Tavel Bristol-Joseph

TAVEL BRISTOL-JOSEPH Executive Pastry Chef, Partner and Director of Hospitality

Tavel Bristol-Joseph is a Partner, Pastry Chef and Director of Hospitality for Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group’s seven concepts in Austin and San Antonio. Bristol-Joseph is also a partner in Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group’s Pullman Market in San Antonio, where he leads the intimate 20-seat dessert bar concept, Nicosi. He began his culinary journey as a young boy when he spent every Saturday afternoon baking cookies, cakes and pies with his aunt. After moving to the United States from Georgetown, Guyana when he was seventeen years old, Bristol-Joseph attended the New York Restaurant School.

Bristol-Joseph worked in a variety of restaurants in New York before moving to Tucson in 2006, where he joined Fox Restaurant Concepts. He worked within the restaurant group for two years before going to Zona 78 where he met and began working with Chef Kevin Fink.

Fink and Bristol-Joseph decided to move to Austin to open Emmer & Rye in November 2015. Emmer & Rye has been included in Bon Appetit’s “America’s Best Restaurants 2016,” list, as well as named Austin American-Statesman’s “2018 Best Restaurant in Austin.” In 2020, Bristol-Joseph opened Hestia with Fink which has been named “#1 Best New Restaurant in America” by Robb Report. Bristol-Joseph was named one of FOOD & WINE Magazine’s “Best New Chefs of 2020,” and in 2022, Canje was awarded “Best New Restaurant 2022” by Bon Appetit and featured in The New York Times as one of “America’s Best Restaurants of 2022.” Bristol-Joseph was also a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist for “Best Chef: Texas.”

Bristol is a proud father to 14-year-old twins and currently resides in Austin with his wife Brittany and his dog Gus Gus.