trophies

Austin icon awards honor big names and the people behind big names

Austin Icon Awards
Richard Linklater
Troy Campbell
John Kunz
Sahara Smith (Wimberley, TX)
Speak (Austin, TX)
Viva City (Newcastle, UK)

The iconography of Austin is vast, from the State Capitol building to the long-gone Armadillo World Headquarters, from the Slacker landmarks to that guy who always rides his bike around town in his thong. Dart Music International, a local non-profit tasked with the mission of “introduc[ing] people in our part of the world to the modern face of people and cultures from around the globe through cool indie/rock/pop music” may be the first to quantify and offer awards for these icons, with their appropriately-named Austin Icon Awards.

The awards, which debuted last year and honored luminaries like psychedelic music legend Roky Erickson and Austin City Limits executive producer Terry Lickona, announced their 2011 winners today. CultureMap got a sneak peek at the list.

It’s a good group: headlining the lineup is filmmaker Richard Linklater – honored as much for his work as the artistic director and founder of the Austin Film Society as for his creative achievements – along with Waterloo Records owner John Kunz, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) executive director Carolyn Shwarz, and House of Songs founder, Austin events promoter, and songwriter Troy Campbell.

The list ranges from the world-famous – Linklater films like Dazed & Confused and School Of Rock are beloved anywhere they have DVD players – to behind-the-scenes figures like Campbell, who’s been toiling in the trenches as an ambassador for Austin music for decades. That breadth and scope of the honorees is one of the cool things about this list. Activities like, say, cutting up a Waterloo Records bumper sticker and re-arranging the letters so that it says something else is a time-honored Austin tradition (not to mention poring over the bins at the store), and recognizing the person behind the icon is a worthwhile endeavor.

Similarly, Schwarz’s HAAM is one of the most worthy causes a purported Live Music Capitol can invest in, and works hard to solve a fundamental challenge in treating music not just as a hobby but as a way of life. Campbell’s production of the annual Roky Erickson Ice Cream Social during SXSW is part of what helped return the psych godfather to national prominence. Linklater’s promotion of not just his own films, but of a thriving, sustainable film culture in Austin has kept the city a hotspot in ways that now pays dividends, from Fantastic Fest to SXSW Film and more.

To honor the winners, the Austin Icon Awards will be held September 9^th at another Austin icon: the original Austin City Limits studio on the University of Texas campus. In the interest of fulfilling Dart’s mission of introducing Austinites to global indie/rock/pop musicians, the awards features performances from England’s Viva City, New Zealand’s Jackie Bristow, and the locals in Speak. VIP ticket holders will get a chance to see Sahara Smith perform in a pre-show reception, as well. For tickets and more information, visit www.dartmusicinternational.org, or follow DMI on Twitter.

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Journeys in Food

Free food summit highlights Austin chefs from El Naranjo, Lucky Robot

Photo courtesy of El Naranjo

Chef Iliana De La Vega was one of the panelists at the popular All Things Food summit.

Starting March 13, research and advocacy nonprofit Food Tank took over Barr Mansion in Northeast Austin for a two-day South by Southwest (SXSW) summit titled All Things Food. As the title suggests, this two-day event covers everything related to what we eat, from panel discussions on access to healthy foods to food safety and food waste.

Although everyone could benefit from learning how food gets on their plate, one of the standouts from the industry- and policy-based talks was a panel featuring chefs whose work Austinites may already be familiar with.

Called "Celebrating Chefs," the panel featured a mix of local and private chefs: Chef Oliva Hernandez, owner of HER Hospitality; Chef Dave White, a 2025 Chopped Grand Champion and participant on Bravo’s Below Deck Mediterranean; Chef Jay Huang, the Executive Chef at Austin's Lucky Robot and Nômadé; and Chef Iliana De La Vega, the James Beard-Awarded chef of Austin's El Naranjo.

Moderator Dr. Sweta Chakraborty, CEO of climate action media platform We Don’t Have Time North America, only had time to ask each chef a few questions in the 25-minute panel. However, everyone was able to briefly cover their own personal journey with food, as well as their thoughts on sustainability going forward.

All Things Food SXSW Attendees got to watch the panel for free.Photo by Natalie Grigson

Chef Huang noted that his idea of sustainability has changed over time, that it's "not just the sustainability of the fish, but the equity of the people who catch the fish." That sentiment extends to workers across the farming spectrum. "Where is the equity for the people who are bringing the food to our tables?" he asked.

Answering the same question, Chef De La Vega advised the audience not to trash anything. "Use everything that you can," she said. She noted that growing up in Mexico she was taught to use as much of the produce and meat as possible, and sticks to this at El Naranjo.

Chef White noted how important events like the Barr Mansion summit are in food sustainability — that it's all about knowledge and education — and Chef Hernandez discussed how important it is to be honest in communicating how sustainable ingredients are.

Chakraborty tentatively and somewhat jokingly brought up politics. "The U.S. is currently fraught with some drama," she hedged, and asked each panelist how they thought food transcended politics — namely how food is a cultural connector.

Some panelists, like White, admitted an avoidance of talking about politics in general; he said that for him, food can be a distraction used to steer clear of discussing politics. De La Vega, on the other hand, thinks politics should be discussed, openly and honestly, right at the dinner table. But everyone seemed to agree on one thing: food brings people together.

As Hernandez put it, "Food is a connector, from fisherman to eater to consumer to chefs."

As the panel went on, the heat trapped in the room felt almost solid, but still the audience remained seated for one last question. "What is yet to come for each of you?" Chakraborty asked.

Huang is excited about challenging his chefs to improve. Hernandez, who is currently a private chef, is excited to be opening a new coffee shop soon. "This summer if all goes well, so probably next winter," she laughed. De La Vega has more culinary trips to Mexico and two other countries coming up. Finally, White says he just did a new Food Network show. He "can't say what, but it went well."

White adds that he is trying to plan the "highest ever dinner party on Mount Everest, to raise awareness for mental health."

There's a bit more coming for All Things Food, which ends at 7 pm on March 14. In-person tickets have all been claimed, but anyone who wants to experience the action from afar can sign up for a livestream via Eventbrite. The video from Thursday can also be found on YouTube.

Barr Mansion lawn Guests sampled food and mingled on the lawn behind Barr Mansion. Photo by Natalie Grigson

The entire property — a sprawling grassy area with a beautiful old farmhouse-styled mansion and several more modern-looking buildings — was dotted with food vendors, educators, and guests for the day. Inside an angular, glass-walled building, speakers and panelists gathered; and even despite the building's heat, audience seats remained full.

Panelists included doctors, farmers, chefs, food writers, and more, and the day was broken up with live music and DJs. To end the evening, Dr. Gary Blackwood, formerly of NASA, lead a tour of the sky. And of course, the entire event was filled with lots of delicious foods to sample.

chefs sustainability politics farmers