This Sunday, San Antonio’s Andrew Weissman will join a fleet of Austin's favorite chefs for the Sustainable Food Center Autumn Harvest Chef Series Dinner at La Condesa, where he'll be creating culinary masterpieces alongside the likes of Rene Ortiz, Tyson Cole, James Holmes, Todd Duplechan, and Shawn Cirkiel. Each spring and fall, the SFC hosts a special meal celebrating local, seasonal foods delivered in creative interpretations from local chefs. And though Weissman isn’t exactly local, he technically fits within that 150-mile geographical radius that most farm-to-table advocates prefer for sourcing food; after all, courthouse to courthouse, San Antonio is about 80 miles from Austin.

The special dinner falls on the heels of a recent San Antonio event at Ocho, the swank Riverwalk bar adjacent to the Havana Hotel, in which Weissman donned his old cap as executive chef/owner of Le Rêve for a special French meal that only he could have pulled off. The event included an eight course meal brimming with classic French-inspired dishes including onion tart, foie gras, scallops, venison and chocolate pavé. Within three hours of ticket sales opening, the event sold out to a passel of 35 fortunate fans for $250 a head.

A San Antonio native, Weissman returned 13 years ago to open Le Rêve after launching his career through the Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park (plus a few years staging in Europe and New York). Though dead and gone for two years—and loyal fans are still not over it—Le Rêve was arguably one of the best restaurants in the entire state of Texas, certainly the absolute best when it came to French cuisine. Weissman’s deft hand at French technique and meticulous flavor put it, and San Antonio, on the map as a culinary juggernaut. The proof was in the national media pudding with the New York Times, Gourmet and Texas Monthly all singing its praises.

Yet in 2009—perhaps due to a mid-life crisis, as he had just turned 40—Weissman made the sudden announcement that Le Rêve would be no more. And while the news shocked the general Texas restaurant world, Weissman was already setting his sights higher. He had opened new concepts, including the Sandbar Fish House and Seafood Market and Il Sogno, an upscale Italian trattoria. (Linguists will no doubt notice that Le Rêve and Il Sogno both translate to "the dream" in French and Italian—a fitting description for dining at both locales.)

Weissman is more than just a man with a few (really great) restaurants up his sleeve, more than a guy with an itch to make great food in a variety of different ways. Weismann is a man with a vision. A vision that starts with the town he grew up in, that won’t be complete until that town gains national recognition in the food world.

Why does this matter? Well, it’s no secret that Austin has emerged not only as the Music Capital, but the Culinary Capital of Texas—sorry, Houston and Dallas. But with Weissman, and a handful of other chefs making waves of culinary genius in the Alamo City, San Antonio may just be the place that gives Austin a run for its money in the next few years.

“At first it was a little hard to be back here after living in such a dynamic city like New York,” says Weissman. “But after a while, I began to see the beauty and opportunity in this city. In the past few years we’re seeing more things like farmers markets and ethnic foods like Middle Eastern and Korean eateries. It’s amazing how much is changing here.”

Two James Beard Award nominations and countless media accolades later, Weissman has found more in his decision to settle in San Antonio than just success as a chef. He’s seen the city begin to turn over a new leaf. With chefs like himself and the ever ambitious Jason Dady of Bin 555, Tre Trattoria and Two Brothers Barbecue Market—as well as new additions to town, such as Chef Quealy Watson’s chic beer garden and cafe, The Monterrey, in the King William District—people are beginning to see a lot more than Tex-Mex with shredded yellow cheese and overpriced, sub-par eateries along the commercial Riverwalk.

Large-scale projects, such as the new development at the Pearl Brewery through San Antonio power broker Kit Goldsbury, the addition of the Culinary Institute of America San Antonio nestled within the Pearl development and a nearby mixed-use urban development called the 1221 Broadway are all coming together to breathe new life into an often misunderstood tourist town. (Plus, San Antonio's got a burgeoning local art scene, an increasingly active population of locals interested in running and cycling within the urban downtown area, a city-wide initiative to expand the municipal park system to the nation’s largest linear park system, the first city in Texas to adopt a bike sharing program, “B Cycle"—even the tiniest glimmer of a more impactful live music scene. And the list goes on.)

But before I get ahead of myself on the many many ways San Antonio is changing, and perhaps even beginning to look like its Capital City neighbor, it’s important to give Weissman credit for sticking with his decision to plant roots here when he could have had his selection of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and, yes, even Austin.

“I’m committed to San Antonio and showing off all the ways it’s changing for the better. My family is here. I eat, run and bike here, I want other people to do the same,” says Weissman, whose rigorous self-imposed fitness schedule also includes yoga every morning with his wife in a studio above Il Sogno. “What’s happening here is exciting. It’s like a domino effect that’s feeding on itself."

I, for one, am willing to take his word for it. After all, if Austin boutique hotelier Liz Lambert is willing to take the risk with the Hotel Havana (and as we’ve seen, everything she touches turns to gold), I look forward to exploring the many more charms the town has to offer—ones that maybe the average Riverwalk experience fails to deliver anymore.

Weissman will introduce his latest concept, The Luxury, just around the river bend from the Pearl Brewery in December. Using repurposed car containers to serve revved-up, American-style bites, wine and beer, the outdoor restaurant will feature bocci ball courts and an area for live music.

“We want this to be a cool hang out for people,” says Weissman. “Something like the yard at Shady Grove in Austin. It’s sort of secluded, but still close to other places to walk and enjoy. The San Antonio Museum of Art is right across the river and has talked to me about extending their hours so people can walk on over to and enjoy an evening out.”

So, if you make it to the SFC dinner, keep your eye out for Andrew Weissman. He will have just run a marathon in San Antonio that morning, but based on the energy this guy radiates on a daily basis, I doubt you’ll even notice.

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A limited number of seats to the Autumn Harvest Chef Series Dinner are still available; get your tickets here.