Looking Back: 2015 Austin FOOD + WINE Festival

There is one particular demonstration that has become an ingrained tradition for every veteran attendee of the Austin FOOD + WINE Festival: "Hands-on Grilling with Tim Love." When you ask an All-in festival-goer what they're looking forward to most, the intensive grilling demonstration always ranks high. The event certainly fulfilled expectations, but so did the entire talented lineup at this year's festival.

Beyond the plentiful and delicious offerings of the H-E-B Grand Tasting Pavilion, the chef demonstrations were impressive and tailor-made for the Austin crowd and the season. An irreverent yet compelling paella demonstration from Boston chefs Jamie Bissonnette and Ken Oringer was balanced by Georgia chef Hugh Acheson's celebration of the simple fava bean. Acheson focused on approachability in his Spring-driven demonstration, revealing the ease that comes along with soup- and salad-making as well as the basics of growing herbs. He also lightheartedly joked, "If you can't grow [mint], abandon all hopes of gardening in your life." Such personal interactions and commentary, which define the FOOD + WINE Festival experience, were epitomized in Tyson Cole's "Uchi and Sushi." The award-winning chef brought a troupe of cooks to prepare individual hamachi hand rolls for each audience member while devoting most of his time to answering questions.

As a heightened barbecue culture continues to pervade Austin cuisine – Aaron Franklin's recent James Beard Award for "Best Chef: Southwest" being Exhibit A – it should be noted that the Fire Pit did not disappoint. Manned by a band of Texas and Tennessee chefs, crowds seemed to be ever-present for the grilled and smoked offerings. Paul Qui and Jorge Hernandez's grilled and glazed tropical fruit with fermented shrimp toffee, shaved ice and shiso came as a particularly refreshing and cool tasting.

>>Click here to read exclusive interviews with some of our favorite chefs.

Slightly cooler evening temperatures and live music set a playful ambiance for the sold-out evening events. A beef cheek and masa pancake bite from Hugo Ortega at the Taste of Texas and a spicy, flavorful escabeche offering from Jenn Louis at the Rock Your Taco competition were just a few of the culinary standouts.

As a final note, dates for the 2016 festival have been set for the weekend of April 22-24. Be vigilant for your chance to buy All-in passes and evening event tickets which sold out entirely for the 2015 festival!