peng Chen & Ling Qi Wu (Wu Chow); James Robert (Fixe); Eric Silverstein (The Peached Tortilla); Anthony Sobotik (Lick Honest Ice Cream); Chris Turgeon (Unit D Pizzeria); Carmen Valera (Tamale House East); Casey Wilcox (Justine's); Martin Wilda (Sway); Kevin Williamson (Ranch 616); Nicholas Yanes (Juniper); and Carlos Ysaguirre (Jacoby's Restaurant & Mercantile).

Rock Your Taco, Saturday evening's signature tasting event, will bring out the competitive side of all participants. With a live musical performance from Anderson East, chefs will square off against one another, and 2015 champion Tim Love, at Republic Square Park to create the ultimate taco, with winners chosen by an esteemed panel of judges, including FOOD & WINE's Christina Grdovic, Graham Elliot (Graham Elliot Bistro) and Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods, Bizarre Foods America, Bizarre World). Competing chefs include Hugh Acheson (Empire State South, Five & Ten, The Florence, The National); Jimmy Bannos & Jimmy Bannos Jr. (Heaven on Seven, The Purple Pig, Juicy –O); Tyson Cole; Jason Dady (Tre Trattoria, Tre Enoteca, Two Bros BBQ, DUK Truck, B&D Ice House, Shuck Shack); Amanda Freitag (Chopped, American Diner Revival, Unique Eats); Bryce Gilmore; Antonia Lofaso (Scope Italian Roots, Black Market Liquor Bar); Tim Love; Paul Qui; Kent Rathbun; Aarón Sánchez (Johnny Sánchez, Chopped, Taco Trip); Jon Shook & Vinny Dotolo (Animal, Son of a Gun, Trois Mec, Petit Trois); Ming Tsai (Blue Dragon, Blue Ginger); and Jonathan Waxman (Adele's, Bajo Sexto Taco, Brezza Cucina, Barbuto, Jams).

A star-studded collection of sommeliers, wine, beer and spirits experts, and mixologists rounds out the Austin Food + Wine Festival line-up, including Master Sommelier Devon Broglie; Master Sommelier Craig Collins; FOOD & WINE's executive wine editor Ray Isle; sommelier Vilma Mazaite; and author Mark Oldman.

Additional programming announcements will be made over the course of the spring; please visit www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com for more information and updates.

Tickets for the 2016 Austin Food + Wine Festival go on sale Wednesday, January 20, at 10:00 a.m. CST: www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com/tickets. The All-In experience is $625/per person and includes Saturday and Sunday festival programming; over 40 culinary demos; beer, wine and cocktail tasting sessions; access to the Fire Pit; all-day access to the Grand Taste Pavilion, including the Chef Showcase; a special Sunday Gospel Brunch by Robert Randolph and the Voices of Greater Calvary Gospel Choir; Tim Love's Hands-On Grilling Demo access for Saturday or Sunday; entrance to evening events, including Friday night's Taste of Texas and Saturday night's Rock Your Taco; and a one-year Food & Wine Magazine subscription.  

The Weekender experience is $250/per person and includes Saturday and Sunday festival programming; over 40 culinary demos; beer, wine and cocktail tasting sessions; access to the Fire Pit; all-day access to the Grand Taste Pavilion, including the Chef Showcase; and a special Sunday Gospel Brunch by Robert Randolph and the Voices of Greater Calvary Gospel Choir. All-In and Weekender tickets can be purchased at www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com/tickets.

All attendees must be 21 years of age or older. For more information, please visit www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com, or follow us on Instagram @austinfoodwine, Twitter @austinfoodwine and Facebook.com/austinfoodwine.

For press credentials, please fill out the online application here: http://www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com/press-application/

The Austin Food + Wine Festival is generously sponsored by FOOD & WINE, Republic National Distributing Company, Stella Artois and KitchenAid.

Contact: 
Baltz & Company
Sarah Abell, 917.584.8567
[email protected]
Courtney Given, 917.816.5967
[email protected]

SOURCE Austin Food + Wine Festival

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http://www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com