Do512 - What to do in Austin

2011 Festival Authors 

Location: Cooking Tent

Time: 11:00 - 12:00

Tyson Cole

Excellent breakfast tacos, barbeque, and loaded queso dips are obvious Austin specialties, but world-class sushi deep in the heart of Texas is something unexpected. At his nationally-acclaimed restaurant Uchi, Tyson Cole not only creates sushi that honors Japanese tradition, but makes it new by incorporating ingredients more pleasing and familiar to the American palate, like avocado, sun-dried tomato, and cilantro. Uchi: The Cookbook is a summation of Cole’s quest to redeem America from its own battered versions of the Japanese delicacy. “I hate that we’ve taken something so simple and pure and messed it up,” he writes in the chapter “Sushi in America,” which chronicles the dish’s evolution at home and abroad. Cole provides meticulous instructions – hand-drawn diagrams even – to allow fans to achieve “that perfect bite” he obsesses about. From Pork Belly Onigiri to Uchi’s signature Shag Roll (which is tempura-fried and splashed with squid ink), readers can recreate dishes from the cookbook’s lush photos that reflect the atmosphere of the restaurant – sexy, simple, and focused. (Cole will be cooking several dishes from the cookbook during his Festival session.) Cole also gives foodies the chance to play with flavors by following recipes for Yakumi, or accents, which include bacon candy, tomato water, and compressed watermelon. Yet Uchi: The Cookbook also tells the story of Cole himself, who moved from being a dishwasher with an aversion to raw fish to Masaharu Morimoto’s challenger on Iron Chef America. After making the choice to step outside the confines of tradition and open a restaurant of his own, Cole has become a daring chef who, according to Food & Wine, creates “food that’s utterly delicious and wildly inventive.”

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Uchi

Date: Sunday, October 23, 2011
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Location: Cooking Tent 

Never thought you’d find world-class sushi deep in the heart of Texas? Think again. At his nationally-acclaimed restaurant Uchi, Tyson Cole not only creates sushi that honors Japanese tradition, but makes it new by incorporating ingredients more pleasing and familiar to the American palate. Recently named Best Chef Southwest by the James Beard Foundation, Cole will be demonstrating the techniques behind his awe-inspiring rolls in the cooking tent.