New Event: Live Fire! at The Salt Lick on April 26th

We’ll be there with beer. Here’s the press release:



Live Fire! Sizzles with Searing Chef Lineup, Beef Supremacy & Fire Mastery

PURCHASE TICKETS

Jason Dady (Jason Dady Restaurants), Ned Elliott (Foreign & Domestic), Aaron Franklin (Franklin Barbecue), Jesse Griffiths (Dai Due), Josh Watkins (The Carillon) & Andrew Wiseheart (Contigo) Among Chefs To Participate

Austin Food & Wine Alliance Fundraiser Benefits Culinary Grants: Tickets on Sale March 21

AUSTIN, TX (March 19, 2012) ­ Live Fire! Austin’s most anticipated celebration of all things meat returns this spring with a dynamic lineup of award-winning chefs ready to battle the flames and raise funds for culinary grants at the famed Salt Lick BBQ Pavilion in the Texas Hill Country on Thursday, April 26. Tickets are $75 each and go on sale Wednesday, March 21 at austinfoodwinealliance.org.

One of the country’s foremost celebrations of beef, Live Fire! showcases a chef congress featuring protein royalties such as Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue in Austin, named best barbecue in the U.S. by Bon Appétit Magazine; and three 2012 James Beard nominees: the Bravo Channel’s Top Chef Masters competitor Naomi Pomeroy of Beast in Portland, OR, Adam Sappington of the Country Cat in Portland, OR, and Jason Dady of Jason Dady Restaurants, San Antonio.

Austin’s culinary firebrands will also stoke the flames at Live Fire! including: Ned Elliott of Foreign & Domestic, Food & Wine Magazine The People’s Best New Chef: Southwest Finalist; Josh Watkins of The Carillon, Star Chef Austin-San Antonio Rising Star Winner; Andrew Wiseheart of Contigo, Star Chef Austin-San Antonio Rising Star Winner; John Bullington of Alamo Drafthouse; Reece Lagunas of Whole Foods Market, finalist in the company¹s Best Butcher 2011 competition; Scott Roberts, owner of the famed Salt Lick BBQ; Jonathan Gelman of the Driskill Hotel; Damian Mandola of Mandola’s Italian Market and host of PBS-TV’s Cucina Amore; and Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due Supper Club & Butcher Shop, winner of Edible Communities 2012 Local Hero/Food Artisan Award.

Live Fire! will stir up the flames Thursday, April 26 at 6:30 9 pm as a fundraising benefit for the Austin Food & Wine Alliance (AFWA), Central Texas’ newest culinary non profit, which is dedicated to fostering awareness and innovation in the Central Texas food and beverage community. AFWA will give back to the local culinary community through a vibrant grant program for chefs, farmers, artisan producers and nonprofits by funding projects focused on culinary innovation.

The meat-centric live-fire cooking event debuted last April to a sold-out crowd and was one of Austin’s most popular and provocative culinary events. In this unforgettable and tasty encore, Live Fire! will feature the best in sizzling proteins and cooking craftsmanship alongside impressive wines, craft beers and premium spirits tastings.

As the key beneficiary of the new Austin FOOD & WINE Festival, April 27-29, the Alliance features educational programming and culinary events showcasing Central Texas’ chef talent along with artisan and local producers, world-class wine and spirit makers, and craft brewers. Live Fire! leads into the inaugural three-day fest which brings a slate of national and internationally recognized chefs to Austin.

In the pristine Texas Hill Country setting along the banks of Onion Creek, Live Fire! attendees will enjoy live music and a dazzling menu of innovative hot-fire cooked beef dishes prepared by more than a dozen chefs from Austin, San Antonio and Portland, OR. Tickets are expected to sell out again and are available for online purchase.

Live Fire! also will feature a selection of finalists from the inaugural 2012 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, a competition recognizing and celebrating the best of Austin¹s culinary and cocktail scene, held at The Driskill Hotel on April 12. A percentage of proceeds from the event will benefit the Alliance¹s mission and grants.

The Alliance is gaining tremendous community support with Whole Foods Market® becoming presenting sponsor and other key supporters including Maker¹s Mark® Bourbon, Texas Beef Council, AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center, Greenling and Field Branding & Design.

For more information about the AFWA, visit AustinFoodWineAlliance.org, call 512. 659.7153 or email Info@AustinFoodWineAlliance.org. The AFWA mailing address is PO Box 685306, Austin, TX, 78768. Stay up to date with Austin Food & Wine Alliance happenings on Facebook http://facebook.com/austinfoodwinealliance and Twitter http://twitter.com/ATXFoodWineAlly.

####

The Austin Food & Wine Alliance is a 501©3 non profit organization* dedicated to fostering awareness and innovation in the Central Texas culinary community through grants, educational programming and events. Guided by an all-volunteer board of directors and committees made up of culinary-and-community-minded professionals, the Alliance¹s commitment is to promote Texas food, wine, spirits and craft brews and to increase appreciation of Texas¹ culinary impact. The AFWA is the designated beneficiary of the Austin FOOD & WINE Festival, April 27 ­ 29, 2012. For more information about the Austin Food & Wine Alliance, visit AustinFoodWineAlliance.org.

*501©3 filed & pending IRS approval.