CURD ON THE STREET

Austin's favorite cheesemonger teases new location with citywide scavenger hunt

Antonelli's is opening a brand new tasting room.

Photo courtesy of Antonelli's Cheese Shop

If one is passionate about cheese in Austin, chances are they have made a few visits to Antonelli’s Cheese Shop. Since opening in 2010, the Hyde Park store has provided the city with a barrage of fromage, cementing its reputation as the place to find a local chèvre or a creamy raclette.

But owners Kendall and John Antonelli aren’t evangelizing yet. On October 25, the couple signed a lease for their latest project — a tasting room available for public classes and private events. Although the new facility will increase the cheesemonger’s production capabilities, it will not be a retail outlet when it debuts in January or February 2024.

This isn’t the first time Antonelli’s has branched out. Since opening the original Duval Street location, the business has expanded to include the Cheese House across the street, national e-commerce, and a wholesale program. In 2018, a since-shuttered café version of Antonelli’s was one of the inaugural vendors in downtown’s Fareground food hall.

For now, the pair is keeping the location mum, though an August newsletter might offer some clues. Citing Austin’s increasing traffic, Antonelli’s wrote that it was eyeing properties south of the river.

Finding out the exact coordinates, however, will require a little work. Cheese fans are invited to take part in a citywide scavenger hunt from 11 am to 1 pm on November 4. Participants will be given a set of Amazing Race-style clues at various locations, starting at the Duval Street flagship (4220 Duval St.).

The promotion will be a way to promote five other local businesses and leave turophiles hungry for more. The first 100 folks to reach the finish line with clues in hand will receive free cheese, with the first 50 earning an additional bonus of free cheese class tickets.

shopping cheese openings

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.