It's time to celebrate two of the things we love most: food and drink. April marks the return of the annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, honoring the top restaurant and bar talent in Austin and San Antonio.

Our mission is to shine a spotlight on the people making the city's restaurant scene special and honor their innovation, energy, and creativity. Here's how it works. We collaborated with a panel of experts, including previous Tastemaker winners, to determine a list of nominees in Austin and San Antonio. The panel then selected winners in every category, except Best New Restaurant, which will be determined by our savvy readers in a bracket-style competition in April.

In Austin, the categories are Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Rising Star Chef of the Year, Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year, Bar of the Year, Bartender of the Year, Wine Program of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Burger of the Year, and Brewery of the Year, plus Best New Restaurant. In San Antonio, the categories are Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year, as well as Best New Restaurant.

The best part? You get to join us April 19 from 6-9 pm at the Bullock Texas State History Museum for a swanky tasting event and awards ceremony, once again emceed by Texas celebrity chef Tim Love.

We'll celebrate all the nominees and unveil the winners, while you mix and mingle with the city's top culinary talent and fellow foodies. That will include indulging in sips and bites from participating nominees, as well as our partners, Woodford Reserve and Whole Foods Market. You can check out the scenes from last year's big event here.

Tickets to the party are on sale now; early bird general admission tickets are available for $45 through March 31. So grab your tickets, then get to know all of our Tastemaker nominees in a special editorial series coming soon. We'll see you in April.