Spun's coconut ice cream with spicy hot lava chocolate sauce.
Photo by Andrew Chan
A sweet new neighbor is taking up residence in East Austin. Spun Ice Cream is slated to open next door to butcher shop Salt & Time next year.
As with most new concepts popping up in Austin, Spun comes with a twist. The brainchild of local sister duo Christina and Ashley Cheng (whose family owns Austin favorite Chinatown), Spun won't offer your typical Baskin Robbins experience. Instead, each scoop of ice cream will be made to order using "the magic of liquid nitrogen."
Customers will watch as the base ingredients (think organic cream and locally sourced milk) transform "from bottle to scoop in under a minute" as they are "spun" with liquid nitrogen. With a temperature of 321 below zero, liquid nitrogen freezes ice cream super fast, producing smaller ice crystals that, Spun says, result in a frozen treat that's creamier and smoother than its counterparts.
"The liquid nitrogen makes Spun’s ice cream experience really visually entertaining and a bit whimsical, but we’re also all about cultivating fun for your taste buds," says pastry chef and co-owner Cheng.
To top it off, Spun will also offer house-made seasonal toppings. Texas pecan brittle, pie crumble, candied citrus confetti and chile piquin popcorn are just a few of the expected offerings.
Spun Ice Cream will be located at 1912 E. Seventh St. and is slated to open in early 2015.
Christopher Carpenter is known for his minimal intervention approach.
Every year, the Austin Wine & Food Foundation (AWFF) chooses a featured winemaker for its Austin Wine Auction & Gala Weekend. For the 40th installation, that winemaker is Christopher Carpenter of Cardinale Winery, which is based in the Napa Valley, California. The Auction & Gala Weekend is scheduled for November 6 and 7, 2026.
AWFF is a nonprofit that fights food insecurity in Central Texas. It offers grants and scholarships, and it funds them through events and auctions throughout the year.
Carpenter is with more wineries than just Cardinale; he also works with Lokoya, La Jota Vineyard Co., Mt. Brave, and Caladan, according to a press release — all in Napa Valley. He also works with Hickinbotham in South Australia. His career has spanned two decades, and he is best-known for Cabernet Sauvignon and a philosophy of minimal intervention.
On NapaValleyWine.com, he put it succinctly: "Mother Nature does not conform to schedules or expectations."
"We are deeply honored to welcome Chris Carpenter as the featured winemaker for our 40th annual Austin Wine Auction & Gala Weekend," said AWFF executive director Sarah Weeks in the release. "He is one of the most respected figures in the industry today, and we look forward to giving our members and the Austin community the opportunity to experience his exceptional wines and hear more about his story and philosophy.”
Carpenter will show off some of his "most coveted offerings" at a luncheon at the JW Marriott Austin on November 6. The auction will follow the next day, November 7. It'll be hosted by wine auctioneer Charles Antin, who is the global head of wine auctions at Zachys. Then a gala wraps the event up with dinner and wine pairings from Austin pros.
Austinites who want a feel for the types of organizations AWFF supports should look to the following beneficiaries for 2026:
Green Corn Project helps Central Texans grow organic food gardens at home, as well as in schools and community centers. AWFF's support goes toward the spring dig-in program, which is for people who have limited access to healthy food.
Good Work Austin supports hospitality workers and locally owned businesses through community partnerships. AWFF supports the Community Kitchen program, which pays local restaurant workers to cook for people facing food insecurity. It delivers three meals a day to local shelters.
Sustainable Food Center, which Austinites may recognize from the farmers markets it hosts, also provides nutrition education and bolsters access to fresh produce. AWFF’s funding "helps double the benefits for those who use programs like SNAP and WIC to access nutritious foods," the release says.
Caritas of Austin provides housing to unhoused Austinites, and has been around for more than 60 years. AWFF funds help stock the Community Kitchen and its pantries.
Keep Austin Fed "rescues" unused food from restaurants, retailers, farms, and caterers. It then sends it to locals experiencing food insecurity. It helps the planet as well as the people who eat the food.
Sunday Lunchbox sends shelf-stable and easy-to-prepare meals to underserved Austinites. It has a program that utilizes crops that a farm has too many of, and gets them into people's hands before they spoil.
Registration for the 40th annual Austin Wine Auction & Gala Weekend starts April 15, 2026. Members will be able to purchase tickets early. Last year's Wine Auction tickets went for$375
