Close call

Darling downtown Austin cafe temporarily shutters after fire

Downtown’s Forthright is looking for temporary service solutions after a morning fire on October 25 forced the eatery to close. Co-owner Elizabeth Swail said rebuilding will take at least four to six weeks.

In a statement to CultureMap, Swail said the blaze was estimated to have begun at 10:45 am. Minutes later, smoke was visible and the restaurant was evacuated with no injuries. Due to Forthright’s location on the ground floor of the 21-story San Jacinto Center, a commercial tower in the Four Seasons Complex, the Austin Fire Department deployed 14 units and nearly 50 firefighters.

Although the insurance adjuster has not made a ruling on the cause, Swail said the AFD believes that insufficient fireproofing above the stove allowed a piece of plywood to combust without a spark. The flames were contained in the drop ceiling and did not spread to upper floors.

Most of the damage was structural and confined to the area above the stove, but smoke damage is visible in the cafe’s mostly white interior. Recovery efforts began almost immediately.

“We are all obviously reeling a bit, but we have already made a lot of progress in getting things in order and back on track to open in the near future," said Swail. “There are a lot of moving parts we still don't have answers to.”

In the meantime, Swail, husband Michael, and chef Ashely Neave are exploring options on how to continue serving guests. Possibilities include renting a food truck, setting up a grab-and-go coffee cart, or hosting pop-ups. The restaurateurs might also make use of their off-site commissary kitchen for catering orders and to enable delivery through Favor.

“We are in the hospitality industry and need to be able to continue feeding and receiving our loyal guests, visitors, and strangers alike,” said Swail. “It's what we live for!”

Forthright will continue to send updates as plans develop.

The owners of Forthright are looking into opening a coffee cart or food truck while they rebuild.

Forthright/Facebook

The owners of Forthright are looking into opening a coffee cart or food truck while they rebuild.

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Back in the Field

65 chefs and farmers school Austin on food in 2025 Field Guide Festival

Photo by Randy Reding

Field Guide fuses innovative dining with practicality about how food systems work.

Austinites are constantly presented with restaurant narratives about local food, but one festival actually connects foodies and producers. Field Guide Festival is connecting guests with farms, allied chefs, and more from April 25-27. Ticket sales will benefit the Central Texas Food Bank.

This is Field Guide's fourth year in Austin. In addition to its usual one-day tasting and a multi-course bonus dinner that's emerging from the sidelines, the festival now includes a brand-new event.

“It’s our most expansive festival year to date, said co-founder Lindsey Sokol in a press release. "Field Guide 2025 isn’t just about growth; it’s about recognition. Our Central Texas food system is vast, and it’s never been more important to shine a light on the chefs, farmers and organizations who are working to ensure our food scene continues to expand."

Tickets are on sale now, and are sold separately for the three events. Adult prices range from $30-$200 and minors enter at a discount or free depending on their age.

First is the Land to Larder Dinner at Boggy Creek Farm on Friday, April 25. It takes the form of a four-course dinner where each course was created by a different chef in one-on-one collaboration with a farmer.

The pairs are:

Ana Torrealba de la Vega (El Naranjo) with Tracy and Jack Geyer (Boggy Creek Farm)
Ian Thurwachter (Intero) with Sean Henry (Hi-Fi Mycology)
Janie Ramirez (Dai Due) with Robert and Stacy Nantz (Nantz Land and Cattle)
Daniel A. Martínez Faccio and Aurora Torrado Arroyo (Mercado Sin Nombre) with James Brown (Barton Springs Mill)

Next, on Saturday, is the Field Guide Symposium. This new event at Fiesta Gardens will present discussions with farmers, chefs and community organizers. The extended discourse will touch on how farming and the broader community intersect, as well as giving ideas for how people might get involved.

Finally, the main event happens Sunday at Fiesta Gardens. The lineup features 65 local chefs and farmers, listed below. Attendees can walk around to different booths to try small plates and learn about the food on them. In addition to the self-paced tasting, there will be a "taco omakase" (presumably mirroring 2024's miniature vegetable omakase that presented a curated three-bite "journey"), a pizza happy hour, and live fire cooking. There will also be an additional section for VIP ticket holders.

Field Guide Festival chef These fancy little dishes tell stories about how the food came to be.Photo by Randy Reding

In addition to benefitting the food bank, this festival pays its chefs and farmers. It's spent $102,676 on products and expertise so far since 2021.

“A great chef is an empty vessel, set to be filled by the bounty that surrounds them and inspired by the hard-working community who dedicate themselves to raising that bounty,” Chef Fiore Tedesco of L'Oca d'Oro said in the release. “We in Austin are blessed to have such a tight-knit quilt of farmers and ranchers who work directly with so many of us chefs.”

2025 Field Guide Festival Chef + Farmer Lineup:

Amanda Turner (Olamaie) + Samuel & Carolynn Moffett (Shirttail Creek Farm)
Chelsea Fadda (Pecan Square Cafe) + Erin Gomez (Solana Farms)
Edgar Rico (Nixta Taqueria) + Prisilla Benitez & Hayley Wood (Hot Spell Farm)
Fiore Tedesco (L'Oca d'Oro) + Cody Brown(Growtopia)
Alexa Mejia (Emmer & Rye) + William Nikkel (Trosi Farm)
Jo Chan (Chef Jo Chan) + Germaine Swenson & Ivan Matula (Munkebo Farm)
Kevin Cannon (Barley Swine) + Phil Green (River Field Farm)
Junior Borges (Juniper) + Benjamin McBride (Heritage Seafood)
Rick Lopez (La Condesa) + Joe & Kasey Diffie (Joe’s Microgreens)
Sarah Heard & Nathan Lemley (Foreign & Domestic) + Ryan Gould (Geosmin Regenerative)
Sonya Cote (Store House Market & Eatery) + David Barrow (Eden East Farm)
Daniela & Rosa de Lima Hernández (La Santa Barbacha) + Robert Hooper & Suzette Kelly (Central Texas Lamb)
Nick Belloni (Comedor) + Bruce Evans (2x4 Farm)
Susana Querejazu (Lutie's) + Jenny Atmar & George Rojano (Urban Roots Farm)
Sarah McIntosh (épicerie) + Cody & Natalie Scott (Green Bexar Farm)
Evan LeRoy (LeRoy and Lewis) + Ty & Sara Burk (True Bird)
James Robert & Jeff Brown (Hissy Fit) + Amalia Staggs & Casey Frank (Farmshare Austin)
Je Wallerstein (Fabrik) + Alison Stone & Nia Howze (Hope Full Farm)
Ling Qi Wu (Ling Wu Asian Restaurant at The Grove) + Perrine & Aubrey Noelke (Belle Vie Farm and Kitchen)
Derek Zampacorta (Bar Toti) + Anamaria Gutierrez (Este Garden)
Gregory Maze (Merry Monarch Creamery) + Sean Henry (Hi-Fi Mycology)
Abby Love (Abby Jane Bakeshop) + Tracy & Jack Geyer (Boggy Creek Farm)
Amanda Rockman (Rockman Coffee and Bakeshop) + Cyn Danielson (Two Hives Honey)
Ariana Quant (Uchibā) + Terence Tagoe & Carissa Eckle (The Refugee Collective Far)

VIP Access:

Dylan Salisbury (Teddy’s) + Cameron Molberg & Von Miller (Greener Pastures Chicken)
Tavel Bristol-Joseph (Nicosi)

Taco Omakase:

Joseph Gomez (Sana Sana Taqueria) + Hannah Beall (Central Texas Food Bank Garden)

Pizza Happy Hour:

Nick Ford (Favorite Pizza)
Tony Curet (Side Eye Pie)
Daniel Sorg (Allday Pizza)
Kelsey Small (Smalls Pizza)

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