Support Food + Beverage Workers Affected by the Texas Hill Country Floods

Our hearts are with everyone in the Texas Hill Country.

Southern Smoke provides financial relief during the recovery phase of disasters. We’ve committed $150,000 to support affected F+B workers and are prepared to do more. Sysco will match up to $15,000 in donations to amplify our impact.

The Hill Country Relief Fund application will open August 15. For urgent needs like medical or funeral expenses, F+B workers can apply now through our existing relief fund. Our Behind You program also offers no cost counseling to F+B workers.

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Edgar
Chef Image
Rico
Austin, TX /
Nixta Taqueria
WHERE WILL I BE COOKING:

Chef Rico’s love of food began at the age 10 when he cooked his family’s Thanksgiving meal. His culinary background is extensive – Craft (LA), Sqirl (LA), Son of a Gun (LA), Trois Mec (LA), and Pujol (Mexico City). Aside from his cooking chops, he’s got a legendary whistle that can command a room’s attention in mere seconds.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Nixta is not a typical taquería. It treads a line between the super-traditional (they make their own masa & tortillas using heirloom corn from Mexico) and the unconventional (you don’t see many taquerias where duck confit stands in for carnitas). Owners Sara Mardanbigi and Chef Edgar Rico, a James Beard Award winner and TIME100 recipient, aim to transform the landscape of what Mexican-American cuisine can be by providing imaginative creations that are steeped in technique, history, and a maíz revolution.