At the Tastemaker Awards, we celebrate Austin's top food and drink talent. And on Tuesday, guests of the fourth annual affair got a taste of some of the best — and newest — culinary offerings in the city.
Chefs, bartenders and foodies sipped signature cocktails, sampled fabulous fare and celebrated this year's stellar group of nominees. Winners of the 2015 Tastemakers were announced live throughout the evening, starting with Jason Stevens of Bar Congress. The bartender, who is a fixture in Austin's craft cocktail scene, snagged the Bartender of the Year award, and Bar Congress was named Bar of the Year.
Drinks in hand (silver coin margaritas made with Herradura Tequila, beer by Alaskan Brewing Company and Odell Brewing Company, and wine from The Austin Winery were a hit), guests circled the room sampling bites from 2015 Tastemaker nominees. Highlights included Kin & Comfort's Asian fusion offering, savory pumpkin panna cotta from soon-to-open Juliet, and signature puccias from Lucky's Puccias and Pizzeria. The line for legendary Black's Barbecue was well worth the wait.
Sweet cravings were satisfied by an assortment of desserts, including adorable offerings from Tiny Pies, Tiff's Treats courtesy of Cadillac, and several goodies from Pastry Chef of the Year winner Callie Speer of Swift's Attic.
Spotted in the crowd: Erica Waksmunski, Brandon Fuller, Drew Curren, Shawn Cirkiel, Evelyn Sher, Rene Castro, Dania Abbasi, Tom Thornton and Matt McGinnis. A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit the Austin Food & Wine Alliance.
A sold-out crowd gathered at Brazos Hall for the 2015 Tastemakers.
Photo by Shelley Neuman
A sold-out crowd gathered at Brazos Hall for the 2015 Tastemakers.
Photo by Katherine Larson (@k.larsonphotography and @sarahrobertscreative)
Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar of "The Bachelor" got married May 23, 2025 in Austin.
Zach Shallcross is a bachelor no more. The Austin-based star of ABC's The Bachelor has quietly married Kaity Biggar, to whom he got engaged on the finale of the show in March 2023. The couple tied the knot May 23, 2025 at Dulcinea Chapel, a wedding venue 20 minutes southwest of downtown Austin.
TMZ was the first to report the news, on June 11, based on Travis County court documents; the couple confirmed their nuptials via podcast the same day.
Shallcross and Biggar initially announced they'd marry in October 2025, then they teased it would be "at some point" during the year. They changed course and successfully kept the actual date and details under wraps, quite a feat for a "Bachelor Nation" wedding.
The ceremony at the outdoor Austin chapel was intimate and romantic — exactly as they'd wanted it, Biggar told The Bachelor Happy Hour podcast on June 11. "We just did like a cute little chapel celebration with our closest loved ones, our family," she said, as retold by E! News.
They had been planning a larger, more lavish, more expensive wedding, she said, before the bride-to-be experienced a lightbulb moment that's relatable to brides everywhere.
"I just took a step back and was like, 'I don't know if we need this,'" she said on the podcast. "The whole point of a wedding is just staying true to the love and the connection of both of us, and I felt like I was honing in on too many details, like, 'Oh, my mom would like this but these people would like that.' I think I was getting caught up in details and losing the whole premise of it."
Photo by Katherine Larson (@k.larsonphotography and @sarahrobertscreative)
Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar of "The Bachelor" got married May 23, 2025 in Austin.
Biggar's aunt, the "virtual matchmaker" who encouraged her to go on The Bachelor, found Dulcinea Chapel, "and it was like 500 bucks," the bride said. The venue sits high on a hill on the campus of the Wizard Academy, described on the website as "a nontraditional business school."
According to official franchise website Bachelor Nation, the bride wore a strapless Pronovias gown with a sweetheart neckline, lace slingback heels by Betsey Johnson, and earrings from Kendra Scott.
The groom wore a classic black tuxedo from State and Liberty. Biggar changed into a short, sparkly party dress by Sherri Hill for the reception.
At the ceremony, the couple exchanged personal vows, captured and set over a beautiful video montage of their love story by filmmaker by Nicholas DeRose (@visualrosefilms) for Bachelor Nation.
They shared their first dance as husband and wife to “Simply the Best” by Noah Reid, from the show Schitt’s Creek — "a nod to the first song they listened to after getting engaged on The Bachelor," Bachelor Nation says.
At their reception dinner, they and their guests dined on steak, fish, and pasta. The wedding cake was topped with personalized Funko POP! Yourself figures.
Shallcross and Biggar met and got engaged on season 27 of the ABC reality TV show in 2023. He proposed in the season finale in Thailand. Shallcross was born in Fullerton, California, but lived in Austin and worked for software company Oracle when he appeared on The Bachelor. Biggar is from Kingston, Ontario, Canada; she is a travel nurse.
The newlyweds live in Austin with their dog, Honey, and are reportedly planning a honeymoon to Italy in 2026.
