top chef trio

Austinites take over Top Chef as Kristen Kish steps up and 2 locals compete

It's a big season for Austin on Bravo's popular competition show Top Chef. Kristen Kish, the winner of Season 10 and the head of Austin restaurant Arlo Grey at the Line Hotel, is stepping up as a host for Season 21, and two new Austin-based chefs will be competing. The first episode airs March 20.

The newcomers are Amanda Turner, chef de cuisine at the popular Southern restaurant Olamaie; and Chef Kevin D'Andrea, owner and operator of French bakery Foliepops.

Olamaie is well-known around Austin, and Turner's influence cannot be overstated. She works as a complement to executive chef and owner Michael Fojtasek, but does not fall in his shadow. A native Texan, Turner speaks about how food and identity intersect, referencing the African diaspora, and brings local soul to the culinary program.

The multitalented chef initially wanted to go into ceramics and 3D design, she told StarChefs, but Austin is better off for her pivot. (Well, maybe we missed some good ceramics.) That breadth of curiosity lead to work at restaurants as diverse as Uchiko, Odd Duck, Juniper, Jester King, the Tatsu-Ya Group. Her bio at Olamaie lists specialties she's tried her hand at: "a bit of everything including pasta, pastry, whole animal butchery and more."

Turner is still relatively early in her career, and gaining recognition. She was a James Beard semifinalist for Emerging Chef in 2022. In 2023, StarChefs named her Rising Star Chef of the Year, and CultureMap's own Tastemaker Award judges bestowed her the top culinary title: Chef of the Year.

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Kevin D'Andrea of FoliePop's is competing.

But Turner will have to face a local challenger. D'Andrea's bakery, FoliePop's, was known for its eponymous, innovative treat: a shot glass-shaped cookie filled with cream and topped with a breakable chocolate bulb with another sauce that spills out. Think lava cake, but more moving pieces. Recently the brick-and-mortar in Southeast Austin underwent some change, switching from retail to production-only.

The bakery now specializes in cheerful tartelettes that similarly layer flavors into one or two bites — perfect for sampling multiple combinations. Each is built on a shortbread base and topped with chocolate. Now Austinites can enjoy the desserts in the H-E-B bakery section.

Authenticity is the project's main draw, bolstered by D'Andrea's training in French Riviera at the Michelin-starred Hôtel Belles Rives. His résumé also includes Le Meurice, which boasts three Michelin stars, alongside other high-achieving restaurants internationally. D'Andrea also competed on the French version of Top Chef, making it all the way to the runner-up position in Season 6.

Viewers can "meet" the new contestants in an official preview video.

New host Kristen Kish also has some TV training, having hosted her own National Geographic show, Restaurants at the End of the World. Whatever challenges the Top Chef contestants have waiting for them, Kish has completed equally arduous cooking tasks in more wild locations around the world. The chef has proven herself deeply likable to viewers and inspired many positive reviews, especially by viewers who find her relatable as a queer woman of color.

Kish is replacing Padma Lakshmi and joining head judge Tom Colicchio and perennial judge Gail Simmons in Wisconsin for the filming.

Catch the first episode on the Bravo network on March 20 at 8 pm local time. Episodes will go up on Peacock after the initial airing concludes. See all options for watching Top Chef, including past seasons, here.

Real Big Burn

Barbecue festival near San Antonio attracts talent from around the world

Photo courtesy of Al Frugoni

Texas pitmaster Al Frugoni used his social media clout to pull together a huge group of barbecuers.

Something very hot is coming to the Lone Star State. San Antonio-area pitmaster Al Frugoni is bringing together more than 90 barbecue-lovers — both pitmasters and content creators — for an "Open Fire Meat Up" on October 26 in Hondo, about 120 miles southwest of Austin. This is the fourth edition of the large gathering.

As an Argentinian living and working in Texas, Frugoni has not just the worldliness needed to draw international talent, but a unique mix of experience from two of the strongest open-fire cooking cultures there are. (That's thanks to a Texas girl who won his heart and drew him here, according to a release.)

"This is going to be the biggest open fire event in the country. We have pitmasters flying in from all over the world for this," said Frugoni in the release. "No other event has this many pitmasters, cooks and influencers all gathered in one place ... cooking more food than you could possibly eat."

Frugoni is well-known online, with YouTube videos that sometimes garner hundreds of thousands of views. According to the pitmaster, when he launched the event he only meant to invite a few other camera-ready friends, but he found a lot more interest than he expected.

"I initially invited six or seven other barbecue content creators from different parts of the country to come to Texas, but then the word started spreading and we ended up with 25 guys," said Frugoni. "We took the internet by storm! We cooked so much food and had so much fun, we just had to keep it going."

Among this year's internet-famous attendees are "fire cooking enthusiast" and cookbook author Derek Wolf of Over The Fire Cooking; former physical education teacher and Season 2 Next Level Chef competitor Matt Groark; Season 4 BBQ Brawl finalist Chuck Matto of Chuck's Flavor Train, and and Houston recipe-maker Breanna Stark of Married to BBQ. Pitmasters are coming in from Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Chile, England, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Uruguay, and Scotland.

It's all going down at The Barn at Quail Crossing, where guests can taste tons of barbecued meats and sides. Matching the worldly participants are sometimes exotic meats; there will be whole steer, brisket, whole hogs, and even alligator, plus Texas specialties like chili. Guests can vote on their favorite dish for a People's Choice award at the end of the day; a panel of celebrity judges will also choose a favorite.

The family-friendly event also includes live music and kids' activities, and raises funds for Medina County first responders via GoMedina.

At $25 a ticket, this is significantly less expensive than most barbecue events. It sold out in a few weeks in 2023, according to a release, so interested parties should get tickets ASAP. There are also early bird discounts ($5 off).

"In Argentina, we would call this an asado, which refers to the traditional method of barbecuing meat over wood or charcoal embers, just like the gauchos, or cowboys of old, used to do," said Frugoni. "But it also refers to the social gathering that takes place after the meat is cooked. So, basically, this is going to be one giant barbecue party."

Tickets and more information are available at openfiremeatup.com.

barbecue festivals