SXSW Announces James Beard Foundation Dinners Featuring Kwame Onwuachi and Andrew Zimmern

South by Southwest (SXSW) is once again hosting a series of dinners with the James Beard Foundation featuring nationally acclaimed chefs — though all-star chefs in town for the festival often stop by as guests. All dinners are open to the public (i.e. no badge necessary) and will take place at East Austin’s Eden East Farm, located at 755 Springdale Road. Tickets for each dinner are $150 per person.

The dinners mostly feature local chefs (Eden East chef Sonya Coté will be involved with every dinner), with one or two guest chefs from outside of Austin. Big names this year include D.C.’s Kwame Onwuachi (James Beard’s Rising Star Chef of the Year in 2019) and Andrew Zimmern, host of the television shows Bizarre Foods and What’s Eating America and chef of Lucky Cricket, who will also be returning to the Austin Food and Wine Festival this year to defend his title of Rock Your Taco champion.

Here are the full details on the dinners:

Aquaculture Plated
When: Saturday, March 14, 6:30 p.m.
Who: Sonya Coté (Eden East), Laura Sawicki (Launderette), Callie Speer (Holy Roller), Andrew Zimmern (Lucky Cricket, St. Louis Park, MN)
What: This dinner focuses on environmentally responsible aquaculture, featuring products from Riverence and the James Beard Foundation’s Smart Catch program. It will also feature a conversation with Emmy Award-Winning Writer/Producer and Riverence Founder David E. Kelley and Andrew Zimmern.

Fostering Community: Good Food For Good
When: Sunday, March 15, 6:30 p.m.
Who: Sonya Coté (Eden East), Kristin Collins and Megan Rowan (Fluff Meringues & More), Michael Fojtasek (Olamaie), Antonia Lofaso (DAMA, Los Angeles)
What: This dinner celebrates St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and celebrates how chefs enrich the communities they serve.

Milk Made: A Farm to Table Dinner by Dairy MAX
When: Monday, March 16, 6:30 p.m.
Who: Sonya Coté (Eden East), Tiffany Derry (Roots Chicken Shak and Roots Southern Table, Dallas), Jorge Hernandez (Carpenters Hall), Kwame Onwuachi (Kith/Kin, Washington, D.C.), Janie Ramirez (Dai Due Butcher Shop & Supper Club)
What: Highlighting sustainability in dairy farming, this dinner will likely have lots of dairy products on the menu.

The Green Goddess Dinner
When: Tuesday, March 17, 6:30 p.m.
Who: Sonya Coté (Eden East), Jo Chan (Eberly), Natalie Gazaui (Brand & Mortar Group), Tim McDiarmid (The Good Kind, San Antonio)
What: In honor of Women’s History Month, this dinner benefits James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program.

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