Hot Luck Fest 2023’s Lineup Is Full of Really Exciting Chefs From Texas and Beyond

Hot Luck Fest, the annual food and music festival from pitmaster Aaron Franklin, Mohawk owner James Moody, and no-longer-in-existence Feast Portland co-founder Mike Thelin, is returning this spring. The festival, which started in 2017 and took the years 2020 and 2021 off, has a robust lineup for the 2023 version, featuring over 50 chefs, hospitality professionals, and one of the guys from Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

The festival takes place over Memorial Day weekend, Thursday, May 25 through Sunday, May 28.

The entire roster of chefs follows:

Cooking at the Hi, How Are You? event at Franklin Barbecue on Thursday, May 25

Out-of-towners:

• Jeremy Sewall of seafood restaurant Row 34 in Boston
• Ashley Christensen of Southern restaurant Poole’s Diner in Raleigh (Eater’s 2017 Chef of the Year)
• Dana Cree of frozen treats parlor Pretty Cool Ice Cream in Chicago
• Sophina Uong of tropical roadhouse Mister Mao in New Orleans

Not-Austin Texas chefs:

• Misti Norris of New American restaurant Petra and the Beast in Dallas
• Patrick Feges and Erin Smith of barbecue restaurant Feges BBQ in Houston

Austin chefs

• Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue and this festival, of course
• Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel and Arjav Ezekiel of New American wine restaurant Birdie’s (Eater Austin’s neighborhood wine bar in 2021)
• Evan Leroy of new-school barbecue truck Leroy & Lewis (also the winner of Eater Austin’s food truck of 2017)
• Todd Duplechan of New Texan restaurant Lenoir
• Mashama Bailey and Kristine Kittrell of Southern restaurant the Diner Bar
• Damien Brockway of barbecue food truck Distant Relatives (one of Eater’s best new restaurants of 2021 and Eater Austin’s food truck of 2021)

Cooking at the Big Top event at the Fair Market on Friday, May 26

Out-of-towners:

• Chris Bianco, pizza maker behind Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix
• Stuart Brioza of seafood restaurant the Anchovy Bar in San Francisco
• Mason Hereford of sandwich shop Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans
• Gabe Rucker of French restaurant Le Pigeon in Portland
• Marc Vetri of Italian restaurant Vetri Cucina in Philadelphia
• Amanda Shulman of prix fixe restaurant Her Place Supper Club in Philadelphia
• Sarah Grueneberg of Italian restaurant Monteverde in Chicago
• Paola Velez, the pastry chef based in Washington D.C.
• Marc-Olivier Frappier of wine bar Mon Lapin Bar à Vin in Montreal, Canada

Not-Austin Texas chefs:

• Rebecca Masson of bakery Fluff Bake Bar in Houston

Austin chefs:

• Tavel Bristol-Joseph of Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group and Caribbean restaurant Canje (Eater Austin’s best new restaurant of 2022)
• Sarah McIntosh of Louisiana-inspired cafe and grocery Épicerie
• Yoshi Okai of omakase restaurant Otoko
• Edgar Rico and Sara Mardanbigi of Mexican restaurant Nixta Taqueria (Eater Austin’s restaurant of the year in 2021)
• Fiore Tedesco of Italian restaurant L’Oco d’Oro (Eater Austin’s chef of 2016)
• Luis ‘Beto’ Robledo of Mexican food truck Cuantos Tacos

Cooking at the Al Fuego event at Wild Onion Ranch on Saturday, May 27

Out-of-towners:

• Crystal Wahpepah of indigenous restaurant Wahpepah’s Kitchen in Oakland (who is actually cooking in Austin next week as part of Willie Nelson’s not-South-by-Southwest dinner)
• Alon Shaya of Israeli restaurant Safta in Denver
• Erick Williams of Southern restaurant Virtue in Chicago
• Arlin Smith and Andrew Taylor of seafood restaurant Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland, Maine
• Jordan Rubin of sushi restaurant Mr. Tuna in Portland
• Ashleigh Shanti of casual fish house fish Good Hot Fish in Asheville
• Matt Lightner of New American restaurant Okta in Portland
• Diane Moua, the pastry chef based in Minneapolis
• Michael Cimarusti of fine-dining restaurant Providence in Los Angeles
• Reem Assil of Arab bakery Reem’s California in Oakland
• Eric Wareheim, filmmaker and author of Foodheim: A Culinary Adventure
• Joe Beddia the pizza maker behind Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia
• Chuy Villarreal of Taqueria Orinoco in Monterey, Mexico
• Chava Orozco of seafood restaurant Mi Compa Chava in Mexico City, Mexico

Not-Austin Texas chefs:

• Andy Knudson of New American restaurant Tillie’s in Dripping Springs

Austin-area chefs:

• Kevin Fink of Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group
• Davis Turner of seafood truck Huckleberry
• Michael Fojtasek of Southern restaurant Olamaie and Albert Hotel
• Amanda Turner of Southern restaurant Olamaie (their fast-casual restaurant Little Ola’s won Eater Austin’s best pivot of 2021)
• Shane Stark of seafood restaurant Mongers
• Fermín Núñez of seafood restaurant Este
• Ariana Quant of Japanese restaurants Uchi and Uchiko
• Kareem El-Ghayesh of Egyptian barbecue pop-up KG BBQ
• Jakub Czyszczon of New American hotel restaurant Garrison
• Blake Ransom of Italian and Asian restaurant Revue
• Brad McDonald of Mew American restaurant Nido
• Thomas Malz of New American restaurant Carpenters Hall at the Carpenter Hotel
• Jeffrey Hundelt of live-fire restaurant Summer House on Music Lane

And because Franklin and Moody are involved, perhaps they’ll preview their East Austin po’ boy and cocktail spot Uptown Sports Bar, if it’s not open by that time.

As for the musical components: The King Khan and BBQ Show (get it?), The Gories, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Shinyribs, Robert Ellis, and others will perform at Mohawk, Hotel Vegas, High Noon, and the Coral Snake.

Tickets are on sale right now. Entrance into the entire festival, or as Hot Luck calls it, the “Whole Enchilada,” will run adults $500 a person, $200 for people between the ages 13 and 20, $100 for those 12 and under, and $1000 for the Whole Enchilada Family Pass (two adults and two kids).

Individual tickets range from $12 to $22 for concerts. A single ticket to the Hi, How Are You? and Big Top events currently costs $180, with Al Fuego at $250.

For the second year in a row, the festival’s charity beneficiary is the Southern Smoke Foundation, a hospitality-focused relief nonprofit.