SXSW Expands Food Programming For 2015. Plus, Many Events For Non-Badge Holders.
Austin's food trucks will once again line up for SXSW SouthBites this March.
Hope you're hungry, South by Southwest attendees. The annual music, film and technology conference in Austin, Texas, has pulled out all the stops for food-related events this year.
For badge holders, the programming for the 2015 edition of SouthBites is unprecedented. What started in 2013 as a makeshift outdoor food court featuring Top Chef winner Paul Qui's selection of local food trucks transformed into a proper conference last year with panels from notable chefs, food journalists and podcasters. This year, the expanded program has grown to feature a whopping 30 panels featuring the likes of David Chang (Momofuku), Jonathan Gold (Los Angeles Times), and Food Republic's very own Richard Martin (hi boss!). Topics will include advances in coffee technology, the logistics of food festivals, craft-beer subculture and how to build 3 Michelin star restaurants.
SouthBites will take place at the Driskill Hotel from Saturday, March 14 through Monday, March 16. A few of our picks:
- The Future Role of Tech in Dining and Food: David Chang (Momofuku), Matt Buchanan (The Awl)
- How to Build 3 Michelin Star Restaurants: Curtis Duffy (Grace restaurant), Kevin Pang (filmmaker), Michael Muser (Grace restaurant)
- How Tech Lit the Flame for Celebrity Chef Culture: Aaron Franklin (Franklin Barbecue), Andrew Knowlton (Bon Appétit), Keela Robison (Urban Spoon), Monica Pope (Sparrow Bar & Cookshop)
- How Food and Drink Drive Urban Planning Today: Matthew Goodrich (AvroKo), Richard Martin (Food Republic), Sean Brock (Husk Restaurant), Tyler Niess (Crescent Communities)
- Culinary Crossroads dinner by Paul Qui (Qui), Sean Brock (Husk Restaurant) and Nathan Myhrvold (author of Modernist Cuisine). You must have a 2015 SXSW Interactive, Gold or Platinum badge to attend the panels. A dinner at Qui is also slated for March 15. Details here.
- The Reinvented Food Festival: Sink Or Swim: Adam Rapoport (Bon Appétit), Mike Thelin (Feast Portland), Rob Sheard (Zero Point Zero)
For non-badge holders, the trailer park is open to the general public and features some of Austin's most progressive and delicious small bites, juice and coffee. A few non-local trucks will join the fun this year, such as The Modular from Houston, and Washington, D.C.'s beloved Toki Underground ramen shop will make a two-day-only pop-up appearance on the 17th and 18th, showcasing their Taiwanese-style ramen made with local Texas produce. The food park will be open from March 13-21 from 11 a.m. to midnight.
And for the Francophiles out there, the French pop-up restaurant from chef Rémi Fournier will return to the French Legation from March 15-20, but this year he's bringing Michelin-starred chef Gérard Bossé with him to create an Austin version of his Angers restaurant Une Île. Natural wines and "forgotten" cocktails will accompany the lunch and dinner menus, which cost from $110 to $200.