The Austin Food & Wine Festival has revealed its 2026 Fire Pit lineup, with women chefs and pitmasters taking a leading role in one of the festival’s most popular attractions. The 15th annual festival returns November 6-8, 2026, bringing three days of food, wine, spirits, chef demos and live-fire cooking to Austin.
Austin doesn’t exactly suffer from a shortage of food festivals, but the Fire Pit has always been one of the better reasons to arrive hungry. It’s the part of the weekend where smoke drifting across the festival grounds tends to derail whatever carefully constructed eating plan you made on the way in.
This year’s lineup should make that even more challenging for anyone in attendance.
On Saturday, November 7, the Fire Pit will feature Ali Clem of la Barbecue, Michelle Wallace of B’tween Sandwich Co in Houston, acclaimed chef April Bloomfield, Chelsea Fadda of Pecan Square Cafe and Enma Lopez of Austin Beerworks.
Clem returns Sunday alongside Ana Liz Pulido of Ana Liz Taqueria, Lorena Garcia of Chica Restaurants and Tom Micklethwait of Micklethwait Barbecue. Each chef will bring a different approach to cooking over flame, giving festivalgoers a chance to sample barbecue and live-fire dishes while watching some of the cooking happen in real time.
The Fire Pit is only part of a considerably larger chef roster.
Andrew Zimmern returns to Austin this year alongside Esther Choi, Richard Blais and Kevin Lee for the festival’s chef demonstration series. Choi is the chef behind New York’s Mokbar and an Iron Chef finalist, while Blais won Top Chef: All-Stars. Lee was named a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist, and Zimmern brings four James Beard Awards and a few decades of making adventurous eating look suspiciously easy on television.
Another chef worth keeping an eye on is Michelle Wallace of B’tween Sandwich Co. The Houston chef and pitmaster spent six years as executive chef at Gatlin’s BBQ before launching her own sandwich concept, where barbecue technique collides with comfort food in everything from smoked meats to biscuits and decidedly non-basic sandwiches. Wallace also competed on Season 21 of Top Chef, giving this year’s Texas representation another recognizable face with some serious live-fire credentials.
Austin talent is well represented throughout the weekend, including Alexa Mejia of Emmer & Rye, Augusta Passow of Barley Swine and Odd Duck, Sarah McIntosh of épicerie, Amir Hajimaleki of Roya, Damon Cook of Uchi and Hai Hospitality, Alan Dale Nelson of Best Quality Daughter, and Brendan Yancy and Drew Ahumada of Austin Oyster Co.
Friday night’s Made in Texas event kicks things off from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Long Center Terrace, bringing together chefs, drinks and live music around the many different flavors that actually make up Texas cooking. Choi, Lee and Zimmern will participate alongside a sizable group of Texas chefs.
The weekend’s Chef Showcase gets even bigger.
Saturday’s restaurant lineup includes Alteño, Geraldine’s, Intero, Justine’s, Lonesome Dove, Loro, Lutie’s, SITI, Skipjack Oyster, Swift’s Attic, Tare, The Peached Tortilla, Wu Chow, Yellow Ranger and several others.
Sunday follows with Barbacana, Bill’s Oyster, Casa Bianca, Eberly, Ensenada ATX, Ezov, Garrison, Honey Moon Spirit Lounge, Mum Foods, Parkside, Poeta, Yamas and more.
For guests who prefer holding the tongs instead of watching someone else use them, chef Tim Love will also return for Hands-On Grilling on Saturday morning at Auditorium Shores. Participants share a charcoal grill, prepare their own meal and get grilling instruction directly from Love before the daytime festival begins.
Austin Food & Wine Festival 2026 Details
- Dates: November 6-8, 2026
- Made in Texas: Friday, Nov. 6, 7-9:30 p.m., Long Center Terrace
- Saturday & Sunday Festival: Auditorium Shores
- Hands-On Grilling: Saturday, Nov. 7 at 11 a.m.
- Age: All festival events are 21+
- Tickets: VIP, multi-day, single-day and add-on availability may change as the festival approaches. Current options are available through the Austin Food & Wine Festival ticket page.
For the full chef lineup, schedule updates and ticket information, visit Austin Food & Wine Festival.