Accomplishments Recognized
Nominations were recently announced for the annual International Association of Culinary Professionals (www.iacp.com) and James Beard Foundation Awards (www.jamesbeard.org). Both organizations recognize achievements in cookbook publishing and food journalism. We are pleased to note nominations for the following Austin-related folks: Chef Terry Conlan of Lake Austin Spa & Resort is a finalist in the IACP Healthy Cookbook category for Fresh: Healthy Cooking and Living From Lake Austin Spa & Resort; former Chronicle contributor Pableaux Johnson received a nomination for a Beard magazine award for food writing in Gambit Weekly; and former Austin bankruptcy attorney Conde T. Cox inaugurates his new career as a wine writer in Oregon with a Beard magazine award nomination for writing about wine in Northwest Palate. Kudos to occasional Chronicle Food contributor Sandy Szwarc, who garnered the IACP Bert Greene Award for Food Journalism for a piece she wrote on mad cow disease for the Web… The Culinary Academy of Austin (2823 Hancock Dr., 451-5743, www.culinaryacademyofaustin.com) has received Title IV status from the U.S. Department of Education, which means students who wish to attend programs there may qualify for federally funded grants and loans… The Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Foundation announced recently that Susan Harkness is the winner of the annual Stephan Pyles Scholarship Cook-Off Competition, for which the Texas Culinary Academy student receives a $15,000 scholarship. We’re told that Harkness plans to study in Italy and France within the coming year.
Bocaditos
Here are some hot little bites of news from around town. Looks like everybody from the Easter Bunny to the miniature horses from Hearts and Hooves will be at the Strawberry Jubilee at the Westlake Farmers Market (4100 Westbank, 280-1976) this Saturday, April 10, from 10am to 1pm. They’ll have Texas strawberries in every way you can imagine… Kenichi (Fifth & Colorado, 320-8883) has several days of anniversary festivities coming up the first of the week, such as a big private party on Sunday, April 11, and open-to-the-public bashes with reduced menu prices on Monday, April 12, and Tuesday, April 13. Kenichi management has hooked up with the promoters of the Billy Bob Thornton/Tim McGraw outdoor concert this weekend, so the proceeds from their parties will benefit the same fund for spinal cord injuries, and it’s likely that some of the performers will be dropping by the Kenichi parties… Zoot (509 Hearn, 477-6535) chef/owner Stewart Scruggs has returned to his roots and taken over the kitchen at the West Austin neighborhood restaurant. “We decided to take Zoot back to the basics, adjust the prices and portion sizes some,” Scruggs says. “We’re not trying to be Charlie Trotter’s, we just want to make it the neighborhood place for a good meal that people remember from the early days.”… The biggest shocker of the week is that chef/owner Shawn Cirkiel has sold Jean-Luc’s Bistro (705 Colorado, 494-0033), and the restaurant closes this weekend. “We’ve tried for some time to work out a situation where we could remodel the restaurant to our specifications, but what we wanted to do was just too expensive an investment to make in someone else’s building.” Cirkiel sold the business to a group that plans to open a Greek restaurant in the Colorado Street space. Meanwhile, he’s contemplating his next move and saying goodbye to his regular customers this week with a prix fixe menu and closeout prices on wines.This article appears in April 9 • 2004.