Virtual fundraiser on Saturday, August 8 will benefit Thinkery’s STEAM Power Fund
Austin is one of America’s great food cities, home to an amazing array of culinary talent, restaurants, distilleries and specialty food shops. A number of Austin’s best known and most beloved food and beverage names will come together on Saturday, August 8 to help raise funds for Thinkery.
Thinkery’s Food For Thought will be a breezy, engaging and informative 60-minute online program. This four-course virtual adventure will be divided into chapters: cocktails, appetizers, entrées and dessert. The program will be hosted by John and Kendall Antonelli, the owners and operators of Antonelli’s Cheese Shop. Each chapter will feature special guests from the Austin food and beverage community, including:
- Aaron Franklin – James Beard award-winning pitmaster behind the popular Franklin Barbeque, which was named Texas Monthly’s Best Barbecue Joint in Texas and Bon Appetit’s Best Barbecue Joint in America.
- Kevin Fink – Executive chef and co-owner of Austin’s famed Emmer & Rye, as well as popular eateries Hestia, Henbit, Kalimotxo and TLV. Fink was named Food & Wine’s “Best New Chef” in 2016, a 2018 James Beard semifinalist and 2019 James Beard finalist for “Best Chef Southwest.”
- Tavel Bristol-Joseph – Acclaimed chef and partner in Emmer & Rye, Hestia, Henbit, Kalimotxo and TLV. Bristol-Joseph was named Food & Wine’s “Best New Chef” in 2020 and is widely heralded as a pastry master.
- Abby Love – Owner and baker behind Abby Jane Bakeshop, a new bakery focused on breads and pastries from heritage grains grown in Texas. Love is a 12-year industry veteran who has worked at Austin restaurants including Dai Due, Qui and Vespaio, and has been praised by Texas Monthly, Eater, Austin-American Statesman and more.
- John Schrepel and Josh Madere – Schrepel is the Head Distiller for Still Austin Whiskey Co. and Madere is the distillery’s Tours & Education Manager. The two will take viewers behind the scenes of the popular South Austin distillery, offering a start-to-finish look at how they turn local Texas grains into unique, amazing spirits.
- Sheena Moore – Moore started pickling in 2012 when a friend gave her a pickling kit for her birthday. She now runs Sheena’s Pickles, using seasonal & local produce to create a variety of pickled yummies.
- Daniela Martinez – Event planner, beverage consultant, and self-described “Herbal Mixologist.” Martinez (also known by the moniker “Social D”) has taken to Zoom to teach people how to create delicious and fresh cocktails with what she likes to call a “Nutrish-ish” twist.
Thinkery’s Food For Thought will also include a silent auction, a raffle for a grand prize, seven-night trip to Paris, France, and a live “raise the paddle” fundraiser during the program.
All proceeds from the event will benefit Thinkery’s STEAM Power Fund, which lets the museum continue to support the community with enriching STEAM experiences during Thinkery’s closure and will help reopen the museum’s doors when it is safe to do so.
Tax-deductible tickets are on-sale now at thinkeryaustin.org/foodforthought.