whet your appetite

Austin Food & Wine Festival kicks off behind-the-scenes video series with Sway's modern Thai

To prep your palette in advance of three-days of nonstop noshing in April, the Austin Food & Wine Festival team debuts a video series in which they go behind the scenes with culinary experts around town.

Hit play and you'll be given a rare glimpse into the kitchens of the most renowned establishments in Austin: line cooks move with dexterity; chefs reveal the personalities that define their kitchens; and theories in complimentary courses are unveiled.

Kicking off with current culinary darling about town, Sway, C3 Festival Marketing Director Lisa Hickey explains that the video series was born out of curiosity.

"This series satisfies our craving to learn more about current culinary innovators and to just geek out about all things epicurean." - Lisa Hickey

"This series satisfies our craving to learn more about current culinary innovators and to just geek out about all things epicurean," Hickey tells CultureMap. "We wanted to create a platform that highlights the stories behind some of the people and places that make Austin such an incredible food destination."

In the first installment, Executive Chef Rene Ortiz of Sway says of the restaurant's modern Thai concept, "The cuisine is a take on using our fresher ingredients here in Austin and applying them to the traditions and culture of Thailand…One of our signature dishes would be the [prawn] miang. It's 'build your own taco.' Every global city has their own taco — this is the Thai version of it."

Fittingly, Sway chefs Ortiz and Laura Sawicki will showcase their prowess in the Rock Your Taco Showdown during the Food & Wine Festival, but we recommend making a trip to the restaurant's South First location for an evening of experimental, robust flavors. You live here — why wait?

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Videos will be released on a rolling basis prior to the Austin Food & Wine Festival, April 26 - 28. Purchase tickets here.

Taco News

Popular Austin taco truck Con Todo wraps up business after 3 years

Con Todo tacos

contodotacos.com

Con Todo is closed, but Chef Joseph Gomez is looking forward to the future.

A very popular Austin taco trailer at Celis Brewery has suddenly shut its ordering window. Con Todo chef Joseph Gomez made the announcement on his Instagram account, which was previously the business' account.

As Gomez points out in the message, the account predated Con Todo and will survive it, too, under his own name. It's a clear handle for what the chef plans to do: continue his career and the things Con Todo stood for, but not under the Con Todo name or project.

"Sorry for delay on posting but, after much thought, I’ve made the difficult decision to close the doors to Con Todo 😢. This is one of the hardest choices I’ve ever had to make," Gomez wrote. "Con Todo wasn’t just a business — it was my livelihood, my passion, so deeply personal to me. For those of you who know me, you understand how much heart, soul, time, effort I put into it."

Gomez lists several identities and callings he plans to continue expanding: among them, advocacy, cooking, writing, and being "a proud ADHD weirdo."

"My commitment to supporting migrant workers’ rights remains is as strong as ever, and I’ll continue that work through new projects, as I always have," he writes. "You’ve heard me talk about this mission before, and this year is going to be especially important to take a deep dive into it and explore what’s happening on the border towns where I am from. I won’t be quiet about it."

Gomez and Con Todo have garnered acclaim from food industry and media sources including the James Beard Foundation, Texas Monthly, and CultureMap's own Tastemaker Awards; however the chef doesn't seem too concerned with formal praise from the Michelin Guide as he signs off with the snarky Spanish "#michelinmisnalgas." (He had already been using the hashtag for years prior to winning a recommendation from Michelin in November 2024, and the team did attend the ceremony.)

According to Con Todo's website manifesto, cuisine at Con Todo was both deeply personal to Gomez and representative of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), so it seems likely that Austinites will get to enjoy eats in the same style from Gomez going forward.

"In the mean time, keep an eye out for me doing pop ups, events, talks, panels and a little pot stirring," Gomez writes. "Nos vemos pronto!"

closings tacos food trucks

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