J. Standard was proud to be a part of the inaugural Hot Luck Festival. Together with Team Feast, we were excited to bring this unique confluence of great food, killer music, and memorable gatherings to Austin, a town already known for hosting some of the best festivals in the world. Hot Luck is no exception; it’s sure to be one of the most anticipated events on the foodie calendar for years to come.
Festivities kicked off with “Hi How Are You?,” on Thursday, May 18. Hosted at Franklin Barbecue, this exclusive event for chefs, VIPs, and Whole Enchilada ticket holders was the place to be for food and fun as Hot Luck revved itself up.
Aaron Franklin’s eponymous barbecue joint was the perfect venue for the event, with the man himself cooking up some of his most famous meats. DJ Lord High Pockets was spinning original 45s to keep everyone grooving all night. Guests were also lucky enough to snag food from celebrity chef Roy Choi, who brought the flavors of his famous Los Angeles-based Kogi BBQ Truck to the heart of Austin. Sara Kramer, from Kismet, also in LA, came out swinging as well. Even filmmaker and “Chef” star Jon Favreau came out to enjoy the evening with everyone.
Also serving up goodness at “Hey How Are You?” was Dallas’ own Daniel Vaughn of Full Custom Gospel BBQ and Ivan Orkin of Ivan Ramen from New York. Portland was well represented by Olympia Provisions’ Elias Cairo and Peter Cho, of Han Oak fame. Also hailing from the Beaver State, Tillamook was on hand serving up dairy delights for all.
And what’s a party without a few libations? Everyone was keeping cool with cans of Lone Star Beer and Austin Eastciders. For the oenophiles in the attendance, Union Wine Co., Montinore Estate and Hope Family Wines provided plenty of tasty sips. Buffalo Trace was serving up whiskey slushies, deliciously refreshing on a spring evening in Texas.
“Hi How Are You?” was an incredible event in its own right, but Hot Luck 2017 was just getting started. With everyone well fed, having forged new friendships and made new memories, there was just enough time to rest up before the rest of this all-star food weekend really got going. More on that in our next post!
Blog: Jonathan Poritsky // Production: J.Standard Events // Venue: Franklin Barbecue // Music: DJ Lord High Pockets // Lighting: Ilios // Sound: ATXES // Security: Cerberus // Event Tenting & Rentals: Marquee Tents & Events // Power: Event Power ATX // Creative Team: Guerilla Suit // Media Partner: Giant Noise // Photographers: Alison Narro :: @alisonnarro // Pooneh Ghana :: @poonehghana // Jackie Lee Young :: @jackieleeyoung // Carly Diaz :: @carly.e.diaz // Sarah Natsumi :: @sarahnatsumi