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Here Is Austin Food & Wine Festival 2017's Chef Lineup

Tastings, fire pits, tacos, and more

Tim Love’s grilling demo at Austin Food & Wine Festival
Tim Love’s grilling demo at Austin Food & Wine Festival
Cambria Harkey
Nadia Chaudhury is the editor of Eater Austin covering food and pop culture, as well as a photographer, writer, and frequent panel moderator and podcast guest.

Austin Food & Wine Festival returns to the city, after last year’s weather-related cancellation, in late April. It comes back with the usual suspects and events. Read on for the full lineup.

Additional events, aside from the main festival itself, include the renamed Lone Star Nights (formerly known as Taste of Texas) and the returning Rock Your Taco. The former features a whole bunch of Texan chefs, including Wayne Mueller and Junior Borges and Coner Sergeant of CBD Provisions. It’s with the taco competition where more of the nationally-known chefs appear, including Georgia’s Hugh Acheson, Trois Mec's Ludo Lefebvre, New Orleans' Alon Shaya, Momofuku Milk Bar's Christina Tosi (she and Jodi Elliott of Bribery Bakery will probably whip up some dessert tacos) and others. Love won the previous competition with his wild oryx taco. Both will take place at Fair Market since the usual spot, Republic Square Park, is being renovated.

Before the festival is the returning five-course al fresco dinner that is Feast Under the Stars (which was still held last year). It comes back with several Austin chefs, as well as Omar Flores of Casa Rubia and Ford Fry of State of Grace. There’s also the Sunday Gospel Brunch with the Warrior Gospel Band. Last year's new event, the Social Hour, isn't happening again.

The festival grounds at Auditorium Shores will host festival partner Tim Love's giant grilling demonstrations, along with the usual fire pits and chef showcases.

This year’s Austin Food & Wine Festival takes place from Friday, April 28 through Sunday, April 30. The full festival lineup is available below, and tickets are available starting today, January 19, at 10 a.m. The all-inclusive package (festival grounds, Love's grilling demonstration, the evening events) is going for whopping $625. Tickets to the festival itself are $250 for both days. More chefs will be announced at a later date.

Thursday, April 27

Feast Under the Stars

David Bull; Second Bar + Kitchen
Tyson Cole; Uchi, Uchiko
Omar Flores; Casa Rubia
Ford Fry; State of Grace
Janina O’Leary

Friday, April 28

Lone Star Nights

Matt Balke; Bolsa
Julian Barsotti; Nonna
Junior Borges and Coner Sergeant; CBD Provisions
Thai Changthong; Thai Kun
Luis Colon; Folc
Andrew Curren; ELM Restaurant Group
Kevin Fink; Emmer & Rye
Ford Fry; State of Grace
Diego Galicia and Rico Torres; Restaurant Mixtli
Steve McHugh; Cured
Wayne Mueller; Louie Mueller Barbecue
Paul Qui; Kuneho
Ryan Shields; Bullfight
Danny Trace; Brennan’s of Houston

Saturday, April 29

Rock Your Taco

Hugh Acheson; Empire State South, Five & Ten, The Florence, The National, Spiller Park
Jimmy Bannos; Heaven on Seven
Jimmy Bannos, Jr.; The Purple Pig
Matt Bolus; The 404 Kitchen
Tyson Cole; Uchi, Uchiko
Jason Dady; Jason Dady Restaurants
Jodi Elliott; Bribery Bakery
Amanda Freitag; Chopped
Ludo Lefebvre; Trois Mec, Petit Trois, Trois Familia, LudoBird
Tim Love; Lonesome Dove
Aarón Sánchez; Johnny Sánchez Restaurants
Alon Shaya; Shaya, Domenica, Pizza Domenica
Christina Tosi; Momofuku Milk Bar
Ming Tsai; Blue Dragon, Blue Ginger
Jonathan Waxman; Adele’s, Bajo Sexto Taco, Barbuto, Brezza Cucina, Jams, Waxman’s San Francisco

Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30

Fire Pits

Sonya Coté; Eden East, Hillside Farmacy
Michael Fojtasek; Olamaie
Bryce Gilmore; Barley Swine, Odd Duck
Kent Rathbun; Shinsei
Blaine Staniford; Grace, Little Red Wasp
Andrew Wiseheart Contigo, Chicon

Chef Showcase

Joe Anguiano; Vox Table
Jeff Balfour; Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery
John Bates and Brandon Martinez; Noble Sandwich Co.
Stephen Bonin; Geraldine’s
John Brand; Supper at Hotel Emma
Taylor Chambers; Justine’s Brasserie
Kazu Fukumoto; Fukumoto
Albert Gonzalez; Jacoby’s Restaurant and Mercantile
Austin Ewald; Grizzelda’s
Daniela Herrera; Counter 3.Five.VII
James Holmes; Lucy’s Fried Chicken
Zach Hunter; The Brewer’s Table
Clinton Kendall; East Side King
Lance Kirkpatrick; Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew
Nathan Lemley; Parkside
Mia Li; Kuneho
Geronimo Lopez; Botika
Rick Lopez; La Condesa
Harold Marmulstein; Salty Sow
Brian Moses; Olive & June
Josh Neises; Lonesome Dove
David Norman; Easy Tiger
Michael Paley; Central Standard
Ji Peng Chen; Wu Chow
James Robert; Fixe
Amanda Rockman; South Congress Hotel
Eric Silverstein; The Peached Tortilla
Marco Silvestrini; Dolce Neve
Anthony Sobotik; Lick Honest Ice Cream
Eddie Solis; Cooper’s Old Time Pit BBQ
Philip Speer; Bonhomie
George Thomas; Unit D Pizzeria
Jim Tripi; Eberly
Tyson Cole; Uchi/Uchiko
Carmen Valera; Tamale House East
Jacob Weaver; Juliet Ristorante
Martin Wilda; Sway
Kevin Williamson; Ranch 616