New Kid On The Block

Added spice: Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts breaks ground

The Austin culinary scene will soon receive some additional spice with the ground breaking of it the Escoffier School of the Culinary Arts' new Agricultural Learning Center on August 23.

Escoffier, a superstar chef at the turn of the 20th century, is recognized as one of the pioneers of modern French cuisine. His techniques and recipes live on via the curriculum at the culinary school, which has a sister location in Boulder.

Escoffier is well known for modernizing the professional kitchen with brigade de cuisine, the hierarchy system which designates specific tasks to different positions (sous chef, pastry chef, saucier etc.) and is used in restaurants and hotels around the world.

“I cannot think of a better springboard for students’ careers than learning the methods, recipes and the philosophy of the man who in many ways is responsible for modern cuisine,” says Chef Mark Dowling, Vice President of academics and Executive Chef at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.

Notably, the school has publicly committed itself to being as green as possible: "In addition to sourcing whenever possible local, fresh products and ingredients for our programs and classes, we are dedicated to providing a healthy and sustainable school and work environment. Recycling, composting, and energy savings are just some of the steps we have taken to ensure that Escoffier School of Culinary Arts treads lightly and acts responsibly."

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Editor's Note: The long established Escoffier School of Culinary Arts will break ground on a new 6,000 square-foot facility, that will focus specifically on agricultural, farm-to-table education for culinary students. The ground-breaking takes place Thursday, August 23 at 8:30 a.m.

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Refill, revere, rejoice

Austin distiller refills Kentucky Bourbon bottles for $1 in UT gameday stunt

Photo courtesy of Still Austin Whiskey Co.

Still Austin is filling up empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles and adding its own label in a display of Texas dominance.

Cheap bourbon isn't usually something people line up for, but in this case they know it's good. Still Austin Whiskey Co., a favorite Austin distiller, is offering $1 refills of its own Cask Strength Bourbon on empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles on November 23.

The promotion celebrates the Texas Longhorns vs. Kentucky Wildcats football match the same day. This is a highly anticipated game because the two teams have only been matched up once, back in 1951. Kentucky coach Mike Stoops reportedly also upped the ante by saying the Longhorns have "no weaknesses."

Essentially, this is a parallel challenge by Still Austin: Replace your Kentucky Bourbon with our Texas spirit and watch the Lone Star State win again.

"Why would I ever taint your bourbon with dried up Kentucky juice[?]" asked a (frankly, terrifying) customer on Instagram.

There is a misconception that bourbon has to be made in Kentucky. The Kentucky Distillers’ Association itself points out that, "According to the 1964 Congressional Resolution, in order to have “Bourbon” on the label it must be made in the United States of America and meet all other federal “standards of identity” for Bourbon."

Still Austin CEO and co-founder Chris Seals is setting the record straight with a little snark, inviting both fans and "skeptics" to stop by to take advantage of the deal.

“We’re deeply grateful to Kentucky for inventing the stuff, but after 200 years of the same old bourbon, people want something new,” said Seals in a press release.“The idea that great bourbon can only come from Kentucky is a myth based on decades of misinformation. We’re inviting everyone still holding onto this old guard notion to ‘Kentucky Fill Up’ to experience the difference for themselves.”

The product he's chosen to represent the brand, the Cask Strength Bourbon, is described as "a deeper more 'metal' version of our beloved straight bourbon." It's 116 proof (58 percent ABV) and has won double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition twice, in 2022 and 2023.

Still Austin will only refill 500 bottles. Here are the rules: The bottles have to be 750 milliliters, clean, intact (with the original cap on hand), and they must have originally contained bourbon from a Kentucky Distillery. There are two time slots for refilling at 9 am and 11:30 am. Patrons can get tickets ahead of time at stillaustin.com.

In addition to the fill-ups, Still Austin will host a watch party starting at 2:30 pm. More Texas-Kentucky crossover will include Frozen Texas Julep cocktails, Texas fried chicken, and an armadillo derby race. There will also be exclusive merch and giveaways. Still Austin is the official corporate partner of Texas Athletics.

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Fans of Austin sports and Austin food and drinks can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm December 12 at Distribution Hall. Find out more about it here.

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