If you haven’t experienced the joy and wonder that is Aaron Franklin’s slow-smoked, perfectly tender brisket, it’s probably only because you’re morally opposed to standing in line for meat for more than four hours, especially in a place like Austin. We can’t blame you, but Aaron Franklin isn’t considered a god in the barbecue world for no reason — his prowess with a smoker is legit, and this summer, he’s bringing those talents on the road to Dallas to cook with John Tesar.
In a press release sent yesterday, the culinary arm of (RED), the HIV/AIDS charity, announced that its Dallas Chef Ambassador, John Tesar, would host Franklin at the first of five EAT (RED) DRINK (RED) SAVE LIVES dinners, all caps necessary. Half of the $150 plate price, gratuity and wine included, to the organization’s efforts to fight HIV and AIDS across the planet. No menu has been announced just yet, but Tesar promises that the dinner will, unsurprisingly, “be epic.”
Franklin, fresh off his Best Chef: Southwest win at the James Beard Awards, will set up shop at Knife for the dinner on June 1, kicking off a week-long series of fundraising dinners at the restaurant. Considering that Franklin is one of the hottest chefs in America, you’re going to want to get one of these tickets sooner rather than later — at the time of this writing, only six tickets for the dinner were still available.
After Franklin packs up his smoke-kissed knives and heads back to Austin, Tesar will host five of his favorite chefs from Portland, Los Angeles, and San Antonio, including former Top Chef contestants Naomi Pomeroy and Alex Stratta. Each dinner will feature a different, one-night-only menu, created by the guest chef and Tesar. Each chef’s cuisine is uniquely different, and when paired with Tesar’s badassery on the line and the meats in that ridiculously awesome aging room at Knife, it’s easy to surmise that these menus are going to be pretty damn impressive.
This dinner is a swanky affair, so it won’t be exactly like eating at Franklin’s in Austin, but it’s still a pretty good chance to check out one of the best chefs in the country while doing a little bit of good. If you’ve got the cash to help out this cause and have been missing out on Aaron Franklin’s food your whole life, you can buy tickets to the EAT (RED) DRINK (RED) SAVE LIVES dinner at Eventbrite.