There are some pretty big-name celebs in Sydney right now for SXSW Sydney. If you haven’t made it down to the world-famous festival, which has, until now, only ever been held in Texas, then this is your cue. In a nod to SXSW's OG hometown, flame-throwing chef of Firedoor and Gildas fame, Lennox Hastie, is tackling the Texan barbecue for a one-off event on Friday, October 20. And everyone's invited!
This is from being Hastie’s first rodeo, but it’s the first time the fire master will use his award-winning grilling skills to master the Texan barbecue for hungry punters. Taking over Pumphouse from noon to 2pm, Hastie will fire up 100-day aged hickory roasted rump cap with smokey barbecue beans, grilled corn with jalapeno smoked butter, pickles, cornbread and native hot sauce. Sounds smokin'!
Our mates at Messina will be scooping out a limited-edition gelato flavour – the Spicy Rita Rockstar, which takes inspiration from Dallas’ famed Margarita Mile. It’s almost like an edible, icy and spicy cocktail with flavours reminiscent of a firey mango Margarita and even a dash of habanero pepper and salt. Wash it all down with exclusive tastings of Texas wines and classic cocktails, including Soda Limes and American Mules.
Y'all gonna want to stick around for line-dancing, cowboy hat making (yee-haw!), sets from Austin musicians Walker Lukens and DJ BoomBaptist – and a Song Confessional pop-up booth where you can record an anonymous story and have it turned into a song.
Entry to the Texas SWSW Sydney pop-up is free, but if you want to say howdy to Hastie, we suggest getting there early from 11.30am, as seating for his barbecue is limited.