Have a cow

Favorite Austin food event fires up Texas-sized celebration of beef

Live Fire! is heating up Austin this spring.

Photo by Hunter Townsend

After a two-year pandemic pause, one Austin food event that celebrates Texas beef is reigniting its meaty fete this spring.

Live Fire!, a fundraiser for the nonprofit Austin Food & Wine Alliance, turns up the heat at this year’s event on Thursday, April 14 from 6:30-9 pm at Camp Mabry in Central Austin.

Tickets ($95-$175) for the carnivorous carnival are on sale now at austinfoodandwinealliance.org/live-fire. Organizers note that the live-fire cooking event, which debuted at the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival in 2011, routinely sells out, attracting throngs of beef-eating crowds, so it’s wise to snag a ticket while you can.

The Texas-sized party, which highlights the culinary traditions of the Lone Star State, will feature grade A chefs from across the state, who will showcase Texas beef in their dishes prepared over an open flame.

The event, which the alliance dubs a “beefy Texas bash,” aims to highlight the best of cooking craftsmanship alongside tastings of wine, craft beer, and premium spirits. (After all, it’s hardly a Texas culinary celebration if you can’t pair your steak bites with a choice sipper!)

This year’s event features a fiery lineup of nationally renowned chefs and Texas faves. The following Austin chefs will be fanning the flames of deliciousness at Live Fire!:

Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue
Jakub Czyszczoń, Garrison
Evan LeRoy, LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue
Bradley Nicholson and Susana Querejazu, Lutie’s
Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria

Visiting chefs from other Texas cities include:

Laurent Réa, Brasserie Mon Chou Chou, San Antonio
Nicola Blaque, The Jerk Shack, San Antonio
Diego Galicia and Rico Torres, Mixtli, San Antonio
Berty Richter, soon-to-open Ladino, San Antonio
Bobby Matos, State of Grace, Houston
Rebecca Masson, Fluff Bake Bar, Houston

Additional culinary talent will be added to the event lineup in the coming weeks.

If all that doesn’t make for a beefy enough experience for you, the 2022 edition of Live Fire! will also feature an exclusive VIP experience that will include a special guest chef and be hosted by the following acclaimed Texas chefs:

Jason Dady, Alamo BBQ Co., Jardin, Range, Tre Trattoria, Two Bros BBQ Market, San Antonio
Aaron Bludorn, Bludorn Restaurant, Houston
Nilton “Junior” Borges, Meridian, Dallas
André Natera, former culinary director of Fairmont Austin

VIP tickets are $175 and a limited number of passes are available, according to the alliance.

Proceeds from the tasting event enable the nonprofit alliance to give back to the local culinary community with a grant program for chefs, farmers, artisan producers, and other nonprofits that funds projects focused on culinary innovation. Since 2012, the Austin Food & Wine Alliance has awarded $404,500 in grants for local culinary projects.

“We’re thrilled to bring the best of Texas to Camp Mabry for the return of Live Fire!” says Erika White, executive director of the Texas Food & Wine Alliance, which oversees the Austin nonprofit. “We can’t wait to show Austin all the surprises we have in store.”

For more info about the Austin Food & Wine Alliance and updates on the 2022 Live Fire! event, visit the nonprofit’s website.

Live Fire! is heating up Austin this spring.

Austin Food & Wine Alliance Annual Live Fire

Photo by Hunter Townsend

Live Fire! is heating up Austin this spring.

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Can I Kick It?

Top Austin brewery kicks off new sports club with volleyball and soccer

Photo by Traverse Photography

Meanwhile Brewing Co. has new reasons to visit.

Even Austinites who don't drink have plenty of reasons to visit Meanwhile Brewing Co., and now there's another for volleyball-lovers. The brewery has set up brand new sand courts, ready for the launch of the new Meanwhile Sports Club. The club will organize both volleyball and soccer games, so there's always someone to play with.

Sand volleyball games will be divided into teams of four or six, with the first games starting the week of January 6, 2025. Soccer teams will be five-on-five, with play beginning the week of February 3.

Teams will be in it to win, but the short "seasons" will avoid triggering commitment issues at just six weeks long. At the end of each season, the club will host a championship game for the chance to win a $200 bar tab.

Soccer field at Meanwhile Brewing Co. Austin The soccer field is right next to Meanwhile's resident food trucks.Photo by Traverse Photography

The brewery recommends that teams sign up together to increase the likelihood that everyone gets a chance to play. The leagues do accept free agents, but availability constraints mean that no one is guaranteed a spot. Multitalented athletes can increase their chances by signing up for both sports, but should choose different days so games don't conflict.

For those who maintain that beer — and not running — is still their favorite part of visiting a brewery, there's always opportunities to spectate. Meanwhile's South Austin grounds are well-stocked with brews, cocktails, and food trucks. Plus, there's almost always an event going on, from flea markets to movie screenings.

Registration for volleyball is open now and closes December 19; registration for soccer opens December 1 and closes January 16. The team fee is $675 for the first two weeks of registration, and increases to $725 later. Meanwhile Brewing is located at 3901 Promontory Point Dr.