January 15, 2010 - January
2010 Culinary Updates
The culinary throw-down "Bad
to the Bone" - slated for January 15th at Stubb's BBQ downtown on
Red River - has been rescheduled to February 28th, due to the rain.
Stubb's outdoor stage will still host an evening of live bands, while
chef David Bull - executive chef at the Stoneleigh Hotel in Dallas -
takes on chef Shawn Cirkiel of Austin's Parkside and Paul Petersen,
star of TLC's BBQ Pitmasters and former executive chef of the Gage
Hotel in the Big Bend National Park just outside Marfa.
The chefs will create a dish that includes
all three of the evening's "secret ingredients" - which could
range from diverse edibles such as grapefruit to cauliflower to
oysters.
A live video feed will
project all of the kitchen stage action onto Stubb's stage canopy,
giving the audience close-ups of the food preparation. Audience
participants and a panel of noted culinary experts will sample the
dishes and use live text voting to determine the winning chef. DJ
el john Selector will spin bad-to-the-bone soul, funk and world beats
to keep the tempo pumping until all final votes have been cast.
Once the winner is
announced, the seven-piece Latin band Charanga Cakewalk - featuring
master multi-instrumentalist Michael Ramos - takes the stage for live
concert. "Bad to the Bone" tickets are $35, and all proceeds
will benefit the Sustainable Food Center - which helps more than 20,000
Central Texans access healthy, affordable and locally grown food
annually. Call (512) 480-8341 or visit www.StubbsAustin.com for tickets and updates.
The annual "Taste of
Austin" returns to the Palmer Events Center on Wednesday, January
27th, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Organized by the Westwood High
School DECA club and the Greater Austin Restaurant Association - to
benefit their scholarship fund - the event brings more than 100
Austin-area restaurants together for an evening of sampling and
schmoozing.
General admission tickets are $25,
and reserved seating tickets are $35. Take it from personal
experience: it's worth the extra $10 to have a place to sit down
your plate as you make the rounds of all the food booths. This
event sells out every year, so visit www.TasteOfAustin.org to reserve your tickets ASAP.
Finally, the Tuaca Body Art Ball
returns to the Paramount Theatre on Monday, February 1st, to benefit
the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. Produced by Dallas-based
Chris and Candy Productions, the event asks visual artists to convert
models into living, and revealing,
works of art -via body paint and costuming.
The models are actually performers from
the likes of Cirque du Soleil, Forty Duce and America's Got Talent. The fast-paced show dazzles with dancers,
singers, and specialty acts - all set to a dynamic soundtrack and
synchronized lights, and all to show off the spectacular work of the
body-painting artists.
I had the pleasure of twice serving
as a celebrity judge for the fun event, and the work of the artists is
always amazing. The event is free, but you must RSVP online at www.TuacaBodyArtBall.com to
get on the guest list. Don't tarry - this event fills up fast!
(2009 Austin Tuaca Body Art Ball photo courtesy
Chris and Candy Productions)
