Taste of Texas on Saturday, May 16, raises relief money for the restaurant industry and celebrates Lone Star country music, drinks, barbecue, and more with video cooking demonstrations and performances.
In Texas alone, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused 688,000 job losses, $80 billion (with a B) in lost sales revenue, and resulted in the shutdown of more than a third of the state’s 50,000 restaurants. Again, those are just the numbers for one state.
How does a drink sound after those sobering statistics? Better yet, how about a drink, some great food, fun company, and live music all in the name of supporting restaurants in need and celebrating National Barbecue Month?
You can learn how to make a Smoked Spiced-Apple Old Fashioned from famed bartender and drink creator Eddie “Lucky” Campbell along with a handful of grill-worthy dishes from some of the most respected, award-winning chefs in Texas tomorrow night, and enjoy some musical performances to boot. Billy Bob’s Texas and Lux214 Media Group are putting on a virtual cooking and music experience starting at 6 p.m. CDT Saturday, May 16, streaming on Billy Bob’s Facebook page.
The event is free to all to stream — at home, on your phone, at a watch party (with people already in your circle, of course), or with social media friends using the hashtags #DishingOutRelief and #TXRestaurantReliefFund — but donations to the TX Restaurant Relief Fund are encouraged. You can text DishingOutRelief to 833.970.0618, or go straight to the donation form at this link.
Bri Bagwell, Carson Jeffery, and the Statesboro Revue will perform between cooking demonstrations — and more — by an impressive roster of chefs. Sarah Heard will show how to make a smoked potato salad, Kent Rathbun will teach how to make grilled fajita chicken, and Richard Chamberlain will demonstrate pecan-wood roast pork with a honey-ginger glaze and mint-marigold butter. Dean Fearing will not just show how to make his Rosewood Ranch Rib-eye, he’ll show his musical chops as well. And Tim Love plans to put on a juggling act on top of showing home chefs how to juggle the ingredients for spicy garlic-marinated shrimp with Woodshed house-made sauce.
Not being able to see live music or eat out for the past couple months has been especially difficult, so tomorrow night's event should be quite a relief.
Bri Bagwell photograph by Jordan Fischels Photography
