Culinary Matchmaking

Culinary matchmaking: Forager Valerie Broussard on connecting local chefs and farmers

When you think of matchmakers, you think of dating, but in the culinary world, foragers like Austinite Valerie Broussard serve as the liaison between small farmers, producers and chefs. Drawing on her experience as Starwood’s first forager at the W Austin, Broussard has struck out on her own to connect area chefs and retailers with the freshest and best products from local farms.

“Sourcing from small farms is a very different model than calling a big distributor and having the goods arrive on a large truck a day or two later. If you want fresh food harvested to order, you have to know the farmer’s harvest schedule,” says Broussard. “On a hot summer day they can’t pick at midday and deliver to you that afternoon. My role is to inform my clients about those nuanced details to help them be more successful with local sourcing.”

Broussard fell in love with locally grown food when she worked as the produce manager at Balducci’s in New York. “I am from Louisiana and I didn’t grow up with apples being a big part of our food culture,” says Broussard. “In New York we got in all these heirloom varieties and I never knew an apple could have spice notes and taste like cinnamon. I was just blown away and I wanted to know more.”

After spending more than a decade in New York, Broussard moved to Austin and worked as the organic food coordinator at Barr Mansion before joining the team at the W. The art of her work is in seeing and hearing the things that others might miss. For chefs who are busy running their kitchens, she acts an extension of the kitchen, vetting what is worth presenting to them and finding things that will work on their menus. She helps farmers see their crops through the eye of the chef, and often helps them identify potential sales that they may have otherwise missed.

Broussard regularly tours farms for things that might pique a chef's interest, like wild mustang grapes or cardoons, a relative of the artichoke. “I was talking to a farmer about elderberries and the farmer said, ‘Oh yeah, we have those,’” explains Broussard. “I told them to name their price because someone is going to be interested. Some farmers don’t realize all of the things they have growing that have culinary value. A flower, stem or bark can have as much value as the main crop.”

For ingredients that are in scarce supply or have short seasons, it can be a race to see who can get to them first. “What I’m hoping is that if five chefs tell me they want an ingredient and it grows in this climate, then I can communicate that with the farms and they can grow more,” says Broussard.

“If we work together, then we should be able to find a buyer for everything that is grown. If it’s a quality product and its fresh and delicious, there is no reason it shouldn’t get into the right hands,” says Broussard, whose special talents result in fresh, coveted ingredients for chefs — and Austinites — to enjoy.

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Come to Dinner with Us

Casual eats and Asian desserts: Our favorite Austin meals of 2024

Photo by Brianna Caleri

Dipdipdip Tatsu-Ya's yuzu panna cotta was perfect with this strawberry granita, which changes daily.

Readers, are you ready for our annual dinner date? The CultureMap Austin crew spends a lot of time keeping up with local restaurants, but the ones that really stick out often aren't new. In between all the openings and rebrandings are the regular, everyday meals that keep us going.

We don't usually get a chance to show those off, so every December we spend some time with our top meals of the year, regardless of how newsworthy they were at the time.

Believe it or not, we do have lives outside of stuffing ourselves and 2024 was a busy year. Looking back, we leaned a bit more than usual into casual food — a couple of things on this list cost less than $15. But if you're hoping to impress a date or find a meal that's actually worth $75+, we've got that too.

In no particular order, here are the 10 meals and snacks we thought most about in 2024.

Three meals in one: The Little Darlin'
We listen and we don't judge: Sometimes it's 8 pm and you haven't eaten anything all day. I've learned to break up the inertia with a burger from the Little Darlin', the outdoorsy South Austin watering hole with shockingly great eats. Providing most of the calories a person could need in a day, this big burger and shoestring fry combo feeds indulgence, not gluttony. The thick, charred patty isn't greasy or overly salty, the sweet pickles and red onions are a lovely pick-me-up, and the atmosphere is warm and grounding. There is zero pretension here and I am invisible — most folks hang out in groups, someone's always playing pool, and there's usually some metal subgenre filling the air. — Brianna Caleri, Austin editor

Sushi: Tare
When this intimate omakase restaurant hidden inside an unassuming North Austin office building made its debut in January, I never expected its Texas-inspired Japanese sushi to stay on my mind for the rest of the year. My favorite bites included a fatty bluefin tuna with negi dare; and an amaebi shrimp over a tamale, topped with queso fresco, chili oil, and lemon. A picturesque slice of matcha tres leches cake was the perfect dessert to cap off the experience, prepared by pastry chef Danielle Martinez. I was thrilled to see Tare recognized on the list Michelin-recommended restaurants in Austin, and I can't wait to see what Chef Carranza comes up with next. — Amber Heckler, network writer

Tare omakase restaurant in North Austin Have you ever seen tres leches look so pretty? (Pictured: matcha tres leches atPhoto by Amber Heckler

For every occasion: Tatsu-Ya Group restaurants
Having eaten at every Tatsu-Ya concept in Austin this year, I couldn't possibly cut any from the greatest hits. From a generous, exclusive media feast at Kemuri Tatsu-Ya, to extremely casual visits at the restaurant that gets the largest annual share of my paycheck each year, Ramen Tatsu-Ya, there's something funky and celebratory about every meal without sacrificing accessibility. Top dishes to try are: the crunchy, creative, and umami-drenched lotus and avocado salad at Kemuri; the sharable pu pu platter at Tiki with super-tender coconut shrimp; and my favorite dessert of the year, the light and bright yuzu panna cotta with a daily granita at Dipdipdip. — BC

Farmers market finds: Hijita chocolate
If there's only one thing you need to know about me: I love chocolate. It's a lifelong obsession of mine, and there's nothing more exciting to me than discovering new locally made brands. I first tried Hijita's drinking chocolate at the Texas Farmers Market's Lakeline location (which has since moved to Cedar Park's Bell District), and I've been following the brand's journey ever since. I really appreciate founder Ashley Ugarte's dedication to working directly with family-owned cacao farms in southern Mexico. Plus, it's nice to have a local replacement for a certain Nestlé-owned hot chocolate brand. — AH

Perfectly seasoned: Super Thai Cuisine
I like everything at Super Thai Cuisine, from the salty fried rice to the homey gaeng karee (yellow curry). But my new favorite dish has to be the larb moo and kaw gee — a spicy ground turkey or pork salad with lettuce cups and grilled sticky rice. It's hard to know where to begin, since each ingredient feels both like it's fundamentally necessary and a delightful treat. The meat makes it robust, but the vegetables balance the heaviness; then the chili lime dressing brightens everything up. I don't know if Super Thai has an amazing cucumber supplier or the dish is just that well balanced, but I've never appreciated this simple vegetable more. — BC

Family-style eats with a Caribbean flare: Canje
Canje has rightfully earned plenty of local and national acclaim this year, but that hasn't changed how the restaurant provides excellent service and delicious meals for its guests. I'm a big fan of family-style dining, especially when I'm with a group that wants to try a variety of things on the menu. Canje's team are masters at coursing out meals, so we're never left waiting too long for our next dish. The restaurant's vibrant yet easygoing atmosphere also never makes us feel rushed, which is a quality I appreciate more than anything else when I'm spending quality time with my friends. — AH

Worth a drive: Palo Seco 512
With so many taco trucks around Austin, it doesn't seem like anyone would need to drive more than 15 minutes to fill a craving. But Palo Seco 512 is worth visiting East Oltorf, an area most Austinites aren't just passing by most days. This trailer does comfort food right, specializing in birria tacos and barely branching out from there — adding the consomé to a bowl of instant noodles or serving it with some grilled cheese for dipping. For extra decadent birria tacos, the chef grills a pile of cheese on the flat top first, creating a beautiful layer of caramelization. — BC

Sometimes you can just see that a taco is perfect. (Pictured: birria tacos with cheese at Palo Seco 512)Photo by Brianna Caleri

Overseas and at home: Nando's PERi-PERi
My husband and I first tried Nando's while we were in London earlier this year, and we were really impressed by the various flavorful sauces that accompany the marinated grilled chicken. So when we returned and learned Nando's was opening its fourth Texas location in Austin, we knew we had to make a visit. We were very grateful to be invited when the restaurant opened in November, and the chicken was just as juicy as we remembered from our London experience. We'll definitely be returning in 2025. — AH

Do as the French do: Bureau de Poste
In case every foodie movie, TV show, and book haven't already convinced you, a French omelette is the pinnacle of cooking. Austinites who only know the American way can amend their egg-eating habits at Bureau de Poste. The key element is very gentle cooking, leaving the inside gooey and avoiding any crispiness the outside. During a recent visit, a guest seated next to me seemed upset to learn about this French standard and sent hers back for more cooking; the staff very politely explained the difference and set her up with an elegantly dubbed "well-done" omelette, which she loved. I'll keep appreciating my omelettes as-is, but it was sweet to watch the servers bridge that cultural divide and respect the chefs, while getting the diner what she really wanted. — BC

Southern comfort sweet tooth cravings: Uptown Sports Club
Uptown Sports Club's great vibes, laid-back service, and homey menu offerings were at the top of Brianna's priority list when she named this restaurant among her favorites in 2023. While I do appreciate Uptown's hearty bowl of gumbo and its various po' boys, the dish that really stood out to me when I visited earlier this year was the apple pie bread pudding. It was my ideal version of what a bread pudding should be, and it had all of the classic fall flavors I was looking for when I walked in that night. The bourbon caramel and gigantic scoop of Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream definitely satisfied my sweet tooth, too. — AH

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