Taste of the Hill Country

Fredericksburg Food and Wine Fest kicks off early-bird ticket sales

This festival is nearly a week long, making plenty of time for tasting.

Photo courtesy of the Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival

Right in the middle of Preview Week, a summer mini-festival in preparation for the official Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival this fall, tickets have gone on sale for the whole shebang. The main event happens October 21-26, and will include a grand tasting and special events like brunch, a tequila day party, and a five-course meal.

This more than 30-year-old festival has undergone a renaissance in recent years, with a sort of relaunch in 2024 that promised a new look and refreshed schedule. Its beneficiaries have changed, too, from the Marktplatz park to various Hill Country charities.

As of this July, both Preview Week and the main festival are now raising funds for the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, which at the time of this article's publication has raised more than $60 million.

Ticket sales will start with early-bird pricing, continuing through August 31. There are a handful of options for different levels of involvement in the festivities.

People who want to pick and choose their events — or just attend one — can pick up individual event tickets. As the Grand Tasting is the biggest event, it gets its own special individual badge ($125), with a discount for people with select Hill Country ZIP codes ($100 ticket). VIPs at the event ($250) will get to enter early, access a private lounge and restrooms, try special pairings, and take home a gift.

Two more inclusive badges will grant access to all events ($855) or a selection of the most popular events ($665): the Texas Wine Auction Barrel Auction, the Street Dinner, and the Waterfront Brunch.

For cherry-pickers, here are the events to choose from:

October 21: The Vineyard Table is a women-in-wine themed event that celebrates Jerilynn Clifford’s with paired bites by Ashely Odom of Feast & Merriment.
October 22: Opening Night, presented by William Chris Vineyards at the Albert Hotel with wine, live music, live culinary demos, and more.
October 23: Tacos & Tequila, a day party at El Quincho with "smokey" street tacos, sides, and paired tequila and cocktails.
October 23: Texas Black Tie Barbecue, presented by Lee + Associates at Becker Vineyards featuring top Hill Country pitmasters, wine pairings, and two-stepping.
October 24: Texas Wine Auction Barrel Auction, benefiting the Fredericksburg ISD Education Foundation. Guests will try premium barrel tastings and bid on rare and exclusive lots in Slate Theory’s underground wine cave.
October 24: The Street Dinner, presented by Waldorf Astoria Residences, a five-course feast with wine pairings, served outside on Austin Street in downtown Fredericksburg. Presented by Waldorf Astoria Residences.
October 25: The Grand Tasting, with 75+ tastings from Texas wineries, chefs, distilleries, and breweries, plus live cooking demos, music, an artisan market, and immersive activations.
October 26: The Waterfront Brunch at the iconic Fischer & Wieser Farmstead, with brunch bites, Fischer & Wieser wines, and cocktails.

A list of talent signed on so far is available at fbgfoodandwine.com. Notable participants include influential Southwestern chef Stephan Pyles, winemaker David Kuhlken of Pedernales Cellars, and the team at Calivence Wine Tasting Bar + Bistro, which will be brand-new in town starting in August.

festivals wine cocktails hill country fredericksburg chefs wineries events

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Chef Jason Dady revives much-missed Umai Mi at San Antonio's Pearl

Photo by Katie James

A coconut curry at Umai Mi.

Call 2025 the year of the culinary comeback. San Antonio chef Jason Dady is reviving his short-lived pan-Asian concept Umai Mi on December 10 at Pearl’s Bottling Department food hall at 312 Pearl Pkwy., Bldg 6 #107.

The prolific Alamo City chef first opened Umai Mi at 555 W. Bitters in January 2014 after closing tapas bar Bin 555 a mere 17 days earlier. The menu’s tagline, “so not authentic, it’s absurd,” aptly described the fusion focus, a mishmash of Asian flavors Dady enjoyed tinkering with at home.

Since he retired the restaurant in January 2015, he has explored Mediterranean, Mexican, and Italian concepts. Still, he has not returned to the “countless bowls, broths, herbs, and sauces” of his beloved modern Asian cuisine until now.

This time, Umai Mi has a sharper focus — bánh mì. The sandwiches will be made with Pullman Market crackling demibaguettes, delicate herbs, crunchy vegetables, and a choice of proteins such as lemongrass chicken, ginger soy beef, or shrimp. Guests can also order the sandwich Saigon-Style with a housemade pâté.

Umai Mi Bánh mì is the centerpiece of the menu.Photo by Katie James.

Beyond the sandwiches, Umai Mi will serve a bún bowl built with vermicelli noodles, fresh vegetables, peanuts, and a protein, finished with the house nuóc chãm. Diners can also dive into curries made with slow-simmered blends of coconut milk, aromatics, and Thai basil, available in red, Panang, or green.

The small plates and starters bring back some of Uma Mi’s heavy-hitters, including Japanese-inspired deviled eggs, crispy shrimp rolls, summer rolls, sweet and spicy wings, and a crispy rice salad. Although the kiosk — which replaces Chilaquil — doesn’t have “authentically absurd” cocktails of the original, it does offer playful choices like taro bubble tea, mango milk tea, and strawberry matcha.

The Umai Mi revival comes during a year of restaurant nostalgia. Earlier in the year, restaurateur Chad Carey staged a five-day series of pop-ups supporting Hill Country flood relief that featured the menus of now-shuttered concepts Cookhouse, Sandbar, The Monterey, Gwendolyn, and Feast. Feast is also undergoing a month-long resurrection at Battalion throughout December.

But the Jason Dady Restaurant Group is mostly looking toward the future. This year, the chef has opened Ice Ice Dady and Lil’ Bros BBQ Shack at The Rock at La Cantera and Tre Pizzeria at the San Antonio International Airport. Mexico Ceaty, a reimagining of mall food courts, is slated to debut in early 2026 at the Shops at Rivercenter downtown.

“We’re thrilled to bring Umai Mi to the Food Hall at Pearl, a place that celebrates culinary creativity and community,” says Dady in a statement. “The bánh mì represents what I love about cooking, balancing textures, fresh herbs, and layering flavors in a way that makes every bite exciting. At Umai Mi, it’s not just a menu item; it’s a dish that defines who we are.

Once opened, Umai Mi’s hours will be 11 am-9 pm Monday through Thursday, 10 am-10 pm Friday and Saturday, and 10 am-9 pm Sunday.

pearl food halls pan asian banh mi jason dady chefs openings