Austin Man Magazine Food Editor Marshall Wright on Dudes, Food Carts, and Austin's Independent Spirit

Austin Man Magazine, a magazine about guys and Austin for guys who live in Austin, launches today. We talked to their brand new food editor, Marshall Wright, about his plans for the magazine, writing about food for men, and why it's hard to narrow down his favorite Austin restaurants down to the top five.

So tell us a little about what you'll be doing for Austin Man Magazine.
I'll do most of the food writing and food photography for the magazine and website.

What are your plans for the magazine's food coverage?
When I told a friend about my role at ATX Man he commented that it sounded a little Top 40 for me (smiles). Since I'm pretty tapped into the Austin food blogger community too, I hope to bring more of the independent spirit of Austin's food scene to the magazine. Our demographic isn't so broad that we can't highlight the latest blood and guts trailer or the newest five star restaurant in equal measure.

How is it different covering the Austin food scene for men than for women or a mixed audience?
Great question. I'll probably approach the writing from the same lens for a male audience as I would for a mixed one because food has such a crossover appeal. For example, stories about how to throw a proper pig roast or a kick ass tailgate party will probably be more appealing to guys, but I know lots of women who get excited about that kind of stuff. There will be some total dude stuff too though.

What are you excited about in the Austin food scene right now?
I'm excited to see how Austin is maturing into a foodie destination beyond Tex-Mex and BBQ. I love me some of that stuff, but along with our commitment to farm to table eating, I love seeing how our chef's are approaching food in ways that you normally see in more established food towns like NYC or San Francisco. So watching our food scene grow up is really exciting. Same goes for the craft cocktail movement. We have some world-class bartenders here. And trendy as it may be, I really like our food trailer culture. Austin has really embraced that idea and I hope it continues. The proliferation of food trailer parks around town makes it so easy to stop and get a delicious snack whenever I want!

Austin's food community is so strong and supportive of each other. I love seeing food bloggers, chefs, farmers, publishers - everyone involved - side by side at the table and supporting each other. I think that makes Austin really, really special from a food perspective and I want to see that continue. With the newly announced Austin Food and Wine Festival along with this week's annual IACP conference being hosted here, Austin has a real opportunity to shine. People are to noticing us and it's well-deserved. We have a special city in so many ways and the food scene underscores that.

Quick: top five restaurants in town.
Ha! I knew you'd put me on the spot. I don't know that I have a top five but I've enjoyed some great food recently at places like Foreign & Domestic, Olivia, The Noble Pig, East Side King, Counter Cafe and Franklin BBQ. Great taquerias, pizza joints, I mean... it's too hard to narrow it down to just five.

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