Queso Cook-off

Stop the world and melt: Quesoff returns to the Mohawk

Queso has such a simplistic beauty to it. Foodies may believe it’s nothing more than melted cheese for dipping Tostitos into, but with just minor alterations it can become the most decadent appetizer in the culinary arts.

And queso is a beloved part of Austin’s food scene — as evidenced by its inclusion on BuzzFeed’s list of what Austinites love the most about his city. To celebrate the art of cheesy nourishment, the third annual Quesoff takes place at the Mohawk this Saturday at 2 p.m. and will determine which queso concoction reigns supreme in the Capital City.

The competition will feature both amateur and professional teams of queso cooks competing in several categories, including the best spicy, meaty and veggie queso. Each winner will take home a nice cheesy trophy to boast their skills. One team will also earn the top overall distinction for the best queso and will be rewarded with a pair of Ultimate Smooth Passes to this year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest.

As for this year’s teams, the competition brings back last year’s winners to defend their titles, including Frank for meaty, team Thunda Fromunda for veggie and Papi Tino’s for spicy and overall. Other cheesy contenders include Pelon’s, Vegan Yacht, Austin Daily Press and TopGolf Austin.

Amateur folks who have mastered queso chemistry will also join the fight against the pros — and they have the benefit of clever team names on their side. Opponents will likely tremble when they hear the names of ESTEphanie VATO, Cream Team, Que PaSO?, Lord Cheeses, Anarqueso and Por Queso Serious. Hopefully, there’s a special prize for a team that can incorporate an awesome Dark Knight reference into its name.

A team of five all-star judges will evaluate the entries, but the community is welcome to join in the tasting. Admission is free, and you can purchase bags of chips for dipping for $5. But please refrain from double dipping. That’s like putting your whole mouth in the dip.

The DJ duo of Johnny Hottub will provide some jams that should go down just as smooth as queso down your gullet. You might recognize them as Mohawk owner James Moody and Austin Facial Hair Club legend Miletus Callahan-Barile.

Saturday at the Mohawk is where you will definitely find the next big cheese in the Austin queso scene.

2012 Quesoff winners.

Austin photo: News_Mike_Quesoff_Thunda from Fumunda

Photo by: Miguel Angel

2012 Quesoff winners.

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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.