Diana Finlay Hendricks and musical guest HalleyAnna will show you the easy way to host a Fall Chili Party at the second monthly HOME cooking demonstration at Central Market (4001 N. Lamar, Austin) on Wednesday, October 25, from 6:30 to 8:30 p,m to benefit HOME. Participants will enjoy a wonderful three course meal with “Chili-cuterie” board and beverages and dessert while learning all about the Official State Dish of Texas. The mother-daughter team will share music, recipes and laughter, and the menu will include three salsas (Avocado Tomatillo, Chile Macha, and Mother’s Red Salsa), Diana’s 1860 Chili Queen Recipe, along with a delightful Mexican Lime Pie for dessert.
Diana Finlay Hendricks is a writer and food aficionada who specializes in Texas food and culture. Her Delbert McClinton biography, One Of The Fortunate Few (Texas A&M University Press) has gone into three printings, and she is a regular contributor to several southern and Texas publications. She was the editor of Chili Monthly magazine, and judged more chili cookoffs than she remembers. She has researched and interviewed historic chili experts, chronicling the great chili wars that started the Terlingua chili cookoff craze, and will share stories about San Antonio’s chili queens, chuckwagon cooks, and jailhouse favorites. She has combined the best of the recipes to create her own unique recipe. Her featured recipe focuses on the flavor and textures of the meat, chiles and spices, and does not burn your tastebuds! She is currently writing a food memoir of essays and recipes with the working title, Feast at My Table: Stories and Flavors to Savor.
HalleyAnna is an acclaimed singer-songwriter who grew up surrounded by great songwriters and has taken great advantage of this unique experience. She has toured with and opened for Todd Snider, Hayes Carll, Sisters Morales, Steve Poltz, Walt Wilkins, Terri Hendricks, Susan Gibson, Shelley King and many more of her songwriting heroes. Her third album will be released in the spring of 2024, recorded at the famed Ripley Farm Studio in Pawnee, Oklahoma. She has a degree in creative writing from Texas State University, was named the Texas State Collegiate Songwriter at the Kerrville Folk Festival, A veteran of the Delbert McClinton Sandy Beaches Cruise, she has been invited to perform official showcases at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Memphis and Kansas City, South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin and major music events across the country. She has been a lifelong sous-chef for her mom, and if she weren’t a songwriter, she would likely be a chef.