Pastries for All

Austin farmers market favorite cooks up little kitchen with big offerings

Confituras jam jelly jar biscuit label 2015

Confituras Little Kitchen will open in 2017.

Confituras/Facebook

Confituras, Austin’s award-winning boutique jam and preserves company, has big plans for its widely anticipated Little Kitchen.

On Wednesday, the company announced that pastry chef Kendall Melton will join the team at Confituras Little Kitchen, a community kitchen, retail space, and jam and biscuit shop, slated to open in early 2017. Melton, whose resume includes pastry stints at Contigo and Odd Duck, will display her ample knowledge, while showcasing Confituras’ locally and sustainably sourced preserves and seasonal bounty.

Confituras’ owner Stephanie McClenny launched a Kickstarter campaign in the fall of 2015 to fund the community kitchen. The goal of $20,000 was met in just eight days.

"Austin has a very vibrant local food community," says McClenny. "We ended up with almost $30,000 pledged, so we feel that the community is really behind us. We found a building in the South Lamar corridor and plan to begin construction soon, with the completion of the kitchen sometime in early 2017."

Most of the building, located at 2129 Goodrich Ave., will house a community kitchen, which is designed to be shared with other local food businesses. The kitchen, which will operate on a sliding scale based on income and type of use, will also serve as an incubator designed to assist small, up-and-coming women-owned food businesses. McClenny also plans to offer mentorship from chefs, food artisans, and others in the local food community, as well as advice on small business topics, legal services, real estate, and bookkeeping/accounting.

In the front of the building, a retail space and jam and biscuit shop will showcase Confituras' products to the public, and a smaller space will be available to host private and community events.

"We are lining up vendors now," says McClenny of the retail area. "Anyone who is a kitchen partner will be able to use the retail section as their brick-and-mortar [space], so they will be able to retail, regardless of weather issues at the farmers' markets. We will also be showcasing other artisan businesses, such as Little City Coffee and Two Hives Honey."

Taste of 2025

Austin's Wine & Food Foundation announces 3 big events for 2025

Photo by Erica Wilkins Photography

Theses Wine & Food Foundation events raise funds for local initiatives.

Austin's food scene is booming, but smaller businesses could always use support. The Wine & Food Foundation is one of Austin's leading industry protectors, and it's just announced three events to help support its mission over the next year.

The three events — Big Reds and Bubbles, Toast of Texas, and the Rare & Fine Wine Auction Gala — are spread out between March and November of 2025, and all offer something a bit different.

They'll all benefit the Wine & Food Foundation and, by extension, the local organizations it supports. Those include Keep Austin Fed, which diverts food surpluses from grocery stores, catered events, and other sites of professional food service; and Sustainable Food Center, which helps Texans access healthy food through SNAP and WIC incentives, hosts farmers markets, connects farmers with resources, and more. The Wine & Food Foundation also offers scholarships for hospitality professionals.

Big Reds and Bubbles, held Friday, March 28, will bring together more than 100 red and sparkling wines for a tasting event. In addition to comparing wines back-to-back, guests will get to try them with bites from popular Austin restaurants to discover interesting new pairings. They'll also get to dress to impress and see the new LZR space — formerly La Zona Rosa, an old Austin music venue that had its last official performance in 2013.

Next up is Toast of Texas on June 8. This is another tasting event that focuses instead on 20 local wineries. The food menu at this event is also more specific, featuring local barbecue and paella, among other local tastes. It'll be located at Assembly Hall, an event space on East 7th Street adjacent to the East Austin Hotel.

Finally, there's the premier event: the Rare & Fine Wine Auction Gala on November 8. This is a big fundraising opportunity not just because of potentially high auction tickets, but the chance to experience something truly out of the ordinary for the wine industry. Guests will also enjoy "an elegant dinner" according to the press release and wines by a featured maker. It'll all happen at the JW Marriott Austin.

The release counts more than 50 other events slated for the year, so there are plenty more opportunities between the big three. Some of these include wine tasting courses, which will be available again soon.

wine tasting small businesses wineries nonprofits galas