With a little over a week to go, the countdown for the Austin Food and Wine Festival has officially begun, with Austin (and Texas) cuisine lovers eager to see just how the big event will turn out.

But perhaps more excited about the new festival is the flock of national chefs, sommeliers and restaurant professionals who will descend upon the city to experience first-hand what the national attention is about.

“Any food festival is fun because I can hang out with my chef buddies, but I’m really excited about this Food and Wine Festival because I love Austin so much,” says Marcus Samuelsson, chef/owner, Red Rooster Harlem, Ginny’s Supper Club. “I can’t wait to look in the vintage shops, check out the music, and of course, explore the food scene.”

With the great number of cities for a national entity such as Food & Wine magazine to choose Austin should be no surprise — especially to those of us who live here. The growing allure of this town continues to grow, and it’s no longer simply known for its moniker as The Live Music Capital.

"There’s a lot about Austin that makes it pretty perfect and right for something like this,” says Gail Simmons, special projects director for Food & Wine magazine and co-host of Bravo’s Top Chef.

“It’s such a young, energetic city, which gives it such an incredibly unique perspective on food — and it’s not fussy about it," Simmons continues. "There’s great music and great young companies that are on the forefront of their industries; it just lends itself to this really strong, creative community. And where there’s strong, creative people, there’s usually really good food. I just think it’s time to showcase that energy and creativity for the rest of the country.”

When filming Top Chef in Austin last summer, Simmons immediately honed in on the unique ability of Austin chefs to use their creativity to elevate the flavor of Austin rather than mask it with something else. “There are so many smart chefs who are fusing both tradition and innovation, which isn’t an easy thing to do. It balances the traditions of Texas cuisines such as barbecue and Tex-Mex with this really amazing mix of other ethnicities of cultures and cuisines.”

For Food & Wine magazine wine editor Ray Isle, it’s a much anticipated return home. “I lived in Austin eons ago, and it’s such a fantastic city,” says Isle. “But this festival will bring in the best parts of Austin, which is not only the food, but the music, which is not something we’ve done before with our festivals.”

Isle grew up in Houston and is proud to claim his Texas roots, which means he’s also excited to try a little Texas wine. “I’m really looking forward to checking out the wine scene around Austin," says Isle who was recently asked to join Russ Kane and top Austin sommeliers Craig Collins, Devon Broglie and June Rodil for the Wines of Texas Are Upon You panel on Sunday, April 29 at 11 a.m.

“I’m looking forward to what Kane will be pouring to represent Texas and get me up to speed with what’s going on here. Since I cover the entire world of wine, it’s a little hard to stay on top of all of the regional wines—there are so many!” he says.

During Isle's other panels, “The Other Italy” and “Superstar Wines,” the most important goal he intends to achieve is to help people break down the different things they like and don’t like about wine through a number of comparative tastings.

“I love teaching people about wine. But a huge part of if is just knowing what you like and knowing how to describe that,” says Isle. “Your own palate matters more than some score you see posted next to it at a wine store. You have to be open to tasting as much as you possible can to be able to do that.”

Wine approachability has come a long way in the past 20 years since Isle began covering it as a writer. In recent years, America has trumped France for being the largest consumer of wine in the world with the age range of wine drinkers trending towards a much younger demographic than it used to. “Wine tends to follow food as a trend. And as the culinary world has become more accessible to people, wine has followed,” says Isle. “The range of wines you find in restaurants and in retails stores is extraordinary.”

In a similar way to wine, desserts are also taking a more central role in dining out. It used to be that the dessert menu was the red-headed stepchild to the main menu and the wine list with the obligatory selection of chocolate cake, New York Cheesecake and apple cobbler — a la mode. Today, it’s one of the things people look forward to most in dining at some of the country’s top restaurants. At least that’s what Christina Tosi thinks as chef and owner of New York’s sensational bakery Momofuku Milk Bar and through her work with David Chang of the Momofuku family of restaurants.

For Tosi of Momofuko Milk Bar, the festival will pretty much be a first time Austin experience. She was here a few weeks ago for SXSW, but had little time to really explore. (Although, she did manage a trek up to Lexington for Snow’s barbecue and found not only some of the best barbecue she’d ever tasted, but an unforgettable slice of pecan pie as well.)

“I’m really looking forward crossing off a bunch of restaurants from my Austin bucket lists,” says Tosi. “I want to go back for Franklin Barbecue and Barley Swine. I went to Uchiko the last time I was here, but this time I think I have to try both Uchi and Uchiko to compare them side by side.

According to Tosi, in the world of pastry making, if you can remember a dessert more than you can remember the savory side of the meal you ate, then you’ve made a pastry chef’s day. “When I was here for SXSW, people told me I had to go to Uchiko and try the corn dessert. They couldn’t remember that it was made by Philip Speer, but they knew exactly the dessert I had to try,” says Tosi who is also eager to see what former New York pastry chef Laura Sawicki has up her sleeve at La Condesa.

“There’s nothing greater than to be part of the industry as a pastry chef when you see people like Philip Speer and Laura Sawicki who are taking their own notes and making their own desserts on their terms. They’re fighting against the dessert as an after thought and making an impact.”

Across the board, this notable team of food scene experts think next week’s festival will be a perfect opportunity to show a national slew of culinary professionals just how important Austin is among top American food cities. As for festival naysayers throughout Austin — of which there have been many — Simmons suggests having a more open mind.

“I think it’s shortsighted of people to be upset and say that since ‘It’s not local, it shouldn’t be here.” The truth is we’re all working towards the same purpose,” says Simmons. “The purpose of the festival is to raise awareness for Austin as a culinary destination and for the great local chefs in Austin — because we believe in them. We want people to come to Austin, to experience Austin, to eat out in Austin and try the local food.”

Simmons, along with Samuelsson, Tosi, Isle and the many other national food and wine notables visiting Austin next week simply can’t wait to savor it.

“We all love that city,” says Simmons. “I’m going as a tourist and I cannot wait to hit the ground running. I want to spend four days devouring Austin. And if I can bring some more people along with me, all the better."