Austin chef Kevin Fink is one of the biggest names in the culinary industry out of Tucson.
The former chef and director of operations at Zona 78 staged at Noma and worked front of house at French Laundry before opening his Austin restaurant Emmer & Rye in 2015.
Soon after, Food & Wine magazine named Fink one of the country’s best new chefs. Next, Bon Appétit Magazine nominated Emmer & Rye one of America’s Best New Restaurants in 2016.
While Fink has been showered with additional praise and accolades since then, Food Republic featured him an interview on Monday titled Austin Chef Kevin Fink Knows Way More About Wheat Than You.
Here’s just a glimpse of Fink’s intense food knowledge from the article:
“[…] we buy zero spices. So we have parsnips that we’ll sugar ferment to get this vanillin compound, an enzyme that is traditional in vanilla, which is what we taste but is also in parsnips and fennel when it ferments in that way.”
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Article written by:

Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.















