Culinary explorations
Austin claims chef Kristen Kish as its own, but the Top Chef winner has always had a global mindset. She first earned her chops in French and Italian cuisine at Boston's acclaimed Menton restaurant, infusing those influences into the menu at Arlo Grey with a pioneering curiosity and adventurous spirit. Now, she's bringing that explorer's mindset to a new National Geographic series, debuting Tuesday, March 21.
Available on Disney+, Restaurants at the End of the World is a docuseries in which Kish travels to off-the-beaten-path pockets of the planet. The four-part series follows Kish as she searches for the secret ingredients – people, places, culture and traditions – within the world’s most remote restaurants in Boquete, Panama; Svalbard, Norway; North Haven Island, Maine; and Paraty, Brazil.
A lucky selection of South by Southwest (SXSW) attendees got a sneak peek of the series on March 14. The event took place inside Arlo Grey at the Line Hotel, where Kish mingled with guests and introduced clips from the series.
"This series is all about shared experiences and trading stories," Kish said, introducing the evening's menu. "So, when putting this menu together, I realized there are a lot of similarities. When I think back to all the places I went and new things I learned, there are so many familiar flavors to every bite that can bring you right back home into your own story."
The menu celebrated each location in the upcoming series, often in the same course: Parker House Rolls (with delicious whipped brown butter) were a nod to her New England episode ("Maine Island Barn Supper,"), paired with a scallop crudo commemoration of her time in Brazil ("Brazil’s Floating Feast,"). Meanwhile, the main course gave guests a glimpse of the great lengths Norwegian fishermen go to when harvesting Arctic char, accompanied by a clip of Kish's adventures with local purveyors in Svalbard, Norway.
The aim of both the dinner and the upcoming series is to showcase the tenacity it takes to run restaurants in such remote places. Each episode follows Kish behind the scenes with local purveyors, farmers, herders, kitchen crew, managers, and head chefs to hear their stories. She invites viewers along with her in the hunt for the best and freshest ingredients, unearthing the culture and heart behind global cuisine and showcasing the balancing act required to bring unique food to the table around the world.
“Food has an unparalleled power to bring us together and teach us about one another and the world around us, and we see that firsthand by going to restaurants in the world’s most remote areas,” says Chef Kish via release. “Filming this series with National Geographic was an adventure of a lifetime that taught me so much about an industry I’ve been steeped in my whole life. I can’t wait for viewers to come along on the journey with us and experience these dishes at restaurants most never even knew existed.”
The first episode of Restaurants around the World will be available on March 21 at 9 pm.
Courtesy National Geographic
Top Chef winner Kristen Kish has a new National Geographic show debuting on March 21.
Season announcement
Texas Ballet Theater's 2023-2024 season will include four separate productions, including a couple of returning favorites. Performances will take place across three venues across Dallas and Fort Worth.
The season will kick off in September with Dracula, which was a hit when it was last performed by the company in 2015. The production will run at Winspear Opera House in Dallas, September 15-17, before moving to Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, October 6-8.
Choreographed by TBT artistic director laureate Ben Stevenson, O.B.E., in 1997, the first production of Dracula featured TBT’s acting artistic director, Tim O’Keefe, in the title role.
“Having the opportunity to present Dracula is a full circle moment for TBT,” O’Keefe said in a statement. “Many of our artistic and production staff worked on the world premiere 25 years ago, myself included. I’m looking forward to working on this ballet with Ben [Stevenson] again and sharing it with our audiences, who have been eager to see it again.”
Next up will be TBT's annual holiday production of Stevenson’s The Nutcracker. The company will perform the family-friendly ballet November 24-December 3 at Winspear Opera House and December 8-24 at Bass Performance Hall. Unlike the previous 12 seasons, there will be no presentation of The Nutty Nutcracker this year.
A mixed repertoire production called "Brilliants" will be the first production of 2024, featuring four short ballets in one program. Featured ballets include Rubies, choreographed by George Balanchine; Grand Pas Classique, choreographed by Victor Gsovsky; Le Corsaire Pas de Deux, choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev, and Without Borders, choreographed by Val Caniparoli.
"Brilliants" will run February 23-25, 2024, at Bass Performance Hall and March 1-3, 2024, at Wyly Theatre in Dallas.
The season will come to a close with Beauty and the Beast, last staged by TBT in 2017. Choreographed by Lew Christensen, the production will run May 3-5, 2024, at Winspear Opera House and May 17-19, 2024, at Bass Performance Hall.
Season packages, which start at $48, are now on sale. Those interested can purchase a package at texasballettheater.org/season-packages or by contacting the Box Office at 877-828-9200 option 1.