bread man heats up

Artisan breads from popular Texas bakery are now available in Austin

Bread Man Baking Company Whole Foods breads

Four Bread Man loaves will be available at Whole Foods statewide.

Photo by Shawn Chippendale

Austin is finally getting a taste Houston's cult Bread Man Baking Company. The bakery announced an expansion of its partnership with Austin's own Whole Foods Market, which will see four of its signature loaves distributed to stores in Austin, as well as Dallas, San Antonio, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

Beginning Tuesday, October 27, Whole Foods will feature four seasonal loaves that will be exclusive to its stores: Pumpkin Spice Brioche, White Chocolate Orange Challah, Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough, and Chocolate Cherry Sourdough. Like all of Bread Man's products, they're made with locally-sourced ingredients and without any artificial additives, preservatives, or high-fructose corn syrup.

“The expansion within Whole Foods is a dream come true, and we’re overjoyed with the growth of this relationship,” said Tasos Katsaounis, CEO and founder of Bread Man Baking Company, in a statement. “The ability to showcase our products to a new audience is exciting. Whole Foods gave us the creative liberty to create seasonal flavors so we came together as a team and immediately explored our own favorite holiday flavor combinations.”

Founded in 2018, Bread Man has been growing quickly. Initially, Katsaounis started as a hobbyist who rekindled his childhood interest in baking for friends and family. An enthusiastic response to pictures of his breads on social media — along with some encouragement from his wife, Houston radio legend Roula Christie — inspired him to leave his corporate consulting job and become an entrepreneur.

Katsaounis started selling his breads to Houston restaurants, as well as farmers markets across the Houston area, Whole Foods, and select H-E-B stores.

"Six months into Bread Man Baking Company’s existence, Whole Food contacted us, and that was a dream come true," Katsaounis added. "Now, to be able to expand our reach not only to the entire state of Texas but also to neighboring states, well, I never would’ve imagined this to come from fulfilling a passion that began in my home kitchen."

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Noodle News

Vegan ramen joint from Los Angeles visits Austin for 2-night pop-up

Ramen Hood/Instagram

Los Angeles' Ramen Hood will be in Austin for a two-night pop-up.

This Thursday and Friday, the Loren Hotel Austin is teaming up with Los Angeles vegan ramen restaurant Ramen Hood for a two-night pop-up dinner on November 7 and 8.

The dinner on both nights will include a multi-course prix fixe menu featuring some of the restaurant's best-selling dishes. Guests will see broccoli with soy, chili glaze, and scallions; Ahi "Tuna" crisps made from spicy beets, crispy rice shells, yuzu avocado puree and sesame seeds; Avocado Toast with crispy rice cakes, yuzu avocado puree, herb salad, togarashi, and chili threads; and ramen with sunflower seed broth, bean sprouts, scallions, bok choy, and king oyster mushrooms.

Dinner is priced at $45 per person, plus an additional $45 for sake and cocktail pairings.

Dinner will include this simple but savory broccoli dish, along with several other courses. Photo courtesy of Ramen Hood

Ramen Hood was founded in 2015 by chef Rahul Khopkar and Ilan Hall, as a vegan and plant-based ramen option in L.A. This will be the first time Ramen Hood is teaming up with The Loren, but it's not the first pop-up the hotel is offering. This is part of an ongoing chef series, where The Loren Hotel partners with chefs from all around the country to showcase their specialty dishes to Austin eaters.

A portion of the proceeds from The Loren Chef Series benefits The Loren Roots Imperative, a nonprofit that has big goals in terms of carbon footprint. Currently the Roots Imperative aims to acquire and regenerate over 50,000 biodiverse acres of land and plant 10 million hardwood trees to offset its own carbon emissions.

Ramen Hood's pop-up vegan restaurant will be at The Loren's Nido Lounge from 6-9 pm on Thursday November, 7, and Friday, November 8.

The Nido Lounge at the Loren Hotel Austin. Photo from thelorenhotels.com

The Loren Hotel is located just south of the Colorado River at 1211 W Riverside Dr. Aside from the Nido Lounge, the hotel a Milk + Honey spa, an extensive fitness center, cafe, rooftop terrace, infinity pool, and plenty of other luxurious amenities in its 108 guest rooms and suites overlooking Lady Bird Lake.

More information and tickets are available at thelorenhotels.com.

ramen vegan hotels pop-up