Star Chefs names 17 Austin chefs, restaurateurs and bartenders to its 2023 Rising Stars
Restaurant industry advocacy group and media outlet Star Chefs has announced its 2023 Rising Stars for the Austin-San Antonio area.
The awards are given out annually to professionals “who best represent the future of American hospitality,” according to Star Chefs, with winners selected through tastings and interviews and evaluated “according to a set of national standards. Creativity, ambition, presentation, philosophy, and, of course, delicious food and drink.”
The roster of celebrated chefs includes names familiar to any regular reader of American-Statesman dining content. The group of Star Chefs features Kareem El-Ghayesh of KG BBQ and Geoff Ellis of Mum Foods Smokehouse and Delicatessen, both of which were named in our list of Best New Restaurants in this year’s dining guide. Rounding out the list are three chefs whose restaurants have made regular appearances in the Statesman’s list of best restaurants in the city: Rich Reimbolt of Better Half, Keith Rzepecki of Hestia and Amanda Turner of Olamaie.
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“The Central Texas hospitality seems to be managing to ride the wave of rapid evolution while staying anchored in the community and true to the best version of itself,” Star Chefs managing partner Will Blunt said in a release acknowledging this year’s winners.
Birdie's owners Arjav Ezekiel and his wife, executive chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, have stood out for the casual counter-service approach to their tight roster of Mediterranean-inspired dishes that are complemented by an exciting and at times irreverent beverage list. The couple was named Game Changers by the organization that has been bestowing laurels and supporting the hospitality industry for 28 years.
Chef Edgar Rico of Nixta Taqueria, who was recently named a Best New Chef by "Food & Wine," was celebrated in the Community category, which “recognizes professionals who are deeply connected to the local hospitality community, dedicate their time to community outreach, and are ultimately catalysts for involving members of the culinary community in important initiatives.”
Completing the astral map of Austin’s Stars are Brian Batch and Ryan McElroy for their Bird Bird Biscuit concept; Este and Suerte executive pastry Derrick Flynn; bartender Erin Ashford, who is a partner in the Statesman's Best New Restaurant Holiday on 7th; sommeliers Alex Wheatley Bell of Aviary Wine & Kitchen and Rania Zayyat of Bufalina; Ben and Phoebe Hollander of the Statesman's Best New Restaurant Casper Fermentables; and Will Jaquiss of Meanwhile Brewing Co. for his work at Austin’s finest producer of IPAs (and more).
The Rising Stars winners all voted anonymously for the Star Chefs Mentor award, which went to Fiore Tedesco, the chef-partner at L’Oca d’Oro, which was named the Statesman’s number one restaurant of 2022 in part thanks to its work in the hospitality community and the city at large during the COVID pandemic.
The Mentor award is given to a chef “who supports and inspires young restaurant professionals in their community, while nurturing talent with generosity, skill, and vision.”
The 2023 Austin-San Antonio Rising Stars will be the 84th class of Rising Stars Award winners and the third class from Austin-San Antonio.
To mark the occasion of this year’s newest class, Star Chefs will host Rising Stars Restaurant Week December 1 through 15, with restaurants from the winners offering a signature dish or drink from each of the honorees. Check the social media pages of the individual restaurants for details on the specials.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 17 Austin chefs, restaurateurs and bartenders named Rising Stars
