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2011 Wine Ride – Somm Spotlight – Austin’s Mark Sayre

December 21, 2010 in Austin, Events, TX, Wine | No comments

With the 2011 Wine Ride™ 1 month away, it’s about time you get to know that 5 Top Texas Sommeliers who will be competing on January 16, 2011 in The Race for the Perfect Pairing. We are fortunate to have some of the “industry’s best” along for the ride and now is their chance to prove it.

Mark Sayre, TRIO at Four Seasons – Austin

Mark Sayre, TRIO at Four SeasonsIf, like fine wines sommeliers only get better with age, Mark Sayre has a lot to look forward to. Already, the 31-year-old sommelier at Four Seasons Hotel Austin’s TRIO has made a name for himself with such designations as Wine & Spirits magazine’s “7 Best New Sommeliers in 2010″ (October 2010) and the title of Texas’ Best Sommelier (September 2007) crowding his impressive resume.

And the future looks just a bright since Mark is currently poised to become one of the youngest members of the international Court of Master Sommeliers, an elite group of wine professionals with a mere 170 members worldwide.

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2011 Wine Ride – Somm Spotlight – Dallas’ Jason Huerta

December 20, 2010 in Austin, Events, TX, Wine | 7 comments

With the 2011 Wine Ride™ 1 month away, it’s about time you get to know that 5 Top Texas Sommeliers who will be competing on January 16, 2011 in The Race for the Perfect Pairing. We are fortunate to have some of the “industry’s best” along for the ride and now is their chance to prove it.

Jason Huerta, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse – Dallas

Jason Huerta, Pappas Bros. SteakhouseJason Huerta has been an integral part of the Pappas Bros Steakhouse team since 1997.  Although an asset to the Texas wine scene, from 2002 – 2005, Jason also was the Bar Manager at The Shack Restaurant in Kapaa, Hawaii.  As a Certified Sommelier, he also performs as a Wine Writer for EscapeHatchDallas.com. Most recently, Jason has been celebrated for being awarded the title of 2010 Texas’ Best Sommelier, winner of the annual TEXSOM Sommelier Competition.

For more information about the Wine Ride, please visit our Wine Ride Information Page and follow Keeper Collection on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates and announcements. Tickets for the 2011 Wine Ride Finish Line Wine Tasting may be reserved and purchased by phone only. Please contact Keeper Collection at (512) 970-3456 for more information.

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2011 Wine Ride – Somm Spotlight – Houston’s Eric Hastings

December 17, 2010 in Austin, Events, TX, Wine | No comments

With the 2011 Wine Ride™ 1 month away, it’s about time you get to know that 5 Top Texas Sommeliers who will be competing on January 16, 2011 in The Race for the Perfect Pairing. We are fortunate to have some of the “industry’s best” along for the ride and now is their chance to prove it.

Eric Hastings, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood – Houston

Eric Hastings, Eddie V's Prime SeafoodA hospitality veteran of nearly 14 years, Eric Hastings began his career as a line cook before moving to the bar.  While not very wine-focused, the first restaurant of his employ had a significant impact on his passion for beverage, as they offered over 130 different labels of beer ranging from macro-brews to uniquely hand-crafted ales.

His first Sommelier position, in 1999, was at an immensely popular Italian restaurant in downtown Denver, Santino’s.  Here he learned about the culture of Italian food and wine.  From there he managed other bar/wine programs in restaurants and retail outlets before returning to the dining room as the Sommelier for the Denver Country Club.

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2011 Wine Ride – Somm Spotlight – Dallas’ Scott Barber

December 16, 2010 in Austin, Events, TX, Wine | No comments

With the 2011 Wine Ride™ 1 month away, it’s about time you get to know that 5 Top Texas Sommeliers who will be competing on January 16, 2011 in The Race for the Perfect Pairing.   We are fortunate to have some of the “industry’s best” along for the ride and now is their chance to prove it.

Scott Barber, Centennial Fine Wine & Spirits – Dallas

Scott Barber, Centennial Fine Wine & SpiritsScott Barber, like many wine professionals, came to wine indirectly after a career in fine art. After graduating from Middlebury College with a major in Art History and Italian he spent 10 years working out of New York selling 19th Century American Paintings with Sotheby’s, Christie’s and various galleries in Manhattan. He developed an interest in wine after moving to San Francisco to work for Butterfield’s auction house. This interest ran parallel to his art business as he worked in retail part-time, both with large chains and boutique shops, until he made the jump full-time into the wine business taking a position as wine director with Stephan Pyles restaurant in Dallas. Scott also spent 3 months as an extern at Read the rest of this entry »

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Great Wine Brings Good Luck – Words of Wisdom

November 29, 2010 in Austin, Chefs Under Fire 2010, Events, TX, Wine | No comments

After much-needed rest from the excitement of the 2010 Chefs Under Fire Culinary Competition, the Keeper team is excited to get back to the fun of blogging on “Where in the World is Keeper?”.  And, speaking of world travels, we hope 2010 Chefs Under Fire Champion Chef Christina Lee of Central Market Cooking School is looking forward to enjoying her grand prize trip to Cabo San Lucas. We can’t wait to find out what delicacies she created in her private kitchen in Cabo. Read the rest of this entry »

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Chef John at his “BESH”

April 19, 2010 in Austin, Chefs, Events, Recipes | No comments

Thanks to the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival, Crave Communications, and sponsors like Texas Monthly, The Keeper Team had a great afternoon and night with Chef John Besh and Chef  Steve McHugh.  We started with the Cooking Class : “My New Orleans” at Whole Foods Culinary Center Austin.  Chef Besh commented that Texas and Louisiana have had a long and great history together.  He noted that after Hurricane Katrina, many of the New Orleans culinary workers found refuge in San Antonio and other Texas cities, so it was fitting that Chef Besh expand his restaurant company outside of New Orleans.  Lucky for us Texans, he announced the opening of Lϋke restaurant in San Antonio planned for late August/early September, 2010!  Upon hearing this news, the crowd burst into applause.   Lϋke San Antonio will be under the experienced hands of Chef Steve McHugh who has worked with John for 8 years and most recently as Executive Chef for Lϋke New Orleans.  We all know the wonders of Chef BESH, but here are some newsbits about Chef McHugh – he hails from a small town in Wisconsin and is from a large family of seven boys (way to go Mommy McHugh!).  He worked on a dairy farm, trained at Culinary Institute of America, and is dedicated, along with Chef Besh, to creating dishes that use local, farmed, seasonal products.  This was well exemplified in the menu from the My New Orleans cooking class.  New Orleanians welcome spring as it brings crawfish season.  So, of course, our first dish was a lovely Fresh Pasta with Crawfish Ragout.  John shared some tips along the way, such as his pasta ratio, which is 5 eggs for 1 lb. of semolina flour and his shellfish pan sauce ratio, which is 2 parts shellfish stock, 1 part cream, and 1 part vermouth.     

Chef John Besh - Fresh Pasta with Crawfish Ragout

Fresh Pasta with Crawfish Ragout

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Expanding Our Palate at The James Beard House

April 7, 2010 in Chefs, Events, Recipes, Reviews, Testing, Travel | No comments

Restaurant Name & Location:
James Beard House 167 West 12th Street

James Beard House

Chef Name: Chef, Cuisine, and Menu change daily, but this particular night featured Celebrity Chef Haim Cohen, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Flames of Success!

December 2, 2009 in Austin, Chef David Bull, Chefs, Events, TX | 4 comments

Chefs Under Fire™ came and went and left us smiling from its success! From the fervent competition in the kitchen to Jim White’s flavorful commentary to the judge’s insightful remarks, Chefs Under Fire was chock-full of excitement, laughs, and entertainment. At the end of the night, our adept celebrity judges, Chef David Bull, Chef Tyson Cole, and Chef Kent Rathbun, were proud to finally announce the three outstanding winners. After quiet deliberation, Chef Bull selected Keith A. Hildebrandt II (of Texas Culinary Academy) for his exquisite (and inverted!) chicken and pancetta cacciatore, Chef Cole chose Loren Root for his unique, refined version of Cole’s Uchiviche dish, and Chef Rathbun picked Martin Weaver (also a graduate of Texas Culinary Academy) for his original, pumpkin-infused barbecue sauce and pork tenderloin.  And as an additional surprise from the judges, they even awarded Keith Hildebrandt the Best in Presentation award for his beautiful Deconstructed Chicken Cacciatore!
Keith Hildebrandt's Deconstructed Chicken Cacciatore

Keith Hildebrandt's Deconstructed Chicken Cacciatore

 

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Chefs Under Fire Finalists Announced!

November 23, 2009 in Austin, Chefs, Events | No comments

Congratulations to the Chefs Under Fire Finalists! These 9 lucky and talented chefs will get to compete for a chance to be named winner of the 2009 Chefs Under Fire Competition! Come cheer them on at the event on November 30 at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center!  Limited Tickets still available! 

Chef David Bull Finalists:

1. Alysha Cable

2. Trysh Gonzales

3. Keith A. Hildebrandt II

Chef Tyson Cole Finalists:

1. Steve Crisler

2. Eli Ollinger

3. Loren Root

Chef Kent Rathbun Finalists:

1. Antonio Hinojosa

2. Maite Rodriguez-Palma

3. Martin Weaver

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Great meeting with Chef Josh Watkins about His Chefs Under Fire Food Creations!

November 21, 2009 in Austin, Chefs, Events, TX, Wine | 1 comment

The Keeper Team had a great meeting to plan the food and festivities for Chefs Under Fire with Executive Chef Josh Watkins of the A T & T Executive Education & Conference Center.  No doubt the lucky people who purchase a ticket to this event will enjoy some tasty treats!  Josh also told us that he saw several of the Chefs Under Fire contestants at Big Reds and Bubbles last night, the Wine and Food Foundation‘s premier event of the year.  The contestants were quick to admit that they hope to be one of the Finalists, which will be announced on this Keeper Blog on Monday, November 23rd.  Come see the heat turned up in the Tejas Dining Room kitchen for this competition on November 30th.  Thanks again, Josh for all of your hard work on this event – can’t wait to see you there!

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