Boggy Creek farmers Larry Butler and Carol Sayle returned on November 24 from a
speaking engagement at the Southern Agriculture Work Group Convention in
Griffin, Georgia to find snow falling on their East Austin farm. Farmers,
employees, and friends raced around in a tag-team, row-covering frenzy,
determined to protect everybody’s favorite winter salad greens from the Arctic
blast. Things look good so far. Then the much-in-demand organic spokesfarmers
appeared on Jim Hightower’s national radio broadcast the Wednesday before
Thanksgiving with Hightower’s friend (and theirs), California restaurateur
Alice Waters to discuss the importance of sustainable agriculture. It’s a shame
nobody in Austin carries the Hightower broadcast…
Speaking of agriculture,
drop by Eastside Cafe before December 15 to check out the display of garden
“artifacts” discovered by Head Gardener, David Kolosta. It appears that
previous farming tenants and Eastside patrons encouraged to stroll in the
garden have made some interesting deposits over the years: old (1903) and new
coins, bridle parts, sheep shears, square nails, wallets and purses, jewelry
and hubcaps. The baseball found in the corn had them wondering about the
slugger who was at bat in March, 1995 — the restaurant is a full seven blocks
away from Disch-Falk Field. Also visit the garden store, Pitchforks &
Tablespoons, where the shelves are fully stocked with great Christmas gift
ideas, including assorted restaurant-quality kitchen gadgets and the flower
presses used to produce their popular flower and herb “garden cards”…
If the
kids have visions of gingerbread houses dancing in their heads rather than
sugarplums, Randalls has just the solution. Sign the kids up at a neighborhood
Randalls for a decorating extravaganza on December 7, 8, 14, or 15. (Check
stores for times.) Children can decorate the houses with marshmallows, candy
kisses, peppermints, vanilla wafers, royal icing, and other candy treats. While
decorating, the children will hear a story about gingerbread houses and a
photographer will be on hand to snap souvenir photos. Parents must purchase a
pre-built gingerbread house, but there is no other cost to participate in the
event. Only Randalls stores with bakeries are involved…
The greatly
anticipated opening of the new Brio-Vista will be celebrated with a benefit for
the Austin Children’s Hospital on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7pm. Guests will enjoy
drinks and sample the cuisine of chef Larry Perdido. The new eatery shares the
same spectacular Hill Country view at 9400 Arboretum Blvd. as its sister
restaurant, Z’Tejas. Brio-Vista formally opens for dinner on December 9 and,
unlike the downtown Brio, will begin serving lunch and dinner on December 17…
The cook on your Christmas list who wants a signed copy of Threadgill’s —
The Cookbook is in luck. Restaurateur/author/raconteur Eddie Wilson will be
signing copies and dispensing bites of his famous Southern food at Borders
Books on Sunday, Dec. 7, 3-5pm. Cooking instructor Marie-Claire Quittelier
(328-5832) has a busy holiday schedule. She’ll teach holiday cooking and
decorating at the Inn Above Onion Creek near Kyle during the day on Dec. 7 and
present a holiday fondue party at Der Kuchen Laden in Fredericksburg that same
evening. Back in Austin, she teaches a class on a Proven�al Christmas on
Dec. 9 at
La Provence in The Village at Westlake, and a class on cooking
with beer with recipes from her Celis beer repertoire on
Dec. 13 at her
home.
Send restaurant news, chef/menu changes, food events, or intriguing rumors
to: “food-o-file,” The Austin Chronicle, PO Box 49066, Austin, TX
78765.
This article appears in December 6 • 1996 and December 6 • 1996 (Cover).