local HEROES
2018 WINNERS BY L I N DSAY STA F FO R D M A D E R
T
he recipients of this year’s Edible Austin Local Heroes Awards represent the remarkable synergy that makes our food and beverage community so vibrant. It’s largely be-
cause of their collaborative efforts that these culinary trailblazers have made such an impact. They are truly a team to celebrate.
John and Kendall Antonelli opened the shop in Hyde Park in 2010 (some of us probably knew about good cheese before we knew about craft beer). Austinites can gain this delicious knowledge by visiting Antonelli’s retail counter, where the friendliest cheesemongers provide ample samples and explain styles, flavors, origins, processes also offers in-depth classes at the Cheese House across the street.
CHEF/RESTAURANT: BRYCE GILMORE, ODD DUCK Long before Austin restaurants widely embraced the idea of using local ingredients, Bryce Gilmore was attempting to source the components of his entire Odd Duck menu from farms and ranches around the city. This was almost a decade ago, when Odd Duck was a food trailer, and many area farmers hadn’t started selling wholesale. So Gilmore developed strong relationships with producers, and it was his attention to quality and flavor—and fearless creativity in the kitchen—that earned him acclaim and led to the opening of Barley
Antonelli’s sourced cheeses are sold at numerous restaurants throughout the city and at a second location in Fareground food hall. In addition to cheese and accompaniment boards, Antonelli’s serves dishes such as macaroni made with eight specialty cheeses and a green salad with double-cream blue cheese, bacon and pear. As they keep moving forward, the Antonellis have stayed true to their own company mission, #DoGoodEatGood—offering employees health benefits and living wages, and partnering with local and international cheese artisans who use sustainable and humane practices.
Swine in 2010 and the brick-and-mortar Odd Duck in 2013. Despite the proliferation of new eateries across town, Odd Duck has remained a relevant favorite. Much of this has to do with Gilmore’s innovative yet solid and approachable menu, with items such as a chicken-fried fish head, or smoked duck and duck egg anchored by massive browned tots, all served on unpretentious antique plates you might find on your grandmother’s table. It’s almost impossible to track Austin’s farm-to-fork personalities and successes back to one moment or one person, but it’s undeniable that Gilmore and Odd Duck played a crucial role, while bringing local producers along for the ride.
FOOD SHOP: ANTONELLI’S CHEESE SHOP
FOOD ARTISAN: CONFITURAS
It’s not surprising that Austin has just one stand-alone cheese
To be a food artisan, one must take ingredients, like paint on a
shop considering the impressive work done each year by Antonelli’s.
brush, and thoughtfully create a product that is a beautiful and deli-
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Photography of Antonelli’s by Andrew Bennett and confituras by Casey Woods
and pairings. And if that weren’t fun enough, the Antonelli’s team
