Pizza isn’t exactly having a moment – pizza is timeless; it is always pizza’s moment – but as a genre of food it was certainly better prepared for a pandemic. It is comfort food, endlessly variable to accommodate all tastes and restrictions, and already regularly trafficked via delivery and takeout.
This week we kick off Pie Fighters, a friendly competition between 43 Austin pizzerias, in the same vein as our previous food polls for Austin’s favorite breakfast taco and brisket. Chronicle staff has very enthusiastically been doing the research to assist Food Editor Jessi Cape in this particular passion project of hers. (Did I need to eat a whole pizza to summon 50 words about a local pie shop? Absolutely not. It was delicious.) But the rest of the work is on our readers now. Stuff your belly with Austin-made pies, then vote with your heart full. Vote once a day, in fact, and for up to three of your favorites. (A heart has a lot of love to give!) We’ll do one round this week, then present the top 10 for your final vote next week. Happy eating, y’all.
In other ballot casting news, early voting for the July 14 primary runoff and Senate District 14 special election begins June 29. Find our endorsements, plus details on how and where to vote, at austinchronicle.com/elections.
Online This Week
Still Making Music, and Making the Most of It: Wondering how Austin artists are keeping busy during COVID-19? Music Editor Raoul Hernandez’s ongoing “Checking In” series takes the temperature of ATX musicians. This week, he talks with Nigerian American psych-soulman Kalu James, rapper J Soulja, Nicolas Sánchez Castro of Afro-Colombian funk outfit Superfónicos, and native Wimberley folk singer Sarah Jarosz. Find the whole series online at austinchronicle.com/checking-in.
Coming Soon (Too Soon?): Screens Editor Richard Whittaker has the lowdown on which movie theatre chains are reopening in Austin and when, plus what to expect at the Alamo Drafthouse when it opens its doors again.
“Comfort Food Done Proper”: Food Editor Jessi Cape catches up with Foreign & Domestic executive chef/co-owner Sarah Heard about Commerce Café;, her homey new venture in Lockhart.
Book Fest Goes Digital: The Texas Book Festival announced Wednesday it will go virtual in 2020, presenting two weeks of online-only programming Oct. 31-Nov. 15.
This Is Innovating: Staff writer Kevin Curtin makes the case for a never-before-seen role in the music biz: the cancellation agent.
Mama Duke’s “Mad”: The ATX hip-hopper talks to Qmmunity Editor Beth Sullivan about dropping her first-ever music video on Juneteenth and making music with her wife.
This article appears in June 26 • 2020.
