cooking up acclaim

Oscars of the food world recognize Austin chefs and restaurants with 4 semifinalist nominations

The James Beard Awards have returned. After a two-year hiatus, the James Beard Foundation revealed its semifinalists for its 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards.

Considered the Oscars of the food world, the awards recognize outstanding chefs and other culinary professionals in a wide range of categories ranging from Outstanding Chef to Best New Restaurant and a range of media categories. This year will be the first time the foundation has given an award for Best Chef: Texas, which it created after the 2019 awards to recognize the state’s diverse collection of talent.

Austin restaurants and bars are represented among both the national and regional awards. Overall, the city earned two national nominations and two nominations for Best Chef: Texas.

They are:

Emerging Chef: Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria
Emerging Chef: Amanda Turner, Olamaie

Best Chef: Texas nominees:

Damien Brockway, Distant Relatives
Iliana de la Vega, El Naranjo

Elsewhere in Texas, Houston earned five national nominations and seven nominations for Best Chef: Texas. Dallas-Fort Worth garnered five national and five Best Chef: Texas nominations. San Antonio earned four national and four Best Chef: Texas nominations.

Barbecue pitmasters faired well in the Texas category. In addition to Quy Hoang (Blood Bros. BBQ in Houston), Esaul Ramos Jr. (2M Smokehouse in San Antonio), Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland (Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin), and Damien Brockway (Distant Relatives in Austin) all lead barbecue joints that were named to Texas Monthly’s recent 50 best list.

Including pitmasters reflects the foundation’s goal to broaden the types of chefs and restaurants that it considers for its awards. After the foundation canceled its 2020 awards, the New York Timesreported that none of 2020’s Black nominees won their categories. The organization also faced criticism that it nominated people accused of unethical behavior.

After an audit, the foundation overhauled the awards process. Nominees must now provide an alignment statement that demonstrates their support for at least one of the foundation’s stated values of equity, transparency, respect, integrity, community, and passion. In addition, the foundation changed eligibility requirements for voting. Whether these changes are enough to satisfy critics remains to be seen.

The James Beard Foundation will announce the finalists for its restaurant and chef awards as well as the honorees for the Leadership, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Humanitarian of the Year Awards on March 16. Media award finalists will be revealed on April 27. Winners will be awarded in Chicago on June 13.

Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria.

Courtesy of Nixta

Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria.

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Grocery news haul

Grocery service Farmhouse Delivery returns to Austin with fun surprise

Courtesy photo

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After suddenly halting its operations in May, grocery service Farmhouse Delivery is on its way back, with an extra surprise for Austin: a new storefront.

Known for offering locally prepared foods and produce from small Central Texas farms, the subscription-based service emailed its loyal customers on Monday, November 18, to share the relaunch news and outline its plans for the future.

“We’ve missed you and are beyond grateful for your patience as we’ve been hard at work planning the next chapter of Farmhouse Delivery,” the newsletter reads. “Soon, you’ll once again have fresh, local food delivered straight to your doorstep[.]”

Farmhouse Delivery is aiming for a December date to resume deliveries, they say. They've used the intervening six months to not only revamp their existing business model, but to expand their offerings.

The biggest surprise in the newsletter was a revelation of plans for a new storefront in Austin, blending a cozy farmer’s market vibe with what they call “the best parts of your favorite grocer — where you can discover fresh foods, refill on essentials, connect with other members on sustainable living, and, of course, [shop] our best local products — all in innovative, reusable packaging.”

The email did not divulge details for the location or timing of the storefront project.

The company also plans to introduce a new membership model with exclusive benefits such as sneak peeks of new products and promotions.

Underscoring its commitment to sustainability, Farmhouse also announced that it’s working toward a completely plastic-free delivery:

“Expect to see your favorite items in sustainable packaging, with rewards for returning and reusing Farmhouse materials. Together, let’s reduce waste and make sustainable choices the coolest thing to do.”

The newsletter invited customers to complete a survey to help shape the ongoing Farmhouse experience. There, customers can indicate their desired delivery day (or days) and the factors that influence that preference (meal planning, work schedule, etc.), as well as specific products they would like to see in future deliveries.

Survey participants can also designate their preferred price point for memberships and the most appealing benefits from a long list, including free deliveries, additional delivery days, free products, members-only cooking classes, exclusive content, and more.

Neither the newsletter nor the Farmhouse website announced a specific date for relaunching, but returning and new customers can keep an eye on the website and social media for further details.

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