L’Oca d’Oro invites our friends and mentors from Austin and beyond to join us in the kitchen on the first or second Monday of every month starting again in September ’23. Come taste what Chef Fiore and our guest Chefs will be preparing this year.
In ten dinners this past season, we were able to raise almost $50k for Lilith Fund thanks to your support! This year, we will be raising money for Good Work Austin as they launch an ambitious Culinary Training Program to teach life skills, cooking techniques and hospitality steps. Trainees will come with partner non-profits that work with children aging out of foster care & residents of supported living facilities.
This special series arose from our desire to build even closer bonds with Austin and our bar and restaurant community after the isolation of the pandemic.
Monday, Sept 11 6-8PM; Rebecca Masson, Fluff Bake Bar (Houston, TX)
You may recognize Rebecca from her victorious appearance on Top Chef: Just Desserts or the standout mention in Southern Living where her Houston-based, sweet tooth haven of a storefront, Fluff Bake Bar, was named one of the “South’s Best Bakeries.” The Wyoming native learned the trade at Le Cordon Bleu school in Paris. After graduating, she worked her way through many famed New York City kitchens, eventually becoming head pastry chef at The Red Cat with Executive Chef Jimmy Bradley. Since her arrival in Houston, she has generated a cult following, earning the nickname of Houston’s “Sugar Fairy”. During this time Masson received
much acclaim, which led to positions with Houston-based and nationally noted chefs and restaurateurs including Charles Clark and Chris Shepherd, as well as a role with HEB Central Market, before stepping out on her own to create Fluff Bake Bar in 2011. Masson moved Fluff to the Heights neighborhood in 2020 and her pastries and confections have received notable coverage in the Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, Texas Monthly, Houston Chronicle, Culture Map, Saveur, and TimeOut among many others.
Monday, Oct 9 6-8PM; Sarah Heard & Nathan Lemley, Foreign & Domestic (Austin, TX)
Sarah began cooking in Austin in 2007 & has held positions at The Mansion at Judges Hill, Parkside Projects, & La Condesa. She believes that integrity & respect for all parts of the process that bring food to your plate are essential to a good meal & to the guest experience. Sarah grew up cooking with an Amish great grandmother and raising goats.
Nathan Lemley traces his passion for making food back to his nightly family dinners as a child growing up in Katy, Texas. Long before attending culinary school at The Art Institute of Houston, Nathan spent time watching his grandmother, who owned a bakery in Yoakum, Texas make cakes and pies.
After graduating, Nathan continued to climb the ranks in several of the best restaurants in Houston, including Tony’s, Voice, and Stella Sola. A few years into his career, he moved to Austin to take the position of Chef de Cuisine at the newly opened Foreign & Domestic. Three years later, he accepted the position of Executive Chef at downtown Austin restaurant, Parkside.
In 2017 Sarah & her partner, Nathan Lemley, purchased Foreign & Domestic. The two are now focused on bold, cohesive flavors, adventurous wine, & pure hospitality.
Monday, Nov 6 6-8PM; Graham Reynolds, Composer (Austin, TX)
Monday, Dec 4 6-8PM; Justin Yu, Theodore Rex (Houston, TX)
