BESPOKE: An Exploration of Taste & Thought is proud to announce an innovative and debut day-long food summit to be held in Austin on Saturday, August 19 at Contigo from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tickets are $55 (students with ID)/$75 (general admission) and can be purchased at https://bit.ly/TIX_AUS.

 

The greater goal is to bridge the gaps between the worlds of academia, food culture, and hospitality through a series of inspirational keynote speeches, educational panels and roundtable discussions. The theme for the day is Food and Movement, a look behind the ways ideas, people, and cultures move across place and space and impact how we eat and perceive food and taste. Below, the line-up for the day:

 

Keynote Speech 1 | Renowned food scholar, UT-Austin Professor, and author Dr. Rachel Laudan on food cultures, history, and movement.

 

Keynote Speech 2 | Former Gourmet magazine Asia correspondent and Oxford Food symposiast, Robert McKeown on ‘Culinary Worlding’, Filipino Food & Chef Francis Ang

 

Themed Panel on ‘Issues of Diversity, Labor, and Power in the Food Industries’ – Addie Broyles of Austin American-Statesmen; Fiore Tedesco of L’Oca D’Oro; Sam Hellman-Mass of the upcoming restaurant Suerte; and farmer Stephanie Scherzer of Farmhouse Deliveries. Chaired by BESPOKE Founder Robert McKeown.

 

Round-Table Discussions w/Speakers – Guests will rotate through tables of 10-12 people, intimately engaging in debate and questions with at least 3 of the day’s speakers. This is meant to foster engagement and discourse beyond ordinary q-and-a format.

 

Pop-Up Ramen Bar Lunch by Eric Silverstein of Peached Tortilla (also leader of a round table discussion).

 

All of the profits go will go to two charities: Piggy Bank (supporting family farms raising heritage breed animals) and the American Friends of the Oxford Food Symposium (student scholarships fund).

 

BESPOKE Event Info 

WhereContigo, 2027 Anchor Lane, Austin, TX. 512.614.2260

When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 19