Best of the best

Austin culinary superstars score big on James Beard semifinalist list

Laura Sawicki was recognized for her work at Launderette.

Courtesy photo

Music fans have the Grammys, movie buffs have the Oscars, but for people who obsess about everything food and drink, there is no greater honor than the James Beard Awards.

On February 15, the organization announced the 2018 class of semifinalists, the first step in the process of winning the award. On March 14, the list will be narrowed down to five finalists per category, with the winners being announced at a lavish gala in Chicago on May 7.

Again this year, several Austinites were on the long list, including a few new names. Austin especially cleaned up in the Best Chef: Southwest category where Emmer & Rye’s Kevin Fink (his first semifinalist acknowledgement), Olamaie’s Michael Fojtasek (a previous semifinalist for Best New Restaurant), and Barley Swine’s Bryce Gilmore (a multi-time finalist) all received nods.

Laura Sawicki also made the list for Outstanding Pastry Chef, her fourth time to be named a semifinalist and the third time for her work at Launderette (her first in 2013 was for La Condesa).

Jeffrey Stuffings of Jester King Brewery made his first appearance on the list as Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional. Japanese smokehouse Kemuri Tatsu-Ya continued its streak of recent accolades by receiving a Best New Restaurant nod, one of only two Texas restaurants to make the cut (the other was Houston’s Xochi).

Texans dominated the Best Chef: Southwest list with nominations for San Antonio’s Diego Galicia and Rico Torres (Mixtli) and Steve McHugh (Cured); Pearland’s Ronnie Killen (Killen’s Steakhouse); Houston’s Anita Jaisinghani (Pondicheri), Ross Coleman and James Haywood (Kitchen 713), and Trong Nguyen (Crawfish & Noodles, and Ryan Pera (Coltivare); Dallas’ Regino Rojas (Revolver Taco Lounge); and Lexington’s Norma Francis “Tootsie” Tomanetz (Snow’s BBQ).

As Texas Monthly notes, the naming of Tomanetz, Nguyen, and Rojas was a surprise. All three helm eateries that are a departure from the upscale restaurants typically named.

The other Texas nominees were all centered in Houston and include Anvil Bar & refuge for Outstanding Bar Program, Jillian Bartolome (Aqui) for Outstanding Pastry Chef, Martha De Leon (Pax Americana) for Rising Star Chef of the Year, and two kudos for Hugo’s: Outstanding Service and owner Tracy Vaught for Outstanding Restaurateur.

chefs awards

Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.