Live Fire! Returns

23 Texas chefs prepare for beef showdown at the Salt Lick Pavilion

What do you get when you take 23 chefs, give them a whole lot of beef and add some flame? Austin Food and Wine Alliance’s fourth annual festival of meat, better known as Live Fire!, being held this Thursday, April 17 at the picturesque Salt Lick Pavilion. Eat your vegetables for lunch and pull on your stretchy pants, because you won’t want to miss one tasty bite of the carnivorous indulgence that supports the future of Austin’s culinary community.

“Live Fire! is truly one of the country’s foremost celebrations of beef,” said Paul Barnes, president of the Austin Food and Wine Alliance. “In addition to having a supreme lineup of chef mastery and amazing wine, artisan spirits and craft brews, we’re excited that the funds raised will directly benefit our community with culinary grants for chefs, farmers, artisan producers and nonprofits.”

The menu for the fourth annual event shows off the diverse talent of the chefs from across Texas. On Thursday, they will serve up everything from mouth-watering Texas barbecue and Mexican skirt steak to more international flavors like a French-inspired beef torchon, a Spanish morcilla and a number of Asian-influenced dishes.

Guests will pair these dishes with samples from over two dozen wineries including a special collection of wines curated by Sommelier Paula Rester. Local beverage makers Argus Cidery, Dripping Springs Vodka, Dulce Vida Organic Tequila, Paula’s Texas Spirits, Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Treaty Oak Distilling Spirits, Twisted X Brewing Company and White Hat Rum will also be on hand to quench guests’ thirst.

Proceeds from Live Fire! benefit the Austin Food & Wine Alliance, a nonprofit that awards grants for culinary innovation to chefs, farmers, artisan producers and nonprofits in Central Texas. Two of the artisans participating in this year’s event, Argus Cidery and Salt & Time Butcher Shop and Salumeria, are previous grant recipients.

Here's the full menu from Live Fire!'s participating chefs.

Jason Dady of Jason Dady Restaurants (San Antonio): New York Strip Tiger Cry Salad with Fresh Red Curry Paste, Cucumber, Mint and Red Boat Fish Sauce
Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue (Austin): Beef Plate with Ribs & Smoked Pimiento Cheese
Brandon Fuller of Café Josie (Austin): Braised Short Rib and Sweet Potato with Chili Aioli
Monica Glenn of Qui (Austin): Champurrado (chocolate-based drink) with Chocolate Mousse, Coconut Rice Pudding and Charred Orange Peel
Ronnie Killen of Killen’s Barbecue (Pearland): Killen’s Beef Ribs & Brisket
Kristine Kittrell of WeatherUp (Austin): Beef Torchon with Escargot and Grilled Green Garlic Butter
Lawrence Kocurek of Trace (Austin): Beef Tongue & Sweetbread Skewers with Pickled Vegetables
Rick Lopez of La Condesa (Austin): Beef Taquitos with Ribeye, Carrot Top Chimichurri served with Bacon Fat Tortillas
Jeff Martinez of El Chile Café y Cantina (Austin): Mole de Res with Charred Jalapenos and Epazote.
Matt McCallister of FT33 (Dallas): Beef Morcilla, Tallow Fried Potatoes with Smoked Beef Fat Aioli and Pickled Wild Onion Puree
Kendall Melton of Contigo (Austin): Buckwheat Biscuit, Charred Lardo Marshmallow and Texas Blackberries
Rene Ortiz & Laura Sawicki of Angry Bear (Austin): Tien Tsing Beef & Tofu with Yellow Rock Sugar and Daikon Numbing Salt
Jesse Perez of Arcade Midtown Kitchen (San Antonio): Toasted Chile and Garlic Skirt Steak with Jalapeno Jelly, Cherry Tomato Relish and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Timothy Rattray of The Granary ‘Cue and Brew (San Antonio): Smoke-Grilled Beef Cheeks, Plantain and Chimichurri
Scott Roberts of Salt Lick (Driftwood): Moist Brisket served on Fresh-patted Flour Tortillas roasted over the Brisket Fire
Ben Runkle, Bryan Butler and Josh Jones of Salt & Time Butcher Shop and Salumeria (Austin): Premium Rotisserie Cuts
Mari Soto and Mark Morales of Whole Foods Market (Austin): Roasted Bone Marrow with Sriracha Vinaigrette and Mongolian Beef Jerky
Callie Speer of Swift’s Attic (Austin): Banana Cream, Malted Chocolate Stout, Hazelnut Beer Brittle and Banana Bubbles
Josh Watkins of The Carillon (Austin): Sugar Cane-Skewered Beef Tongue, Jalapeno Chutney, Fish Sauce Laquer, Black Garlic BBQ & Thai Basil

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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.