Double-Edged Sword
One of the great things about having this column is that I can say whatever I want in the newspaper every week. The other edge of that sword is that I have to sign my name to and take responsibility for whatever I say in public. A March 3 column questioning why the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival (THCWAFF) and other prominent charity events don’t include more women chefs sparked some controversy. While responses to the column ran about 10-3 in favor of my comments, I do feel it’s important to further qualify the issue.
I heard from THCWAFF president W. Emmett Fox and vice-president Erica Brown, who felt they’d been personally attacked in print. Both officers assured me that gender is never a consideration when their board chooses restaurants to appear at the “Stars Across Texas” event and they were offended by any assertion that they’d discriminated against women chefs. The criteria for inclusion in the Friday night lineup is “full-service restaurants that provide table service and sell wine,” according to Brown. Every year, the board generates a ballot list of potential restaurants and votes on individual secret ballots to choose the participating restaurants for that year’s dinner. (The only other method for participating at the Friday night dinner is to provide sponsorship money for the festival.)
Participating in the “Stars Across Texas” dinner means appearing in the festival brochure that goes out to a very upscale statewide mailing list and offers exposure at one of Texas’ most high-profile food and wine events. It also requires decorating a table, staffing that table with a chef and at least one other person on a busy Friday night, and donating 800 appetizer-sized servings of one dish. It’s a lot of work and can be expensive. Brown stressed that any restaurateur who feels they meet the criteria and wants to be included on next year’s ballot is welcome to submit their name, menu, wine list, and/or press kit to festival director Jenny Stone at the THCWAFF office at 1006 MoPac Circle, Suite 102, Austin, Texas 78746.
It was never my intention to attack THCWAFF board members personally, and I agree they have a democratic process in place. My quarrel isn’t with the process. Regardless of how pristine and democratic the voting, the fact remains that most of the same restaurants appear year after year, leaving very few spots for new ones. It may well be that a ratio of three female chefs out of a total of 30 restaurants corresponds to the ratio of female-to-male chefs statewide, but surely in cities the size of Austin, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, there are more worthy female chefs than the ratio would indicate. What about using that event as a forum to spotlight new talent for a change?
A few years ago, I asked one of the festival founders, Dallas chef Stephan Pyles, why his restaurants didn’t appear at the festival regularly and he responded, “I’ve had plenty of time in the spotlight, and so have my restaurants. It’s time to give other people a chance to shine.” Well said. My point in writing both columns is to remind all charity boards and event planners around town that Austin’s female chefs have plenty of talent and fundraising ability to bring to the table when given the chance.
This article appears in March 24 • 2000.