Just Dishin': Austinist Interviews Wine and Food Foundation of Texas' Rebecca Robinson

The programs Texas Wine and Food Foundation is a part of are incredibly varied; everything from culinary training scholarships to childhood obesity campaigns. How do you and the board of directors choose new worthwhile projects? What are some of the projects that you have going now?

All our charitable projects are ultimately determined by our board of directors. We have a fantastic board made up of chefs, vintners, restaurateurs and community business leaders. We also have a scholarships and grants committee who helps determine our programs and projects.

Currently, our annual programs and projects include:

The Stephan Pyles Culinary Scholarship: This is an annual culinary scholarship and at $15,000.00, one of the largest in the country. We award this scholarship via a very challenging cook-off each spring. To participate, applicants must create a three-course menu using a predetermined basket of Texas ingredients. The top three applicants (blindly judged by a panel of culinary professionals) are selected to compete, meeting in a different Texas culinary school each year. They prepare their menus, and dishes are judged by Chef Pyles and three other culinary professionals. The competition is chaired by Quincy Adams Erickson, a board member and owner of Fête Accompli here in Austin, and Chef Stephan Pyles, our namesake, is actively involved. He also serves on our Advisory Committee. The judges panel is chaired by Pat Sharpe, restaurant and food writer for Texas Monthly.

We’re also starting a pastry scholarship competition in 2008, which we are really excited about.

The foundation offers a competitive grant program each year of up to $25,000. This program is wonderful in its flexibility — it is open to individuals, organizations and businesses, with the common theme being either education or research in wine and food. We are starting our fourth year of the grant program, and each year we receive more applications. We see some amazing projects, which is the part of the goal — to inspire innovation and creativity in the culinary and viticulture arts.

Another thing we do on the wine side is offer a low-cost symposium each year for Texas vintners. It’s difficult for Texas winemakers to get away from the vineyards for professional development and education, so we bring the education to them. Each year we sponsor a celebrity or expert winemaker to come to Marble Falls for an intensive day-long session with Texas vintners. It’s great because vintners can troubleshoot, ask questions and have some consultancy on winemaking and grape growing. Susan Auler of Fall Creek Vineyards (a Foundation Board member) started this program and it has been going strong for years now. We’re also collaborating quite a bit with the Texas Department of Agriculture on education on Texas wines.

Most recently, the foundation has become a co-sponsor of the Texas Sommelier Association conference — TexSom. This conference brings in master sommeliers from across the country and has really brought together Texas sommeliers. It’s a new and growing association, so it’s very exciting to be on the cusp of something like this.

Is it personally satisfying to be part of the culinary world and also be a part of helping to create positive change in the community? How did you come to be the Executive Director? Have you always been in the food world?

I’m a big believer in volunteerism and trying to the make the world a better place. I think that we can all do that in both large and small ways. I definitely feel that the foundation is creating positive change in the community and that feels good. Food and wine are so closely intermixed with community, culture, tradition and of course, health and well-being. I was not raised as a foodie nor do I have an extensive background in wine or food, although I deeply appreciate and respect what goes into making wine or becoming a chef.

A lot of my background is in political communication — I worked in Washington D.C. for a time and also at the Texas capitol. During this time I worked closely with many, many non-profits on the legislative side. I later worked as a volunteer, a board member, and an advocate at the state and national levels for a variety of non-profits. Eventually I helped create and manage a non-profit for Austin Heart, a cardiology practice based in Central Texas which was really the impetus that led me to The Wine and Food Foundation. You get a different perspective from the non-profit side of things.

What a lot of people find amusing is the fact that I can’t cook and most my meals are eaten at my desk or in my car. Also, I rarely drink. We have great chefs on our board and advisory committee, and a community of wine and food experts with whom I work very closely. I am mainly the liaison between all these groups to facilitate our programs and projects in the community. They provide the talent; I provide the coordination (and the fundraising).

Right now, what excites you about the Texas culinary scene? Are there any specific chefs or restaurants that you really like right now?

We work with so many terrific chefs that I don’t like to mention one over any of the others, but yes, there is so much going on right now in Texas’ culinary world. We’ve got chefs getting national acclaim and really blazing some trails out there. We’re seeing more and more of Texas cuisine on the Food Network and it seems to be really hot right now. Also, just in general within the past five or ten years it’s been interesting to see so many chefs elevated to celebrity status. It’s nice too, that so many of them are staying in Texas, opening restaurants, teaching classes and creating a real legacy.

How do you think the Austin dining scene compares with that of our larger Texas cities? What do you think makes Austin unique?

I think the keep Austin weird factor plays into the restaurant scene here (in a good way). Austin has a lot of sophistication and also a lot of whimsy and individuality. I love these little gems too that keep popping up; like the cupcake stand or the roadside crepe place, for instance.

What are some of the foundation-sponsored upcoming events in our area?

We have a community favorite coming up Tuesday, November 27th at the Driskill Hotel, which is our Big Reds and Bubbles event. This is the ultimate tasting of champagne and big reds. We’ll have over 75 selections for people to try, in addition to 13 different chef stations featuring holiday appetizers and desserts. It’s such a fabulous event.