Join us as we welcome Macy’s Culinary Council Chef Michelle Bernstein and local chefs Laura Sawicki and Rene Ortiz of La Condesa at Macy’s Barton Creek, for a very special cooking demonstration celebrating the Austin FOOD & WINE festival!
Following the event, don’t miss your chance to have Chef Bernstein autograph your purchased copy of her cookbook Cuisine a Latina: Fresh Tastes and a World of Flavors from Michy’s Miami Kitchen.
When: April 26, 2012, 6PM
Where: Macy’s Barton Creek Square Mall (Austin, TX)
About Michelle Bernstein
Since drawing the national spotlight in the mid 1990’s, Chef Michelle Bernstein has remained one of the region’s most well-respected and successful chefs/restaurateurs. A Miami native of Jewish and Latin descent, this passionate culinaire has dazzled diners and critics alike with her sublime cuisine and a personality as bright and vibrant as the Florida sun.
“My food isn’t heavy handed or unnecessarily complicated,” says Bernstein, a James Beard Award winner (Best Chef South 2008) and author of Cuisine a Latina (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2008). “You don’t need heavy handed technique and over the top presentations to make a dish work. It’s about amazing ingredients, layered flavors and simplicity. My style of cooking is inspired by my own food memories and it’s the simple, soulful cooking that stays that I remember from my travels. I cook the food I love and I think that love translates to the diners.”
These days, Bernstein is busier than ever. She recently opened Crumb on Parchment, a cozy café in the heart of the Miami Design District, and continues to operate three additional South Florida restaurants: Michy’s, Sra. Martinez and Michelle Bernstein at The Omphoy. Beyond a family of successful restaurants and her own family (she and husband/partner David Martinez recently became parents), Bernstein dedicates time to Common Threads an after-school program for underprivileged kids, is actively promoting her new line of cookware and cutlery, “Michelle B,” and regularly appears on an array of national TV shows, from Top Chef to Good Morning America.
About Rene Ortiz
Rene Ortiz is Executive Chef of James Beard-nominated La Condesa in downtown Austin. Chef Ortiz is a native Texan, born in Houston and raised in San Antonio. He spent the last two decades traveling the world and cultivating his international culinary skills. Chef Ortiz began his career as chef de cuisine for Robert Clark at Vancouver’s Star Anise, named Canada’s ‘Restaurant of the Year’ in 1996 by Gourmet Magazine. He later worked his way through the brasseries and bistros of Western Europe until he returned in 1998 to the US and New York City. For five years, Chef Ortiz worked under such notable chefs as Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse and the late Jean-Luis Palladin. He then became chef de cuisine for Douglas Rodriguez at Patria, dazzling diners with his modern Latin American fare. Chef Ortiz lives in Austin with his wife Amy, their son Milo and daughter Papillon.
About Laura Sawicki
Whimsical, complex and beautiful, Laura Sawicki’s desserts embody her background in art history and a lifelong passion for food. After earning a degree from the CIA in 2005, Laura honed her skills at City Bakery, Canyon Ranch, Craftbar and Marlow & Sons before moving to Austin, TX to open James-Beard-nominated La Condesa – and oversaw its subsequent expansion in Napa.
Made only from seasonal ingredients, Laura’s work has gained a devoted local following and high praise from both local and national press.She was recently named Best New Pastry Chef 2012 by Food & Wine magazine.
