Deep in the Heart of Austin

Memories are made of food and wine and, above all, fantastic people.

Our group made friends with each other and with the passionate culinarians we visited in Austin. We even set foot on Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch. I could tell you he melodically congratulated us for being back on the road again. But that’s too tall a tale even for Texas. He might have been at home behind the big gates or more likely in Hawaii. But we were inspired by the Terra Puerzza farmers running a regenerative agriculture project on the ranch.

We spent time with the chefs who pioneered Austin’s prominence and the newcomers who are moving it forward. We looked back at some ancient desert food and drink making a comeback. We tasted some leading local wines and spirits and enjoyed some Texas spins on dining high and low.

Thanks to our sponsors for making is all happen: Alaska Seafood, Cardinal International, Bigelow Tea, Smithfield.

Enjoy this slide show and take a walk down memory lane.

Cheers to 2021!

We can’t wait to get back on the road again. We feel like horses at the gate!

And we’re happy to say good-bye to one of the worst years ever. Like you, we've mourned the devastation caused by the pandemic to the hospitality industry. It raises our spirits to applaud the frontline workers in foodservice and all their brave and creative efforts to feed us. And we’re hopeful that hospitality and travel can once again flourish in the future.

Happily the food conversations never stop. We were honored to be interviewed by Liz Williams, founder of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum for her podcast. Click the link to hear us share with you our predictions about the future of hospitality and a selection of our armchair travel musings. https://southernfood.org/tip-of-the-tongue/2020/12/07/tip-of-the-tongue-54

The timetable for when we kick off our Flavor Forays may still be a bit uncertain but we’re optimistic. We’re determined to (and planning to) soon lead more Forays to all the great cities we have visited (and write about in our book On The Road With Flavor Forays: An Insider’s Guide to Austin, Charleston, Portland and New Orleans.) Also on the horizon: an exploration of Portuguese food, wine, and culture.

This year has also highlighted some basic truths that shine bright. What keeps us inspired is likely the same for you: gathering at the table whether virtually or in close groups. From the simplest bite to the most elaborate meal, food has the power to be the lovely thread that connects all holidays, and those traditions continue to bring us together in spirit even when we're apart.

We wish you Happy Holidays even though our celebrations may be different this year. Let’s all raise a glass to the New Year and new opportunities.

Barbara Mathias and Beverly Stephen
Culinary Travel Producers at Flavor Forays
Co-Authors of On the Road with Flavor Forays

Tip of the Tongue 54: An Unscratched Itch for Travel

Beverly and Barbara recently spoke with Liz Williams, founder of the National Food & Beverage Foundation and the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, on her program Tip of the Tongue - a podcast about food & drink, culture, and museums. You can listen by clicking here.

Ottolenghi: The Accidental Vegetarian

Ottolenghi: The Accidental Vegetarian

By Beverly Stephen Just when you think there couldn't possibly be another way to cook cauliflower along comes Yotam Ottolenghi, the British Israeli chef/author, with a new book, Flavor. Have you ever thought of grating it raw? Of roasting it in chile butter? If Ottolenghi's books have anything to say

Deep in the Heart of Austin

Take a look at this recent story on Flavor Forays.

Deep in the Heart of Austin

On the Road with Flavor Forays: An Insider's Tour of Four of America's Hottest Food Cities -- Austin, Charleston, Portland, and New Orleans - takes readers along on memorable culinary immersions. Stir the pots. Meet the characters. Listen to the stories. And if you get hungry, whip up one of

Get your copy now!

Authors Barbara Mathias and Beverly Stephen spent over two decades covering chefs and food trends at Food Arts magazine. After the magazine shuttered, they acted on their dream and started a travel company, Flavor Forays, to bring chefs and food and beverage kingpins on culinary journeys to food meccas.

When they tell people what they do for a living, the typical response is ‘Can I come on one of your trips?’ And now you can. In On the Road with Flavor Forays you can be an armchair traveler on their insider culinary journeys.

Flavor Forays is temporarily grounded due to Covid-19.  During this down time, the authors have been working on their deep dish travelogue based on five years of trips to America’s hottest food destinations. It brought back so many great memories of the new friendships formed and of all the passionate chefs and producers they met along the way.

On The Road With Flavor Forays: An Insider's Tour of Four of America's Hottest Food Cities: Austin, Charleston, Portland, New Orleans

Buy On The Road With Flavor Forays: An Insider's Tour of Four of America's Hottest Food Cities: Austin, Charleston, Portland, New Orleans: Read Books Reviews - Amazon.com

Have you seen our new book?

Hamptons Real Estate Showcase did a piece on our culinary immersion adventures which are chronicled in our new book - check it out below.

“On the Road with Flavor Forays: An Insider’s Tour of Four of America’s Hottest Food Cities… Austin, Charleston, Portland, and New Orleans — takes readers along on memorable culinary immersions. Stir the pots. Meet the characters. Listen to the stories. And if you get hungry, whip up one of the recipes provided by the chefs and producers on these tours.”

New Orleans: Small Bites, Big Easy - Hamptons Real Estate Showcase - Luxury Real Estate and Lifestyle Magazine

On the Road with Flavor Forays: An Insider's Tour of Four of America's Hottest Food Cities... Austin, Charleston, Portland, and New Orleans - takes readers along on memorable culinary immersions. Stir the pots. Meet the characters. Listen to the stories. And if you get hungry, whip up one of the recipes provided by the chefs and producers on these tours.

You can purchase On the Road HERE.

Praise for On the Road with Flavor Forays

On the Road with Flavor Forays: An Insider’s Tour of Four of America’s Hottest Food Cities — Austin, Charleston, Portland, and New Orleans -- takes readers along on memorable culinary immersions. Stir the pots. Meet the characters. Listen to the stories. And if you get hungry, whip up one of the recipes provided by the chefs and producers on these tours.

On the Road with Flavor Forays - by Barbara Mathias and Beverly Stephen

Get your copy HERE!

Here’s what people are saying -

Love the book! This amazing duo have re-created “live” what they did at Food Arts. Now you can also read about these amazing adventures. Each Favor Forays trip is through the lens of professional and personal interest.  You will go deep into the belly of the culture at the best places with the top players in every location.

Bravo ladies & enjoy the Limoncello!

 Ed Brown

President, Restaurant Services

Restaurant Associates

This book describes perfectly the experience of what Flavor Forays is meant to be.

A travel back to the origins of our industry traditions, meeting with some of the best culinary and mixologist talents, sharing their passion and local best-kept secrets through food and storytelling.

A fantastic networking event I had the opportunity to attend on multiple occasions.

Jean-Marie Clement

Vice President

Food & Beverage Walt Disney World

What better way to experience the food culture than visiting a community and immersing oneself with the locals, hearing their stories, and learning about how their culture evolved over time.  Flavor Forays offers a unique opportunity to meet with local experts, tour farms, producers, restaurants, and more and really learn about the heart of each community they visit in just a couple of days.  Now with this book you can join the adventures as an armchair traveler.

Scott Giambastiani

GoogleFood Services

Till this day I have stacks of Food Arts magazine from 2006-2008, during the time I lived and worked in St. Thomas. Never in a million years did I think one day I would be cooking for the Food Arts pioneers. Beverly and Barbara are two passionate ladies! Their new culinary venture, Flavor
Forays has become one of my favorite events to be a part of. All because of these beautiful ladies and their wonderful spirit. Now with this book, so many more people will have the opportunity to enjoy the Flavor Forays experience.

Chef BJ Dennis

Gullah Ambassador

Anxious for a Road Trip?

On the Road with Flavor Forays: An Insider’s Tour of Four of America’s Hottest Food Cities — Austin, Charleston, Portland, and New Orleans — takes readers along on memorable culinary immersions. Stir the pots. Meet the charac­­ters. Listen to the stories. And if you get hungry, whip up one of the recipes provided by the chefs and producers right from these tours.

Authors Barbara Mathias and Beverly Stephen spent over two decades covering chefs and food trends at Food Arts magazine. After the magazine shuttered, they acted on their dream and started a travel company, Flavor Forays, to bring chefs and food and beverage kingpins on culinary journeys to food meccas.

When they tell people what they do for a living, the typical response is ‘Can I come on one of your trips?’ And now you can. In On the Road with Flavor Forays you can be an armchair traveler on their insider culinary journeys.

Flavor Forays is temporarily grounded due to Covid-19.  During this down time, the authors have been working on their deep dish travelogue based on five years of trips to America’s hottest food destinations. It brought back so many great memories of the new friendships formed and of all the passionate chefs and producers they met along the way.

"Love the book! This amazing duo have re-created 'live' what they did at Food Arts. Now you can also read about these amazing adventures."

—Ed Brown, president Restaurant Services, Restaurant Associates

Click below to get your copy today!

On The Road With Flavor Forays: An Insider's Tour of Four of America's Hottest Food Cities: Austin, Charleston, Portland, New Orleans

Buy On The Road With Flavor Forays: An Insider's Tour of Four of America's Hottest Food Cities: Austin, Charleston, Portland, New Orleans: Read Books Reviews - Amazon.com

Update from Flavor Forays

Hello Flavor Foray Friends,

"For now, traveling down our memory lanes is the only safe travel," Chef Vitaly Paley wrote when he told us about his new cooking show on Instagram, "In the Kitchen with Vitaly Paley.”

In the Kitchen with Chef Vitaly Paley | - Paley's Place

To maintain our sense of community as we stay at home, we're announcing a new series of live recording sessions on Instagram Live:In the Kitchen with Chef Vitaly Paley every Friday at 5 PM PST Vitaly and Kimberly Paley will go live from their home kitchen every Friday to help you sort through your pantry and demonstrate easy recipes with non-perishable items. At the end, the chef will answer all of your burning questions about cooking from home.

Chef Paley and his wife Kimberly are now live on Instagram every Friday evening at 5 PST.  They revisit recipes from some of their favorite travels abroad and help viewers sort through their pantries for simple, homey dishes. Here’s how to participate. Download the Instagram Ap and visit Chef Paley’s personal account @vit0bike. When you see a pink circle around his profile picture the live has started. You can even ask questions.

On our Flavor Forays to Portland, one of our most popular visits is Chef Paley’s Russian Samovar Service at the Heathman Hotel. Chef Paley pays homage to the rich history of the Heathman while adding a Russian flare that speaks to his own heritage. At Christmas time, the Russian tea does 200 to 300 covers a day.

Russian Tea at Portland's Heathman Hotel

Forget scones and clotted cream. Leave it to pioneering Portland, Oregon chef Vitaly Paley to come up with a whole new approach to high tea for the historic Heathman Hotel. Drawing on his own heritage, Paley designed a Russian Tea with samovar service and traditional dishes.

In our last letter, we reported that Treaty Oak Distilling, Dripping Springs, Texas, one of our favorite visits during Austin Flavor Forays, has switched production from Bourbon to hand sanitizer. We have since learned that Desert Door, the sotol distillery nearby in Driftwood, has made 40K bottles of sanitizer which they have donated. Amazing! We’ve also learned that Straightaway Cocktails in partnership with Kombucha Brew Dr. in Portland is also creating hand sanitizer.

Booze itself is a stronger than ever profit center. Drive-by has been a creative solution for sales. The adorable drive-by Rosé wine stand created by Wolffer Estates in Sagaponack, NY, where customers can order from their full portfolio as well as the wildly popular Summer in a Bottle Rosé, helps offset losses from their closed tasting room and restaurants. Back in Austin, Desert Door and Fall Creek Vineyards are also selling drive-by bottles. Award winning Austin restaurant Emmer & Rye is offering a curated wine list for pickup and delivery as well as a sommelier selection featuring six packs of themed wines.  In Portland, Nostrana is selling wine from its extensive cellar. And the fact that many states allowed restaurants to include cocktails in the take-out orders has been a saving grace.

We understand how hard this crisis has hit the restaurant/foodservice industry. Sadly, some restaurants have closed. Hopefully, others are surviving by offering take-out. We would love to hear about any particularly creative approaches you’re taking or any partnerships you may have formed to help you feed first responders or food banks. Perhaps you’re devoting time to r&d, developing new menus, researching new ingredients, or developing new formats of service.  Some hotels are housing first responders. Our hope is that we all have a future in this industry.

Please share your actions and ideas with us. We’ll then compile them and share them with all of you. We don’t want to create a burden when you’re already overstretched. But if you can take a minute to write a sentence or two, and email bstephenwest@gmail, it could be helpful or inspiring to your colleagues.

Heartfelt thanks and stay in touch,

Barbara Mathias & Beverly Stephen
Flavor Forays

What are you doing during the quarantine?

Hello Flavor Foray Friends,

We just learned that Treaty Oak Distilling, one of our favorite visits in Austin, has switched production from Bourbon to sanitizer. Amazing! This has inspired us to ask all of you what you’re doing during this period of isolation.

We appreciate how hard this crisis has hit the restaurant/foodservice industry. Sadly some restaurants have closed. Hopefully, others are surviving by offering take-out and we would love to hear about any particularly creative approaches you’re taking or any partnerships you may have formed to help you feed first responders or food banks. Perhaps you’re devoting time to r&d, developing new menus, researching new ingredients, or developing new formats of service.  Some hotels are housing first responders. Our hope is that we all have a future in this industry.

Please share your actions and ideas with us. We’ll then compile them and share them with all of you. We don’t want to create a burden when you’re already overstretched. But if you can take a minute to write a couple sentences, and email bstephenwest@gmail.com, it could be helpful or inspiring to your colleagues.

Heartfelt thanks,

Barbara Mathias & Beverly Stephen
Flavor Forays

A Letter to Our Friends

Hello Flavor Foray Friends,

Travel has been the key to all our exciting adventures and the formation of our new friendships.

Over the past few years, we have enjoyed traveling with you to many of our terrific cities with vibrant food scenes. Together we have met and been inspired by so many passionate chefs, producers, farmers and fishermen, winemakers and distillers along the way.

And now, we’re all temporarily grounded. And more, in many cases. No matter your role in the hospitality business—from front line to supplier—we’re each facing tremendous changes to the way we operate, no matter who we are.

If we’ve learned anything from being with all of you—the best and the brightest in the business—it’s that you are idea builders, creators, and problem solvers. You also know the value of community.

Personally, we’re inspired by what we see happening locally. Restaurants, hotels, bars and businesses in our neighborhoods coming up with ideas to support their hourly workers or take all the food they have in stock and turn it into money making solutions—or possibly charity enterprises.

So we are starting a conversation here. Perhaps some of you have ideas you’d like to share about what it’s possible for a chef, restaurateur, hotelier, travel consultant, caterer to do to navigate these new times. Or perhaps you’d like to just say hello, we’re all in this together. (Heck, you can even vent!). We are, most of all, connectors of people and thought we’d see if collectively we can help each other.

We are sending this letter individually to all of you wonderful friends who have participated in one of our Flavor Forays. In the spirit of community we will also post it on our Flavor Forays Facebook page where it will be possible for anyone to share comments.

Let’s stay strong. We look forward to the day when travel will once again bring our world together, because wow! do we have plans for you.

Warm regards,

Barbara Mathias Beverly Stephen

Travel Memories: Scarves with a Story

Sometimes the flavor of a destination is revealed as much in its fabrics as in its food. That's especially true in India which has long been renowned for its textiles. Its truly a paradise for scarf hunters and scarves are truly great travel souvenirs.

Travel Memories: Scarves with a Story

By Beverly Stephen You can keep your mugs and magnets, your snow globes, key chains, and t-shirts. I wrap my travel memories around my neck. I buy scarves. They're not marred by logos or slogans. But they speak a sense of place-at least to me. Only I know my

On Wall Street with George Washington

Sometimes you don't need to travel to write a travel story. I realized I was living a travel story right outside my front door. I live near Federal Hall and the statue of George Washington taking the oath as first president. There are other historical sites on my street as well. Read more here.

On Wall Street with George Washington - Hamptons Real Estate Showcase - Luxury Real Estate and Lifestyle Magazine

George Washington lives on my street. Yes, he died in 1799. But his spirit lives on in his bronze statue standing proud on the steps of Federal Hall where he took the oath of office as the first president of the United States.

Haute Indian Cuisine

Chef Manish Mehrotra is on a one-man mission to elevate Indian cuisine to fine dining. His creative spins on traditional dishes can be enjoyed at his flagship Indian Accent in New Delhi as well as outposts of the restaurant in London and new York City.

The Sky’s the Limit for Upcoming NYC Skyscraper Restaurant SAGA

Fine dining options continue to multiply in New York City's financial district (FiDi). SAGA from 11 Madison Park and NoMad veteran James Kent is set to open on the upper floors of 70 Pine around the first of the year. His first foray in the skyscraper, Crown Shy, has been getting rave reviews for its crowd pleasing fare.

The Sky's the Limit for Upcoming NYC Skyscraper Restaurant SAGA

Can you imagine creating the ambience of a ski chalet on the terrace of a New York City skyscraper's 63rd floor restaurant in the winter? Chef James Kent can. He envisions heated seats, blankets and guests warmed by seasonal libations.

Chefs are Reinventing the Elote Wheel

Elotes, the Mexican street corn treat, has always been one of my favorite ways to eat corn, But it wasn't always easy to find in restaurants stateside and on the cob it can be messy. Now chefs are turning it into a plated dish and it's available far and wide so I jumped on the chance to do this story.

Chefs are Reinventing the Elote Wheel

Elote, the Mexican street corn on the cob slathered with mayo, crumbled cotija cheese, chile and lime, is an addictive combination of flavors that leaves you always wanting more. Once you've had it, you never forget it. And yet it wasn't always so easy to come by north of the border.

Chicago!

We've been traveling to Chicago for the restaurant show for many years and each year I love it more--the architecture, the magnificent Magnificent mile and the terrific restaurants. Many of Chicago's great chefs cook up a storm at our annual Championship BBQ & Cook-Off held each May during the restaurant show and for that we're deeply grateful. The more I thought about it, the more I thought Chicago would make a terrific weekend getaway for leisure so I decided to write a travel article. Hope you enjoy it.

Weekends In The Windy City - Hamptons Real Estate Showcase - Luxury Real Estate and Lifestyle Magazine

"C hicago! Chicago! That toddlin' town Chicago! Chicago! I'll show you around. " I can't get that song out of my head. And I can't get the city out of my mind. I've been fortunate to go there on business - luckily in the spring.

BJ Denis is on a Mission to Save Gullah Culture

One of the true highlights of our Flavor Forays to Charleston is the lunch that Gullah chef BJ Dennis cooks for our group on a shrimp dock on Shem Creek. Not only is the food delicious, his stories about Gullah culture are enlightening. Chef BJ is on a mission to preserve Gullah cuisine and culture. Here's a great shout out to him in Bon Appetit magazine.

People Say Gullah Geechee Culture Is Disappearing. BJ Dennis Says They're Wrong

The unofficial chef ambassador takes us deep into the heart of the Low Country, to meet the home cooks keeping the traditions of their enslaved ancestors alive BJ Dennis does not want this story to be about him.

New Texas Pioneers

One of our favorite things about our Flavor Forays is meeting the amazing people who are driving culinary innovation forward throughout the country. In Austin, we had the privilege of meeting miller James Brown who is leading a grain Renaissance in Texas. We first visited with him at his 5,000 square foot Barton Springs Mill and then tasted some of the pizza made with his flour at Apis as well as some of the pasta made with his flour at Emmer & Rye. When we visited Austin again this June, Brown was in the final stages of constructing a 17,509 square foot mill on the grounds of Treat Oak Distillery which also uses his grains in several of their spirits. Phenomenal growth! At the same time, we visited with neuroscientist turned baker and mesquite missionary Sandeep Gyawali who was recently tapped to oversee the bread program for Whole Foods. Nutritious mesquite pods can be ground into flour and used for baking. It also turns out they can play a role in craft cocktails which brings us to another favorite spot, Desert Door, where Sotol or Desert Spoon cactus is distilled into a delicious spirit along the lines of mescal or tequila. Two recent articles explain the work of these innovators in depth. Please read and enjoy.

Barton Springs Mill Is Leading a Texas Grain Renaissance

The smell of fresh stone-ground whole-grain flour is unmistakable. Like bread but raw. It's a scent that carries the promise of pizza, pasta, cakes, dumplings, tortillas. It's immediately recognizable, despite the fact that you've likely never smelled it before, unless you've visited a place like Barton Springs Mill.

In Texas, Even Drinks Love Mesquite | PUNCH

"Mesquite commands respect," says Sandeep Gyawali, neuroscientist, baker, cocktail enthusiast and forager. "It fights back and thrives under harsh conditions. The thorns make harvesting difficult, but there's also heat, scorpions, snakes and cacti." A spiky, prolific, leguminous tree native to the American Southwest and parts of Mexico, mesquite is perhaps best known in the United States for its relationship to Texas barbecue.