The Austin Food & Wine Festival is celebrating its 15th year with a lineup that leans hard on national star power and Central Texas flavor, bringing chefs Andrew Zimmern, Richard Blais and Kevin Lee to Auditorium Shores on the shore of Lady Bird Lake from November 6 through 8. Tickets are already on sale, with single-day passes starting at $185 and organizers promising cooking demonstrations, tastings and a weekend chef showcase featuring bites from more than 50 restaurants.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, the chef showcase runs Saturday and Sunday and includes cooking demonstrations, wine, beer and cocktail tastings, and a live-fire attraction called The Fire Pit. Andrew Zimmern and Kevin Lee are both scheduled to host cooking demonstrations, and both carry serious culinary pedigree beyond the festival stage. Zimmern, best known for creating and hosting television series like Bizarre Foods and The Zimmern List, is a four-time James Beard Award winner and nine-time nominee, according to the James Beard Foundation.
Lee, a frequent Food Network competitor, was named a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southwest for his work at Birdie's, his Oklahoma City-area Korean steakhouse, per the same foundation. He'll also take part in the festival's Made in Texas showcase, which the Statesman reports spotlights Texas ingredients and culinary traditions with a lineup that includes Amir Hajimaleki, Esther Choi, Damon Cook and Alexa Mejia, among others. Made in Texas takes place Friday from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Long Center Terrace, and is included with VIP tickets or available as a standalone ticket.
Grilling With Tim Love and a Fire Pit Full of Pitmasters
Chef Tim Love is leading a hands-on grilling session Saturday, November 7, teaching attendees how to prepare a meal over charcoal. The Statesman notes that hands-on grilling is an additional option available with any festival ticket, separate from general admission. Meanwhile, The Fire Pit brings live-fire cooking to the festival grounds with a roster of Texas pitmasters, including Ali Clem of la Barbecue, Chelsea Fadda of Pecan Square Cafe and Enma Lopez of Austin Beerworks, according to Tribeza.
The festival's participating restaurant list draws heavily from Austin's Michelin-recognized dining scene. Featured spots include one-star Michelin recipients Barley Swine and la Barbecue, along with Green Star recipient Emmer & Rye, Tribeza reports. The Statesman also lists Loro, Lutie's, Mum Foods, Poeta, The Peached Tortilla, Yellow Ranger, Alteño, Bill's Oyster, Eberly, Eldorado Café and Intero among the restaurants featured at this year's showcase.
A Michelin Moment Fuels the Festival's Timing
Austin's culinary profile has shifted considerably since Michelin released its inaugural Texas guide in November 2024, when Austin claimed seven of the state's 15 total one-star distinctions, more than any other Texas city, according to The Austin Chronicle. Austin held onto all seven stars in the 2025 guide update, cementing the city's standing heading into this year's festival.
That rising profile traces back to the festival's own origins. In 2012, the 26-year-old Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival, which began in 1986, was rebranded into the Austin Food & Wine Festival under a partnership between producer C3 Presents and Food & Wine magazine, according to Forbes. That inaugural 2012 event featured celebrity headliners Masaharu Morimoto and Marcus Samuelsson alongside musical acts Lucinda Williams and Mayer Hawthorne across Auditorium Shores and Republic Square Park, per Wikipedia.
Ticket Proceeds Feed a Statewide Culinary Grant Program
The rebrand also established the non-profit Austin Food & Wine Alliance as the festival's beneficiary, a structure that later expanded. In 2020, the group grew into the Texas Food & Wine Alliance, which has granted more than $500,000 to culinary innovators across Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio since its inception, according to Houston Style Magazine. The funding has supported artisan food producers, sustainable farmers and high school culinary education programs across the state.
C3 Presents, which also produces the Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park, has invested directly in the festival's home turf as well. The company donated $3.5 million in 2013 toward renovation projects at Auditorium Shores, according to Wikipedia. The city-owned venue, located at 800-900 W. Riverside Drive, operates under Austin Parks and Recreation Department special event policies that require multi-agency public safety oversight and environmental impact mitigation for the parkland along Lady Bird Lake, per the City of Austin.
Ticket Prices and What's Included
Single-day Friday tickets start at $185, Saturday tickets start at $205, and Sunday tickets start at $200, according to the Statesman. Weekender tickets cover both Saturday and Sunday, while VIP tickets include Saturday and Sunday festival access, early entry, a VIP lounge, and Friday's Made in Texas event. Single-day Grand Taste tickets are also available for either Saturday or Sunday. All festival ticket options include food and beverages, and attendees must be at least 21 years old. Tickets are available now at austinfoodandwinefestival.com/tickets.
