Thursday, May 4th, 2023

SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART • VIP ENTRY 6 PM • GA ENTRY 7 PM • EVENT END 10 PM

Tastier than ever, San Antonio Flavor returns to the San Antonio Museum of Art on Thursday, May 4th, 2023.

Sample bites from 30+ local restaurants in various cuisines, enjoy craft beer and wine, signature cocktails and a live Culinary Showdown, starring four top San Antonio chefs and celebs. Live music, Contemporary Art Month art installations, and more. San Antonio Flavor is a charitable event benefiting Culinaria 501c3.

Restaurants

Check out our participating 2023 restaurants below! Want to participate? Email cbourque@sacurrent.com | cdelapena@sacurrent.com

Sponsors

Want to align your brand with SA Flavor? Email cyardeni@sacurrent.com | cbourque@sacurrent.com

Culinary Showdown

CHEFS, STARS AND JUDGES...

Emceed by Maggie Loughlin, KENS-5

Emceed by Maggie Laughlin, KENS-5

Born and raised in California, Roma Villavicencio joined the KENS 5 news team in January 2016 and moved to the Great Day SA team in 2017, where she was a co-host for the morning lifestyle program before becoming host in 2020. When she's not working, you can catch Roma at local spots, eating and exploring. On her down time, Roma enjoys cooking, listening to music, snuggling with her rescue doggy, Felix, and working out at her boxing gym.

Top Chefs

James Moore, The Creamery (coming soon)

James Moore
The Creamery (coming soon)

With over 30 years in the business, Chef James Moore has opened a handful of San Antonio’s favorite restaurants and bars, including Max’s Wine Dive, Boiler House at the Pearl, TBA Lounge, Grayze, Full Belly, and the soon-to-be-opened Creamery project.
Braunda Smith, Lucy Cooper's Icehouse

Braunda Smith
Lucy Cooper's Icehouse

Born and raised in Laredo, Texas, Chef Jesse Kuykendall — or “Chef Kirk” to colleagues — learned about authentic Mexican cuisine from their mother. Professionally trained at San Antonio's Culinary Institute of America and Oaxaca's Season of My Heart Culinary School, Chef Kirk is the Executive Chef of Hotel Havana’s Ocho, infusing the influence of their mother’s traditional Mexican style of cooking with their own collection of culinary techniques. Most recently they created a menu of overlooked Mexican street foods for their own endeavor, Milpa, and became the first San Antonio-based chef to win a cooking series with their win on the 47th season of Food Network’s “Chopped” in 2021.

Ernie Bradley, Cherrity Bar

Ernie Bradley
Cherrity Bar

After serving ten years in the Army, Chef Nicola Blaque followed her passion for cooking from Hawaii to San Antonio to attend the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating in 2016, Blaque launched her flagship restaurant, The Jerk Shack, with her husband Cornelius Massey just two years later — to rave reviews. The restaurant has been named one of the best in the U.S. by Eater and GQ, and Current readers have voted it Best Caribbean Restaurant three years running. Blaque’s second concept, casual Caribbean-style concept Mi Roti, is open now in Pearl’s Bottling Department. 

Joseph Martinez, Tributary

Joseph Martinez
Tributary

Classically trained in French technique at Le Cordon Bleu Austin, Chef Joseph has spent the last decade of his career in the San Antonio Food scene including an 8-year tenure with the Silo Restaurant Group. After many successful years at Silo including being on the opening team of several concepts within the company, he now holds the position of Senior Sous Chef for the Marriott Rivercenter and Riverwalk hotels, directly overseeing all restaurant operations within the hotel, which includes it's signature restaurant, Tributary, where he combines his classical technique with farm fresh ingredients to create a "crafted, not complicated" approach to Modern Texas Cuisine.

 

 

Leo Davila, Stix & Stones

Leo Davila
Stix & Stones

Born in the mountainous Chinese province of Guizhou, Kristina Zhao is no stranger to bold flavors and long-observed traditions. While her eateries Sichuan House and Dashi Sichuan Kitchen + Bar dole out Sichuanese cuisine inspired by the traditional food of the region, diners quickly discover that the food isn’t the only aspect of Zhao’s spots that intrigues. At either of Zhao’s restaurants, expect complex, flavorful dishes and unmatched service.

SA Celebs

Aquila Mendez-Valdez, Haute in Texas

Aquila Mendez-Valdez
Haute in Texas

Aquila Mendez-Valdez is the Founder and CEO of Haute in Texas, an award-winning PR and Marketing agency that has grown from scratch into a multiple six-figure business. She’s been asked to speak and present to audiences across the US, Europe and Asia, and has been featured in Forbes and Digiday, in addition to numerous TV appearances, publications, and podcasts. Her blog collaborations and client roster feature some of the world’s biggest brands, including Vogue, Prada, Lincoln, Neiman Marcus, Kendra Scott, Orangetheory, and many, many more. Aquila and her college sweetheart, Orlando, have two girls and currently reside in San Antonio, Texas.

Mike Osterhage, KSAT

Mike Osterhage
KSAT

Meteorologist Mike Osterhage handles the weather forecasting duties for the Emmy-award winning "Good Morning San Antonio" and as co-host of “SA Live” in the afternoon.

Mayra Farret, Texicanas

Mayra Farret
Texicanas

Mayra is a mother and fashionista who serves as the regional director of FGI San Antonio (Fashion Group International) as well as the owner of Learning Express San Antonio. Mayra also starred in the Bravo hit, Texicanas.

Orlando Mendez-Valdez, Pride of the Westside

Orlando Mendez-Valdez
Pride of the Westside

Orlando Mendez-Valdez is a Mexican-American businessman and former professional athlete who was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas where the inner city courts were his first introduction to basketball. An underdog from the start, he was on the legendary 2001 State Runner-Up team for the West Side’s Lanier High School, going on to earn a Division One scholarship to Western Kentucky University. He finished his career with gold medal appearances competing against the best players in the world as part of the Mexican National team in two World Cups, Pan-American Games, FIBA Olympic Qualifying tournaments, and more. Orlando’s passions include mentoring young athletes to become the best versions of themselves, and staying true to his roots on the West Side of San Antonio.

Donovan Thomson, @SATXrated

Donovan Thomson
@SATXrated

Donovan Thomson is a Marine Corps Veteran, local entrepreneur, and the social media marketing force behind SATX-Rated.

Esteemed Judges

Suzanne Taranto, Culinaria

Suzanne Taranto
Culinaria

Suzanne Taranto-Etheredge believes in empowering good people and change. Her career began with national nonprofits and expertise in public relations, marketing, and fundraising. Suzanne loves being a part of things greater than herself, and her skills have carried over into her current role as President and CEO of Culinaria- an internationally recognized non-profit organization with a focus on connecting people through food and wine culture with an innovative approach to building community.

Anna Dement, Shiner Beer

Anna Dement
Shiner Beer

Anna is the local Shiner Brand Manager at Glazer’s Beer & Beverage. At home, she is a proud dog mom who enjoys chips, queso, and an ice-cold Shiner.

Nina Rangel, SA Current

Nina Rangel
SA Current

Nina uses nearly 20 years of experience in the food service industry to tell the stories of movers and shakers in the food scene in San Antonio. She enjoys writing about industry-specific challenges, victories and everything in between.

David Elder, KSAT

David Elder
KSAT

David Elder is the host and executive producer of the food and travel show Texas Eats on ABC KSAT 12 and NBC KPRC 2.

Ty Chumbley, Heartbrand Beef

Ty Chumbley
Heartbrand Beef

Ty Chumbley is the Central Texas VP of Heartbrand Beef, not to mention an Animal Science Professor and Livestock Judging Coach at Palo Alto College.

Tre Trattoria

Tre Trattoria at the San Antonio Museum of Art will remain open for lunch and dinner (before and during) San Antonio Flavor, until 10 PM. SA Flavor guests will enjoy a complimentary Chef's Course for those who dine in (with proof of ticket).

Benefitting

San Antonio Flavor benefits Culinaria, a 501c3 that was originally established as a way of celebrating local, exceptional chefs and restaurants. Through our sponsored culinary events, we serve as one of the leading food-focused nonprofits in the San Antonio area, providing funds for scholarship programs aimed at students pursuing a career in the hospitality or culinary industry.

Photos & Videos

Check out all the fun from previous Flavor events.

Celebrate responsibly!

Our good friends at Lyft are Valid for $2 off 2 rides to and from San Antonio Flavor at the San Antonio Museum of Art for new and existing users.