Food-o-File
Helping hands
By Virginia B. Wood, Fri., June 12, 2015
Help for Wimberley Royers Round Top Cafe and both Royers Pie Haven shops are pitching in to raise money for folks who experienced damages and loss from the Memorial Day weekend floods in Wimberley and San Marcos. For every whole pie purchased in all Royers outlets and online through Sunday, June 14, they will donate $10 to purchase gift cards for flood victims. You can also buy a Bud's chocolate chip pie for $15 or a dozen Havenly baked goods for $10, and team Royer will deliver them to folks in Wimberley when they go to distribute gift cards and lend a hand. While we're on the subject, kudos to Austin's homegrown Hopdoddy Burger Bars for raising over $44,000 in one business day last week for a donation to the Hays County flood relief efforts of the Barnabas Connection. Another thing any of us can do for folks in Wimberley is remember that the community is a destination where tourist dollars are the lifeblood. It's all well and good to congratulate restaurants and businesses there who are taking care of their neighbors out there, but spending some money in Wimberley would help, too. They are open for business.
Lamar Union News There's plenty happening with restaurants at this new South Austin (1100 S. Lamar) hot spot. After a soft opening a few weeks back, Cantine Italian Cafe & Wine Bar finally has phone service (512/628-0348) to take reservations, and is now serving lunch from 11am-3pm weekdays, plus weekend brunches from 11am-2:30pm. Vox Table has also added weekend brunches from 11am-3pm. The newest Caffe Medici outlet is now open daily from 7am-10pm, and Austin's first Shake Shack outlet plans to entice dads in for Father's Day (June 21) with a free single cup or cone of their signature frozen custard. Probably the biggest news is that, as a result of his new position as executive chef at the restaurant at the Radisson (111 E. Cesar Chavez), David Garrido has decided not to pursue the development of his own restaurant at Lamar Union.
In Memoriam Two Austin restaurant families have experienced painful losses recently. Family patriarch Paul Kinsella, co-founder of the Emerald Restaurant, has passed, and services were held May 21 and 22. Kinsella and his wife Marge opened the Emerald in 1984 and ran the Bee Cave eatery with their children, who continue his legacy. In recent years, the location became less rural, but the Emerald never lost its old-world charm. Kinsella is survived by a large extended family and will be buried beside his wife in Ireland's County Mayo. Dr. Foo Swasdee and her family are grieving the loss of her nephew, Vipop (Bose) Lopitakwong, who was killed in an auto accident June 1. After his Marine training, Bose had been working closely with his aunt at Satay to learn all aspects of the restaurant and catering business before his untimely death. He is survived by family members in America and Thailand. We offer our sincere condolences to both families.
