fresh beginnings

Lauded Austin estate restaurant Lutie's debuts new head chef and menu

Commodore Perry Estate's signature restaurant, Lutie's Garden Restaurant, has lifted the veil on a brand new menu under its new executive chef, Jakub Czyszczon. The revamped offerings mark a new chapter of approachability for diners at one of Austin's most exclusive restaurants.

This is the first substantial menu change since the garden restaurant's opening in 2021, but regulars will still find some familiar favorites among all the new dishes.

Czyszczon was well acquainted with Austin's fine dining and luxury hospitality sector before joining Lutie's. He spent the last five years as the executive chef of Garrison at Fairmont Austin, earning the restaurant a Forbes Four-star rating that it has retained since 2023. The Commodore Perry Estate is also consistently honored on lists of the best hotels in the world.

In a press release, Czyszczon said his 15 years in the culinary industry were driven by a "spark for fresh cuisine, innovative flavors and love for ingredients stemming from time spent on my grandmother’s farm in Poland."

Now at the helm of a Michelin-recommended restaurant, he's taking inspiration from his heritage and combining it with Central Texas flavors, French techniques, and "New Nordic aesthetics" for the new menu.

New menu at Lutie's Garden Restaurant at Commodore Perry Estate New dishes pictured include the roasted bird with herb pistou, beef tartare on pain perdu, Texas striploin over swiss chard, and a green salad.Photo courtesy of Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Collection

CultureMap was invited to taste some of the new dishes before the menu's official launch, including robust entrees like roasted chicken breast, Chef Czyszczon's Texas striploin steak, and fried quail drumettes. Our favorite non-meat bites included a breaded and fried soft-boiled egg topped with caviar, and a sunchoke gemelli pasta with fermented mushrooms and pistachios.

Other new dishes on the menu include:

Fresh oysters with green chile under cucumber ice
Gougères with cheddar mornay and apricot jam filling
Beef tartare served on pain perdu and topped with julienned jalapeño
Coal-fired octopus with guajillo, fig, and grilled potatoes

Loyal patrons will still find staples like the estate garden bread with cultured butter and the caramel drizzled kouign-amann ice cream on the menu. The new dining offerings can be accentuated with a glass of wine from Lutie's curated wine program or a signature cocktail from the estate's lead bartender, Sarah Rahl.

During the press dinner, Czyszczon revealed that the estate plans to expand the garden to cultivate more ingredients for the restaurant, as well as adding beehives on the property.

Another new shift is the extension of Lutie's social hour, which now runs from 4:30-10 pm on Mondays and 4:30-6 pm Tuesdays through Sundays, as well as weekend brunch hours from 10 am to 2 pm. These purposeful changes aim to reimagine the estate's signature restaurant as a neighborhood restaurant while keeping its elevated European charm.

"Entering Lutie’s, the goal isn’t to change the tranquil ambiance and experience guests have come to know, but to elevate that experience with a new perspective that connects guests to the ingredient and story each dish tells," Czyszczon said.

Photo courtesy of Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Collection

Lutie's new executive chef, Jakub Czyszczon, has been working in fine dining for 15 years.

restaurants chefs commodore perry estate

From Scratch

New online marketplace platforms independent bakers in Austin

Photo by Lizzie Oren on Unsplash

"Sourdough" is a popular search in Austin.

A new website is helping Austinites find small and home-based bakeries around town. Small Batch provides a neat, browsable online marketplace for independent bakers and cottage food businesses.

In its first eight weeks, the site has surpassed 100 Texas sellers and 220 products, Small Batch founder Wesley Elliott said in an email to CultureMap. Sellers can be based in private residences, commercial kitchens, or their own bakeries.

Small Batch organizes an industry that is inherently decentralized. Texans don't actually need a storefront to sell edible goods, and they don't necessarily need an affiliation with something like a farmers market, either. Texas has cottage food production rules, but much of the system is hands-off.

Elliott says there's a "growing concentration" of sellers signing up in Austin. In addition to the area's strong farmers market culture, DIY ethos, and foodie reputation, there's also local government support for cottage food businesses. In March, Austin's city council approved a resolution encouraging more front yard businesses by allowing them to be visible from the street. But that only goes so far for people craving cookies miles away. Small Batch helps increase visibility to anyone shopping online.

There are two main types of browsing on Small Batch. Shoppers can look at and purchase individual goods, or they can check out nearby markets in a directory that lists participating vendors and logistical information.

When browsing local goods, users can filter by product category (including bread, baked goods, jams, sauces, spices, and more) or type in a search query. Popular searches in Austin, according to the website, are homemade food and sourdough. Before clicking on a product, a user can see its price, location, the business name, and information on availability including pickup dates and how many are left.

After clicking a product, users can also complete their purchase through the site. Each cart is limited to one seller, so users will have to lock in their pickup or delivery preferences (when available) and payment before moving on to another seller.

Seller accounts are free, with no monthly or listing fees. The first 100 sellers who qualify in a region will get an early adopter perk that waives marketplace commission. Small Batch charges a standard payment processing fee (which it lists as about 2.9 percent and 30 cents per transaction), and buyers pay their own service fees separately.

Elliott also explains that although there isn't a universal list for cottage food producers in Texas, Small Batch has its own compliance setup that requires seller to confirm that they meet the requirements they're legally subject to.

In addition to Austin, Small Batch has sellers in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and smaller cities and suburbs.

small businesses desserts bakeries bread apps market farmers markets