The first few weeks of the new year have been busy ones for local culinary entrepreneurs. Last month, Mary Louise Butters (www.buttersbrownies.com, 922-0342) spent a week in a Park City, Utah, art gallery where her distinctively delectable brownies were part of the luxurious swag (vodka and caviar, Swiss watches, BlackBerrys, and brownies!) in a hospitality suite at the Sundance Film Festival. The invite came from someone in an L.A. marketing firm who had received some of her brownies as a gift. As a result of the positive buzz about her goodies at Sundance, last week she got a call about the possibility of being included in the ultrachic swag bag for the Oscars! I suggested her Marilyn blond brownies would be perfect for the ultimate movie party, but no word yet on what transpired… 2 Dine 4 Catering (www.2dine4.com, 467-6600) owner Stephen Shallcross, chef Chris Chism, and a staff of six spent a week in California earlier this month, preparing approximately 1,500 meals a day at the AT&T Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif. This is the fifth year Shallcross and his team have been invited by megadeveloper IMI to provide meals to the crowds that gather daily at the storied waterfront Canary Cottage next to the 18th green on the dramatic seaside course. Once back from California, the team will have a few days to regroup before heading off to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to cater another IMI event… Pastry chef Christy Hughes and marketing partner Jennifer Crandell have teamed up to create SweetTempered (www.sweettemperedaustin.com, 825-3663), a wholesale-dessert-and-custom-cake business. Currently, you’ll find their pastries at Little City, Epoch Coffee Shop, and Farm to Market, but their markets are expanding all the time. They specialize in distinctive custom cakes for any occasion, such as the roller-skate cake they whipped up for the Texas Roller Girls… And speaking of specialty bakers, Heather Malkani has left All in One Bake Shop to open her own company, the Wedding Cake Artist (www.theweddingcakeartist.com, 417-7119). In addition to preparing wedding cakes, grooms cakes, and sculpted cake art, Heather will also be teaching cake-, cookie-, and dessert-making classes at Gina’s Kitchen (917 W. 12th). Check out class schedules and prices on her Web site… After nearly 20 years in the “Downtown Entertainment District,” club and restaurant owner Matt Reppert has decided to sell his businesses: Jazz: A Louisiana Kitchen (214 E. Sixth, 479-0474, www.jazzkitchen.com) and the Parish upstairs. The new owners – West Coast businessman Dan Janjigian and musician Matt Wilson – will lease the building and continue to operate the upstairs club as the Parish. The downstairs restaurant space will become Roux, with a Louisiana-inspired Cajun-fusion menu. The change will take place just after South by Southwest in March, and Reppert encourages Jazz regulars to come in soon to enjoy their favorite menu items before the restaurant closes. Regulars are also asked to vote for which Jazz menu items they’d like Roux to keep… If you’ve stayed away from the recently relocated Dot’s Place (15803 Windemere, 252-9300) in Pflugerville because of the large crowds of enthusiastic fans that overwhelmed her reopening, have no fear. The crowds have receded to manageable levels, and the food is as good as it ever was… Vin Bistro (1601 W. 38th, 377-5252, www.vinbistro.com) has welcomed new Executive Chef Christopher Lusk, formerly of KitchenBar in Brooklyn, N.Y.; Commander’s Palace in New Orleans; Otto Enoteca in Manhattan, N.Y.; and Star Canyon in Dallas. In addition to his chef’s skills, Lusk has also achieved the first level of sommelier certification, which should make him the perfect choice for a restaurant that places such an emphasis on food-and-wine pairings. Showcasing Lusk’s talent will be new offerings such as the Aficionado Trio – featuring a premium bottle of wine paired with three specialty entrées, and the Bon Vivant – a one-of-a-kind dinner designed especially for your prearranged party of two to four guests with wine pairings. For more details on chef Lusk’s menus, go to Vin’s Web site.ÊÊ
This article appears in February 23 • 2007.