MM Pack

I travel regularly to San Francisco, cooler in tow, and have made it a personal mission to introduce Californians to the wonderful artisanal food products of Austin and Central Texas. Here’s a list of my greatest successes.

Pure Luck Cheeses

Sarah and Denny Bolton’s award-winning goat cheeses are second to none. Special favorites are St. Maure, Claire de Lune, and Del Cielo. Available at the dairy, 101 Twin Oaks Trail, Dripping Springs, 512/858 7034; online at www.purelucktexas.com; or in Austin at Central Markets, Whole Foods, Wheatsville, Portabla, Westlake Farmers Market, Austin Farmers’ Market, and Boggy Creek Farm Stand.

Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Even people who think they don’t care for vodka are pleasantly surprised by Austinite Tito Beveridge’s smooth and carefully made elixir (www.titos-vodka.com). Available locally at Grape Vine Market, Wiggy’s, Twin Liquors, and now distributed in 34 states.

Becker Viognier

Texas Hill Country wines are a source of great pride here, and one of the best is Becker Vineyards’ Viognier, simultaneously dry and fruity, and redolent of “violets, peaches, and nectarines.” Becker Vineyards, Stonewall, Texas, 830/644-2681; www.beckervineyards.com; Central Markets, Grape Vine Market, Twin Liquors.

Miles of Chocolate

Homeboy Miles Compton’s luscious confection of chocolate, butter, and eggs is showing up all over the place, including Balducci’s in NYC, Food and Wine magazine, and the Neiman Marcus catalog. Order online (2.25 pounds minimum) at www.milesofchocolate.com/getitonline.asp. Smaller quantities available in Austin at Grape Vine Market, Central Markets, People’s Pharmacy, and Boggy Creek Farm Stand.

Texas Gulf Shrimp

Nothing says Texas to me more than the plump, dense, and flavorful pink shrimp from the Gulf. Available by the pound or frozen in five-pound boxes from Quality Seafood, 5621 Airport Blvd., 454-5827, www.qualityseafoodmarket.com.

J-One-S Venison Jerky

John and Sidney Jones raise fallow deer in Driftwood, just outside Austin. Their vacuum-packed venison jerky is just right – not too sweet, not too salty, not too chewy. Order online from www.j1sranch.com. Also available at Central Market.

Chez Zee Bourbon Pecan Pie in Pyrex Pie Dish

Chez Zee makes many wonderful desserts, but a particularly clever gift option is the whole pies that comes in their own Pyrex dishes (now who’d know you didn’t make them yourself?). Apple streusel and pumpkin praline are available, but my favorite is classic Southern bourbon pecan. Order from Chez Zee, 5406 Balcones Dr., 454-2666; 48 hours’ notice needed (www.chez-zee.com).

This article appears in December 3 • 2004.

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MM Pack is a food writer/historian and private chef who divides her time between Austin and San Francisco. A regular contributor to The Austin Chronicle and Edible Austin, she’s been published in Gastronomica, The San Francisco Chronicle, Oxford Encyclopedia of Food & Drink in America, Nation’s Restaurant News, Scribner's Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, The Dictionary of Culinary Biography, and Southern Foodways Alliance’s Cornbread Nation 1.

Rachel Feit is an archaeologist by trade who worked her way through college in kitchens in Chicago and Austin before discovering that dishing up words was more satisfying that dishing up meals. She has been writing about food and restaurants for The Austin Chronicle for more than a decade, but still loves to cook.

Wes Marshall is the author of What's a Wine Lover To Do? (Artisan) and The Wine Roads of Texas (Maverick), as well as the Executive Producer of the PBS television series of the same name. Wes has written for The Austin Chronicle since 1999, covering wine, cocktails, food, and travel.

Mick Vann is a retired Austin chef who is a food writer and restaurant critic, cookbook author, restaurant consultant, and recipe developer. He moonlights as a University of Texas horticulturist with a propensity for ethnic eats and international food, particularly of the Asian persuasion, but he also knows his way around a plate of soul food or barbecue.

Mexico City native Claudia Alarcón has made Austin home since 1984. She worked her way through college in the local restaurant industry, graduating from the University of Texas in 1999. She has been a Chronicle contributor for 15 years and presents lectures and workshops on topics related to the foodways of Mexico, both locally and internationally.