Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean Austin’s food scene is slowing down. January is a big month for Austin food, with visits from the nation’s top up and coming chefs, a new Whole Foods location, and plenty of dialogue about the city’s emerging food culture. Here are the events I’ll be attending this month:

Indie Chefs Week – January 7 – 11 – times vary 

Counter service at Foreign & Domestic is a foodie’s dream. You’re seated looking directly into the restaurant’s tiny open kitchen, a gauntlet of chopping, swearing, cooking, plating chefs who put out some of the best dishes in the city. Watching (and eating) Foreign & Domestic’s teamwork on a regular night of service is a pleasure, and I can only imagine how much I’ll enjoy the view when they host Indie Chef’s week this month. F&D Chef/Owner Ned Elliott has arranged an all-star lineup of young chefs from across the country, and each night they’ll be cooking up an 8-course meal with beer and wine pairings, with a 20+ course finale on Saturday.  The chefs’ chatter about the event on Twitter already has my mouth watering, and Elliott has done a masterful job arranging the schedule of chefs.

Counter seats are long gone (I got mine in November, right before they sold out), but a few table seats remain at $175 a pop. If you’re new to Austin or visiting this week, I highly recommend Monday’s dinner, which will feature hometown favorites like Andrew Wiseheart (Contigo), Erika Beneke (Max’s Wine Dive), John Bates (Noble Sandwich), Mat Clouser (Swift’s Attic), and Todd Duplechan (Lenoir).

Whole Foods Domain Preview Party – January 13 – 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Whole Foods’ new Domain location launches in north Austin this month, and early birds can get a sneak peek two days before the store officially opens for business. Tickets to the preview party are $10 each, with proceeds benefitting KUT and KUTX Austin. I think this is one of the first times Whole Foods has formally ticketed a preview event, and if this party is anything like past openings, there will be tons of free samples, live music, sips, and goodies to take home. I’m glad to see them opening to the preview to the public like this, and sharing the love with my favorite Austin radio stations. Maybe this will mean a shorter spring pledge drive? A girl can dream.

Women and Food Symposium – January 18 – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Hosted by the University of Texas at Austin Food Lab, this free, four-hour symposium will explore topics of feminism, food, and media. The schedule is jam packed with some of Austin’s best female food writers, chefs, and food entrepreneurs, including many of my friends and Austin Food Blog Alliance members. Austin lost several women-owned food businesses last year, including Amity Bakery, Pate L’atelier, and Flour Bakery, so the session Making a Living at Making Food is especially timely. Here’s a schedule for the event; although tickets are free, organizers are requesting RSVPs so that they can plan for attendees.

Alton Brown at ACL Live – January 29 – 8 p.m.

I’m a sucker for food science, and Alton Brown has been one of my food heroes since Good Eats first aired 13 years ago. He’ll be at ACL Live’s Moody Theater at the end of January for his Edible Inevitable Tour. The performance is pitched as a “culinary variety hour,” and although I’m a little wary of the “bring a poncho” disclaimer on the ticket, I’m sure I’ll enjoy every last drop of the show. Tickets start at $39.