Great Texas Chefs

Hill Country winery harvests dinner series highlighting Texan James Beard Award winners and nominees

The Great Texas Chefs series highlights James Beard Award winning and nominated chefs in Texas.

The vastness of Texas is one of its greatest qualities, and that extends to its cuisine. Sometimes we group foods by cooking style, ethnic group, or ingredients, but we are fortunate enough to have a wealth of great chefs in another category based on esteem: James Beard Award winners and nominees.

Instead of choosing a culinary theme for its next dinner series, Fredericksburg winery Becker Vineyards decided to just go for the cream of the crop, and reached out to chefs in the latter category to launch a new series starting on September 24, called 2023 Great Chefs of Texas.

The three-month series is kicking off with an attitude befitting such a lofty curation theme, promising via a press release a "holistic dining experience that cannot be replicated in quality and nature." Each week will feature new chef partners serving unique multi-course menus to up to 100 guests.

“All food and wine is theater,” said Becker Vineyards founder Dr. Richard Becker in the release. “The alternatives can be dim. We are now in rehearsal to be on stage with the great chefs of Texas.”

Of course, wine pairings will even further elevate the feast. More than just serving some delicious wines, the winery is interested in showing off its status as a group of wine and culinary experts, and educating visitors accordingly. Heading the culinary side will be new resident estate chef Jean-Claude Balek, who brings more than three decades of experience in fine dining to the Hill Country establishment (which sometimes hosts less intense events that emphasize its heritage as a farm).

2023 Great Chefs of Texas highlights four chefs on three dates this year:

September 24: James Beard Award Finalist, Chef John Russ, and Chef Elise Russ of Clementine
November: James Beard Award winner Tom Perini of Perini Ranch Steakhouse
December (holiday dinner): James Beard Award winner Dean Fearing of Fearing's

The series plays into Becker Vineyard’s industry campaign, "Ask for Texas Wines," which aims to bring Texas wines to the table, literally and figuratively, where people don't always think of them. Becker winemaker Jonathan Leahy spoke of the underrating of Texas wines on the Texas Wine Lover blog a few years ago: "It’s not the quality of the fruit or where the fruit comes from. It’s probably PR overall. People in Texas love Texas wines. They’ve discovered it; they know what’s going on. People outside of Texas on the other hand still need a lot of hand holding and convincing....”

Tickets ($160) to the inaugural event with chefs John Russ and Elise Russ of Clementine are available on Tock. Becker Vineyards is located at 464 Becker Farms Rd. in Fredericksburg.

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Better Days, Same Burgers

Shuttered San Antonio burger joint stages surprising comeback

Teddy B's/Facebook

Teddy B's has made a surprise comeback.

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of Teddy B's life. In October, the popular burger joint shuttered its decade-old location on Babcock Road, grieving a loss of foot traffic and rising costs. On November 20, the spot revealed a plot twist. The owners are now slinging patties at 9903 Fredericksburg Rd.

"Dear Teddy B's customers, we have good news," the restaurant posted on social media. "We are back in business...We are waiting for our new sign, but we are up and running."

The unexpected comeback is the culmination of a tumultuous year for the business. As the restaurant marked its 10-year milestone this summer, the outlook was much darker. On August 4, the restaurant took to social media to warn that closure could be imminent. A traffic decline affected Teddy B's ability to maintain its affordable price point.

The messaging worked, at least in the short term. Days later, the restaurant reported an increase in business. The marketing language was hopeful until October 13, when the restaurant abruptly announced it was closing for good.

The news of Teddy B's rebirth came just as suddenly. After a month-long social media silence, the restaurant announced it had taken over the former home of Burger Haven. The latter restaurant was little known, appearing to operate mainly as a ghost kitchen.

Assumably, burgers will be back on the menu, but it is unclear whether other favorites will be eliminated to streamline the operation. The business has not posted any revisions, and its website is down at press time.

The burger joint's comeback manifests as other shuttered legacy restaurants like The Lion and Rose and Fratello's have staged their own returns. While Teddy B's has offered no reasoning for getting back into the game, it is a testament to the resiliency of San Antonio's culinary community.

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