Desert Island Dish with Chef Alexa Mejia
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Illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Courtesy of Mars Tello
Alexa Mejia became Emmer & Rye's new chef de cuisine earlier this year, where she has updated the restaurant's classic dishes while creating standout meals of her own.
Catch up quick: Mejia spent eight years as the executive sous chef at Austin's Barley Swine. Before that, she worked at Bottega in Yountville, California, and fine-dining restaurant Outerlands in San Francisco.
Driving the news: Under Mejia's leadership, Emmer & Rye's popular "Breaking Bread" summer series will extend into the fall, inviting local chefs to take over Emmer & Rye's sourdough bread service with butter and various accoutrements inspired by their restaurants.
Guests can look forward to these collaborations:
- Sept. 12 - Damien Brockway, Distant Relatives
- Sept. 26 - Evan LeRoy, LeRoy and Lewis
- Oct. 10 - Joey Attwater, Lenoir
- Oct. 24 - Bradley Nicholson and Susana Querejazu, Lutie's
- Nov. 7 - Philip Speer, Comedor
- Nov. 21 - Eli Rodriguez, Bufalina
What they're saying: "The continuation of our 'Breaking Bread' series this fall will showcase an even broader range of restaurants that represent Austin's restaurant community including barbecue from LeRoy and Lewis, pizza from Bufalina and more," Mejia tells Axios. "These collaborations can show how diverse Emmer & Rye's menu can be when new opportunities present themselves."
We talked with Mejia about the one meal she'd want to take to a desert island as part of our regular series.
🍽️ You get one dish on your desert island. What's it going to be?
"A slice of Sicilian pepperoni from Home Slice Pizza."
🍰 We'll let you bring dessert, too.
"Any of the baked goods from Sour Duck Market! The Pistachio Pinwheel is a must."
🍹 What are you drinking to quench your thirst?
"Since I'll be on a desert island I'll need a proper tiki drink. The Painkiller from Small Victory is tall enough to be considered two drinks."
📍 If you go: Reservations are available for the "Breaking Bread" series on OpenTable from 5:30-10pm.