Marching In

Austin's massive new public marketplace brews up 2 more local businesses

Saint Elmo Public Market rendering South Austin 2015

St. Elmo's Public Market is set to debut next year in South Austin.

Rendering courtesy of Andersson-Wise Architects

One of Austin’s most ambitious hospitality projects is continuing to take shape. On September 22, St. Elmo Public Market — Austin’s answer to foodie hubs like Seattle’s Pike Place — released the second wave of local businesses to set up shop in the 40,000-square-foot marketplace now under construction at 4329 South Congress Ave.

First up is a new shop from Anthony Sobotik and Chad Palmatier, the couple behind Lick Honest Ice Creams. According to a release, the concept is a departure from the flagship brand, complete with a different name and expanded offerings that will include more than just frozen treats. More details will be spilled in the upcoming months.

“We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join this project as local farmers markets are a huge source of inspiration for Lick Honest Ice Creams,” said Palmatier in a release. “We appreciate the mission that St. Elmo Public Market is providing Austin by focusing on bringing the community together, and we are looking forward to taking all of the things that our customers love about our brand and presenting them in a remixed way.”

Also on tap is a new location from Family Business Beer Co., a Dripping Springs brewery that opened in January. Helmed by Supernatural star Jensen Ackles, his wife Daneel, and her brother Gino Graul, the new location will act as St. Elmo’s brewpub.

Head brewmaster Nate Seale, previously of (512) Brewing Company, will bring some of the signature recipes from the Hill Country outpost, but the beer list won’t be identical. "Our focus in the market will be small batch limited release beers, one-offs of our existing flagships, and we’ll be working on an exciting barrel program,” said Graul in the release.

The pair of projects join previously announced tenants Salt & Time, Texas Hill Country Olive Oil, and Mignette, a new bakery and all-day eatery from Olamaie executive chef Michael Fojtasek. The grounds, renovated from 1950s warehouse space, include offices, apartments, a boutique hotel, and even more food businesses.

Originally, St. Elmo was announced with a 2018 opening date, but that was eventually pushed back to spring 2019. The latest announcement has dropped the seasonal projection, only estimating that it will debut sometime next year.

openings news-you-can-eat desserts craft-beer ice-cream breweries

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.