Austinites gather to toast the city's top culinary leaders at the 2023 Tastemaker Awards

Toast the Tastemakers

Photo by Guillermo Rosas

On May 11, Austin foodies crossed 13 restaurants, bars, and desserts off their must-try lists — or enjoyed old favorites all in one room at our 2023 Tastemaker Awards. More than 700 visitors milled about Fair Market with cocktails and Topo Chico in hand, visiting booths and tasting creative Austin food.

A VIP hour welcomed some guests early for a toast to the nominees and our nonprofit beneficiary, the Southern Smoke Foundation, which shares funds for emergency relief and mental health resources with food industry workers. Lodgewell provided cocktails and insulated goodie bags with treats like Parch, LMNT, Siete, and SkinnyPop at its VIP lounge, where it gave away a 1-night stay in the famous Bloomhouse.

More sponsors provided specialty drinks and garnishes: Flor de Caña Rum brought sustainably crafted rum in its bar and lounge, with 70 percent cacao dark chocolate to pair with the more than 25-year-aged spirit. Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey brought several bottles of the Tennessee spirit to try neat, and Twang manned a booth for adding seasonings to the rim of favorite cocktails.

This year, even though the warehouse was busy right away, the tone was casual, and our vendors kept plates coming, so there was a free flow from booth to booth. Two vendors, Watertrade and Chapulín Cantina both brought chapulines — fried grasshoppers — for a salad and a taco, respectively. Lots of vendors brought handheld items for ease of snacking: Luminaire brought fried empanadas that could nearly fill a person up on their own, and Wunderkeks brought cookies to-go, so that visitors could keep the party going at home.

If there had been a theme of the day, it would have been sliders. A "Burger Throwdown" thanks to Goodstock by Nolan Ryan pitted three restaurants against each other in a friendly outdoor grilling competition. JewBoy Burgers and Honeymoon Spirit brought delicious contenders that couldn't be more different, but Lebowski's Grill charmed visitors with two different sandwiches and ultimately won the most of their votes. Although it wasn't part of the competition, BBQ Ramen Tatsu-ya brought its own smoked brisket slider, emphasizing the versatility of these little party snacks.

The irreplaceable Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League emceed again, reading out nominees to pointed cheers from the crowd — a win for vendors even if the award went home with someone else — and finally revealing the winners. (Although there was not a fashion contest, we feel confident saying Chef Harvard Aninye's family and friends blew all of us away in their spangly threads.) See the full list of winners here.

All the smiling faces and (very) full stomachs made this Tastemaker Awards ceremony a night to remember; Try to remember these superstar restaurants, bars, chefs, and more next time you have some free time to try something local.

Photo by Guillermo Rosas

The 2023 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards introduced Austinites to the city's top food and drinks on May 11.

Photo courtesy of Birdie's

Austin's top restaurant, chef, bar, and more revealed at 2023 Tastemaker Awards

Toast the Tastemakers

It’s that time of year again, when we take stock of our best hometown restaurants and industry players at the CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

As always, we started with a group of editorial staff and past winners, our judges, and selected our favorite restaurants, chefs, beverage pros, and more. The resulting nominations all reflect the amazing accomplishments in the Austin culinary scene since our 2022 Tastemaker Awards. We looked to Austinites to choose their favorite new restaurant in a bracket-style competition, and selected the rest via a vote among the industry judges. Now, it’s time to let everyone in on the results.

On May 11, we gathered with foodies of all persuasions for the 2023 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards at Fair Market. Guests got to try bites by nominees they’ve never visited before as well as old favorites, sipped cocktails, and watched a live burger competition before the ceremony. Then, Alamo Drafthouse founder and local restaurant supporter Tim League returned to reprise his role as emcee, revealing this year’s winners.

Join us in raising a toast to the 2023 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards winners. Meet them below.

Restaurant of the Year: Birdie’s
After the cultural comeuppance of molecular gastronomy — its coffin nailed long before The Menu made it multiplex farce — nothing seems as current as a baguette smeared with washed-rind cheese. In post-pandemic Austin, the success of Birdie's casual model helped the entire culinary scene to reset. Why fuss with establishing restaurants as fiefdoms with chefs as their plundering lords? There's nothing more aspirational than serving orecchiette dressed in Parmesan, breadcrumbs, and dandelion greens.

Chef of the Year: Amanda Turner, Olamaie
If there's a list of chefs — participants in a food festival or a fundraiser, honorees in an award ceremony — Amanda Turner's name is on it. In fact, before she made this list, she made the class of Rising Star Chefs in 2019 (with Juniper) and in 2022, winning both and proving some awesome foresight from those judges. As chef de cuisine at Restaurant of the Year nominee Olamaie, she somehow finds time while helping to define Southern cuisine — from the complicated position of a Black woman chef, she sometimes points out — to be one of the most public-facing chefs in Austin. About a year and a half into this new position, she's clearly hit her stride, and showing no signs of stopping.

Rising Star Chef of the Year: Joaquin Ceballos, Este
Joaquin Ceballos has always been international, and it's his "love for multicultural environments" that he says sets him apart. Born in Laredo, Texas, and raised across the border in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, he now represents the latter country at Este, the upscale seafood restaurant in East Austin. If he'd never left, however, he'd never had a chance to return to those roots, so thank Parisian bistro Racines NY for holding on to him in between.

Pastry Chef of the Year: Mariela Camacho, Comadre Panadería
A first-generation American and daughter of Mexican immigrants, Mariela Camacho creates high-quality bread and pastries inspired by her experience growing up Xicana in America. Comadre Panadería started as a pop-up in Seattle in 2017 before moving back to Camacho’s home state of Texas, where she recently expanded into a space next to Nixta Taqueria.

Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Nixta Taqueria
Owners Edgar Rico and Sara Mardanbigi bootstrapped this East Austin taqueria to James Beard acclaim, and one gets the sense that they take nothing for granted. Building on early triumphs like the sensuous duck carnitas taco, the joint keeps expanding its scope to antojitos like Yucatan Sikil P'aak and endearingly tasty goofs like the Space Glizzy crispy dog.

Bar of the Year: Nickel City
When this East Austin bar arrived, Capital City nightlife was under the thrall of mustachioed mixologists. The Nickel City team took the piss out with a frozen Irish coffee in a Styrofoam cup. It's not that the cocktails here require a less exacting palate (a current selection employs shiitake mushrooms and seaweed), it just turns out that barcraft with a sense of humor is a hell of a lot more fun.

Bartender of the Year: Erin Ashford, Olamaie
Erin Ashford spent seven years as bar manager, wine buyer, and assistant general manager at Restaurant of the Year nominee and former winner Olamaie. With all that practice, she's moved on to become the co-owner of brand-new cocktail bar Holiday with Rising Star nominee Peter Klein. It's a different venue but with Erin, it still feels like the same party — her favorite part of the job.

Wine Program of the Year: Bufalina
This acclaimed pizza joint has always put as much work into its wine list as its Neapolitan pies. In the early days, it miraculously squeezed 400 bottles into its tiny former East Austin space. These days, it brings wine to the masses through its monthly wine club, whose members get special discounts, pizza pairings, and witty tasting notes from wine director Rania Zayyat.

Brewery of the Year: Lazarus Brewing Co.
Owned by a Presbyterian pastor, the two locations of Lazarus wink to Christianity throughout with apocalyptic stained-glass installations and beer names like Walks on Water. Secular Austin still can't get enough of the boozy, most European brews — including rarer styles like Kellerbier and Belgian Dubbel.

Best New Restaurant:
Maie Day
Helmed by Olamaie founder and executive chef Michael Fojtasek, Maie Day took over for Central Standard at South Congress Hotel last May. With playful takes on a classic steakhouse menu, highlights include ribeye, a butcher’s steak, and a plethora of hearty sides.

Best Burger: Dai Due
Best to clear your afternoon before diving into the Dai Due burger, which is sure to induce a nice REM cycle with its double patty, ground with Dai Due bacon. Multiple James Beard Award winner chef Jesse Griffiths remains a pioneer in the farm-to-table movement, sourcing ingredients from Texas and primarily in the Austin region — and the burger is no exception. A sesame cemita bun sandwiches Stryk cheddar cheese, house-made dill pickles and onions, and the whole heavenly ensemble comes with a side of french fries and unbelievable beet ketchup.

Photo courtesy of Birdie's

Birdie's is 2023's Restaurant of the Year.

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Hannah J. Frías, Brianna Caleri, and Brandon Watson contributed to this article.

Photo courtesy of Olamaie

Austin's 6 best chefs nourish the food scene beyond their own front doors

Meet the Tastemakers

Most Austinites know their favorite restaurants, but the chefs are the real heart of the food scene. After all, it takes a lot more than knowing how to make something to run a successful restaurant, much less one that reflects its community. And although they're all unique enough to make something that really stands out, readers should notice some common themes across this list.

These culinary experts, our Tastemaker nominees for Chef of the Year, embody a few clear goals. Ingredients are number one; Good food is not possible without good ingredients, and these chefs often draw attention to the local farmers who make their work shine. Once those ingredients are sorted, cooking together is a big deal. Each of these chefs has a strong presence at local events, or has a very close working collaborator (including some life partners) — usually both. And finally, the people at the end of the chain, the diners, need to be seen and invited in.

In short, it's all about the people, and these six people were chosen by their peers. Our judges, a mix of last year's winners and the editorial staff who write these names over and over in stories all year, know these chefs beyond the food they put on the table.

There's still some time to get to know these chefs before the winner is announced. Read the many articles that have celebrated their work and the changing food scene over the past year, and then come find out who wins on May 11 at Fair Market for our annual Tastemaker Awards tasting event and awards ceremony. Tickets are on sale now.

$\u200bChef Amanda Turner of Olamaie$

Photo courtesy of Olamaie

Chef Amanda Turner of Olamaie somehow finds the time to show up at countless events while redefining Southern food.

Amanda Turner, Olamaie
If there's a list of chefs — participants in a food festival or a fundraiser, honorees in an award ceremony — Amanda Turner's name is on it. In fact, before she made this list, she made the class of Rising Star Chefs in 2019 (with Juniper) and in 2022, winning both and proving some awesome foresight from those judges. As chef de cuisine at Restaurant of the Year nominee Olamaie, she somehow finds time while helping to define Southern cuisine — from the complicated position of a Black woman chef, she sometimes points out — to be one of the most public-facing chefs in Austin. About a year and a half into this new position, she's clearly hit her stride, and showing no signs of stopping.

Bradley Nicholson, Lutie's
There's something uniquely inspiring about chef couples — the shared passion, the shared success in a notoriously competitive and tough industry. Bradley Nicholson and Susana Querejazu are that couple in Austin. And it all takes place in a 70s-styled garden restaurant. When's the movie coming out? Nicholson, Rising Star Chef nominee in 2022 and current executive chef at Lutie's at the award-demolishing Commodore Perry Estate hotel, is good at sharing the spotlight. When it's not with his wife, it's with the local producers he highlights on the plate. Dishes at Lutie's back up Nicholson's claims that "regional heritage and responsibly-sourced cuisine are truly celebrated" here in Austin, often appearing as a pile of perfect vegetables.

Fermín Núñez, Suerte
Sometimes it's hard for non-Texans to understand the prestige that Mexican cuisine takes on thanks to chefs like Fermín Núñez. The chef was born in Torreon, Mexico, but has been in Austin for 14 years and has developed a huge presence through recognition by Food & Wine, the Food Network, Netflix, the New York Times, and more (including too many Tastemaker Awards to count between him, Suerte and Este). Although his inspiration is his heritage, his daily reality is full of local ingredients. Since you rarely get all that attention from hiding away, it shouldn't be a surprise that Núñez is very active on social media and is always pulling other chefs and restaurants into his limelight.

Grae Nonas, Bufalina
Grae Nonas isn't exactly a Tastemakers newcomer, but it's been seven years since he shared a nomination with Michael Fojtasek at Olamaie. A lot has changed since then: Nonas moved to and returned from Minneapolis, opened and closed pasta restaurant Le Cowboy during the pandemic, and ended up helming the new Bufalina in East Austin after the well-loved pizza restaurant let its decade-long lease lapse. It's a tall order to rebuild someone's favorite restaurant, but Nonas did it. The restaurant is back to serving its Neapolitan-style pizzas alongside Bufalina Due. It's not a far cry from Nonas' recent pasta venture, but here it's tradition that matters — not reinventing the wheel.

Sarah McIntosh, Épicerie
Pastry chef Sarah McIntosh really does it all. Currently nominated in the Pastry Chef of the Year category as well, she represents not just baked goods but an ideology about local foods at Épicerie. Part restaurant, part grocery, it's a little too quaint to call this a café and leave it at that. McIntosh's farm-to-table dishes go far beyond a brown paper bag lunch, from the must-haves (a croissant breakfast sandwich) to the luxurious (a local steak frites). She's another one of those busy Austin chefs who somehow makes all the events, but it's her slow bakes that really put her on the map. There's something beautiful about a pastry chef who branches out, but still stays caught in the layers of her first love.

Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, Birdie's
Birdie's gets a lot of attention for its wines, but the excellent food makes it a great place to really linger. (That's confirmed by its current nominations as Restaurant and Neighborhood Restaurant of the year.) Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel and her husband Arjav Ezekiel co-own the restaurant, and the casual air surely comes from the homey origins as much as from the counter service model. (The fresh pasta certainly doesn't work against its approachability, either.) The environment Malechek-Ezekiel has helped to create has been admired by the New York Times, Bon Appetit, Esquire, and more, but Austinites are surely thankful that despite the recognition, this neighborhood restaurant stays down-to-earth.

Photo courtesy of Otoko and Watertrade

The 6 best bartenders in Austin are worthy of the buzz

Meet The Tastemakers

We hope you're already tipping your bartender extravagantly, but we still think they deserve a little more recognition. On top of employing all the creativity of a chef — finding great ingredients, balancing a menu, and executing a consistent product — these late-night heroes often have to entertain guests while they work.

Whether you appreciate a cocktail as a necessary, sensible part of a night out, or think it's all the more beautiful for its existence of total excess, these six bartenders remind us every Tastemaker Awards that excellence does not just happen on the plate. Our judges — last year's winners and some editorial staff — selected this crew based partly on their image as an individual, and partly on their influence on the industry. That's why this list is full of celebrated bars and perhaps shows the most overlap with other nominees of any category.

Here we celebrate these collaborators and trailblazers, and later they'll come together to find out who wins on May 11 at Fair Market for our annual Tastemaker Awards tasting event and awards ceremony. Tickets are on sale now.

Amanda Jones, Nickel City
Nickel City, one of our nominees for Bar of the Year, could appear in the dictionary under "neighborhood bar," if the dictionary had that sort of thing. And Amanda Jones would probably be in the photo. She has become a friendly, familiar face to many visitors over the years, and sometimes that's a lot more important than the drinks.

Caer Maiko Ferguson, DrinkWell
One Tastemaker Award in 2019 was not enough for Caer Maiko Ferguson — at least, not in our judges' eyes. From Péché to the Roosevelt Room, to her popup Daijoubu with fellow nominee Sharon Yeung, and many more, Ferguson's mark is all over the top bars in this city. DrinkWell, a current nominee, has been lucky to have its turn with her for almost three years, now.

Christopher Crow, Eden Cocktail Room
This bluesman and bartender knows that style is everything, and Eden Cocktail Room is proof. The candlelit speakeasy Christopher Crow founded off 5th Street in 2021 shows a true artist's touch in its semi-wacky decor and high standards. It's a natural next step from his time at Here Nor There, but the garden fantasy is palpable.

Erin Ashford, Olamaie
Erin Ashford spent seven years as bar manager, wine buyer, and assistant general manager at Restaurant of the Year nominee and former winner Olamaie. With all that practice, she's moved on to become the co-owner of brand-new cocktail bar Holiday with Rising Star nominee Peter Klein. It's a different venue but with Erin, it still feels like the same party — her favorite part of the job.

Photo courtesy of Otoko and Watertrade

Nadia Hernandez made a masterpiece of a menu at Watertrade.

Nadia Hernandez, Watertrade
Watertrade, the Japanese-style cocktail bar at sushi restaurant Otoko, is beautiful enough to get away with stocking just a few high-end sakes, but bar manager Nadia Hernandez always keeps the menu fresh, divided artistically by season. While the menu tells one story, her pop-ups and public appearances often center on empowering women in the industry.

Sharon Yeung, Daijoubu Pop Up
Sharon Yeung's traveling bar, Daijoubu Pop Up (which she started with fellow nominee Caer Maiko Ferguson), makes her a little hard to pin down. Still, Austin is the charismatic cocktail maker's home no matter where the cocktail bus goes, and it's her Asian upbringing that really makes her contributions stand out for five consecutive Tastemaker nominations, including this one.

Courtesy of L'Oca d'Oro

These 6 rising star Austin chefs are just getting started

meet the tastemakers

Austin has its fair share of celebrity chefs, and their ranks are always growing. And as much as we love poaching a well-liked chef from New York (at least, some of us do), there's something just chef's kiss about seeing our own local chefs rise through the ranks and open their own restaurants.

CultureMap's annual Tastemaker Awards feature a Rising Star Chef of the Year category, designed to pull some of Austin's most promising chefs out from the back of the house to the front of foodies' attention. Many of these chefs haven't won well-publicized awards, been featured in articles, or really had much of an online presence online before, so our judges — mostly the previous year's winners with a deep personal knowledge of the industry — are extra important here.

With the entire industry to choose from, the judges selected these six sous chefs, appointed executive chefs, and freshman small restaurant owners to represent the best chefs doing big things with fewer eyes on them. The winner of this category is someone our industry professionals want to see at the helm of their own culinary empire soon.

In order to dig deeper for these chefs' bios, CultureMap sent around a few questions about where these rising star chefs are from, what experience they've had, and what sets them apart in their industry. Please welcome — some for the first time — this class of Rising Star nominees. Then, come find out who wins on May 11 at Fair Market for our annual Tastemaker Awards tasting event and awards ceremony. Tickets are on sale now.

Harvard Aninye, Canje
This first-generation Nigerian-American chef is used to looking at things from several angles, saying his upbringing in San Antonio taught him to "continue to challenge and question life in general." Since his time in this cultural hot pot, Harvard Aninye landed at downtown Austin sushi restaurant TenTen as Chef de Cuisine, and then took the same position at Caribbean darling Canje, known for its vibrant takes on homey foods.

Javier Nuñez, Odd Duck
Loyalty is treasured but not always rewarded, especially in the fast-moving food industry. Javier Nuñez, however, has actually risen through the ranks as he's stuck with Odd Duck for the past decade — from a "server assistant" in 2014 to one of the most-admired sous chefs in Austin in 2023. The South Lamar staple has been similarly reliable, always a favorite among visitors and locals alike for the fresh ingredients and creative plates.

Joaquin Ceballos, Este
Joaquin Ceballos has always been international, and it's his "love for multicultural environments" that he says sets him apart. Born in Laredo, Texas, and raised across the border in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, he now represents the latter country at Este, the upscale seafood restaurant in East Austin. If he'd never left, however, he'd never had a chance to return to those roots, so thank Parisian bistro Racines NY for holding on to him in between.

Kareem El-Ghayesh, KG BBQ
In a barely alternate universe, Austin might have missed out on this chef's unique Middle Eastern art via his food truck, KG BBQ. From Cairo, Egypt, Kareem El-Ghayesh was in the corporate finance and banking world. After a visit to Austin he was hooked, he told the Austin Chronicle, and even learned his new trade through iconic Austin pit master Aaron Franklin. His contribution to Texas barbecue, he says, comes from "lighter and more balanced ingredients."

Kyle Mulligan
After a long personal history in Texas, including a culinary arts degree and several positions at Austin institutions as sous chef, Kyle Mulligan has finally moved on to more Northern things — but not without leaving his mark on the food scene. Most recently, and notably, it was as executive chef at 1417 French Bistro, where Mulligan created an example of something Austin doesn't see much thanks to its nontraditional bent: excellent, simple, and traditional French food.

Peter Klein, L'Oca D'Oro
The food world loves an unexpected twist, but sometimes we just need an East Coaster to make great Italian food. This New Jersey-raised chef honed his skills in New York City, finally arriving in Austin eight years ago. Fittingly, Peter Klein says his main inspiration is "leaning into simplicity." For this award, judges recognized his work as executive sous chef with L'Oca d'Oro, and he has now moved on to become executive chef at Holiday.

Jester King/Facebook

Austin's 7 best breweries barrel the industry forward

MEET THE TASTEMAKERS

No other beverage embodies Austin's shorts-and-Havaianas ease as readily as beer. That made choosing the nominees for the prestigious CultureMap Tastemaker Award for Brewery of the Year no easy task. Each of these breweries and brewpubs not only excels at their craft but keeps the ever-changing heart of the city pumping.

We raise a glass to them all, but only one can win the coveted trophy. Read up on the contenders below, then plan a few visits to sample their brews firsthand. There are still a few weeks before we announce the winner at Fair Market on May 11. Early Bird tickets are on sale now.

Jester King/Facebook

Brewery of the year: Jester King Brewery

The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. (ABGB)
Almost every Austin hophead has an ABGB hat — a testament to how much street cred this brewpub has in the community. It's easy to see why. The outfit continually wins awards, including a recent bronze at the 2022 Great American Beer Festival. Fanfare or not, its mostly German styles are the types of easygoing sippers that have come to define Austin as a beer town. That they are served with some of the city's best pizza is just a bonus.

Independence Brewing Company
A fixture of Austin's brewing scene, Independence maintains its reputation for excellence with a 19-year track record of creating consistently outstanding beers. Stalwarts in the core collection, including the well-balanced Austin Amber and crushable Native Texan Pilsner, have become part of the city's post-work rhythm — never spending too much time on the refrigerator shelf. But the old dog still has more than a few new tricks. The Redbud Berliner Weiss series continues to surprise with flavors like pomegranate lychee.

Jester King Brewery
Nestled in the picturesque Texas Hill Country, Jester King Brewery stands as the region's original farmhouse brewery and continues as one of the most innovative. Snörkel has been around for a while, but drinkers are still gobsmacked that sea salt and oyster mushrooms can be so quaffable. Newer releases like Landive continue the tradition, conjuring tropical languor with lime, grapefruit, and wildflower honey.

Lazarus Brewing Co.
Owned by a Presbyterian pastor, the two locations of Lazarus wink to Christianity throughout with apocalyptic stained-glass installations and beer names like Walks on Water. Secular Austin still can't get enough of the boozy, most European brews — including rarer styles like Kellerbier and Belgian Dubbel.

Pinthouse Brewing
While all of Pinthouse's hoppy IPAs are noteworthy, Electric Jellyfish inspires the most hosannas. Beer cultists can worship the half-dozen hops, while the average drinker can transcend with the burst of citrus and tropical fruits. We're sure the brewery's Old Beluga ale and Bearder Seal stout have their own apostles; this hazy really takes Austin to church.

St Elmo Brewing Co.
It's easy to get swept up in this South Austin brewery's atmosphere. Dogs sniff about, live music fills the air, and folks happily much on Spicy Boys, the on-premises food truck. But that would ignore the stunning tap wall. A variety lover's dream, the selections dip into almost every imaginable style. Pucker up this spring with the Chuck berry sour, or get the jitters with the Vaya coffee cream ale. Then spend the summer crushing the always refreshing Carl Kolsch.

Zilker Brewing Company
This East Austin brewery has a well-crafted sense of humor. Just look at seasonal releases like the grapefruit and jasmine-scented Excuse to Get Loose IPA. That matters not only as a marketing strategy (the pink-canned Icy Boys particularly tap into the moment) but as a guiding force that continues to inspire innovation. Sure, describing Feels Right hazy as a pillowy creamsicle is a lark. It also expands the city's beermaking possibilities.

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10 restaurant and bar openings — including a pop-up — top Austin's tastiest food news

News You Can Eat

Editor’s note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of Austin’s restaurant and bar scene. We have you covered with our regular roundup of essential food news.

Openings and closings

ICYMI: Buckle in for tons of openings this week. During our busy week we covered the opening date for Radio/East, which is the highly anticipated expansion of Radio Coffee & Beer; the arrival of Tarbox & Brown, a San Marcos restaurant with lots of cultural influences, led by a chef with South African and Chinese roots; and the debut of Bacalar, a Mexican restaurant that marks the return of a former Top Chef winner to the Austin food scene. We also heard about a secretive new speakeasy, Trona, from an entrepreneur with a very cool track record. But there's more we haven't told you about yet.

First-year Texas Longhorn player Deandre Moore just got a check for his "name, image, and likeness," and used that money to open the Jive Turkeyfood truck (1637 E. Riverside Dr.). And even cooler — he hired his mom. Taleea Moore is cooking up lots of turkey dishes, inspired by the family's athletic at-home eating that has long subbed out poultry for beef. There are only three regular menu items so far: a turkey burger (of course), a Thanksgiving-inspired cornbread comfort bowl, and a deep-fried turkey taco. The rest are seasonal treats.

Austin could always use more cool cocktail spots — they book up fast on the weekend — so people are excited to welcome Daydreamer, a "cocktail and champagne bar." (That's not to be confused with Daydreamer Coffee, which opened last year.) There's lots to dream about, but most appealing is that this venture comes from the minds of a whole bunch of industry vets from very cool spots all around Austin. Follow your dreams to 1708 E. 6th St.

Longtime Austin establishmentJuliet Italian Kitchen, also known for dreamy vibes thanks to pretty interior design and a great location in the Zilker area, is expanding into Georgetown. The stylish vibes will continue at 701 S. Main St., in Georgetown's Old Masonic Lodge Building, which was built in 1900. This will be the restaurant's third location, and will include an upstairs bar and dining area, plus a patio, seating 188 guests in total.

The team behind Drinks Lounge just launched Drinks Backyard, bringing even more casual vibes to South Austin — where they'll really be appreciated. Located at a former liquor store (6328 S. Hwy. 183), this bar takes advantage of the two acres around it with a stage, covered lounge seating, and a 14-foot TV for sports and movies. The bar and patio are open now, but the backyard is still getting ready. Eventually, it will welcome guests under 21 and pets. Smokin' Brew-B-Q is the first food truck onsite, with more coming soon.

We focused on other things last week, but two casual chains shared news we don't want to gloss over. Graze Craze, a charcuterie shop, has opened its first location in the Austin area, in Lakeway (2127 Lohman’s Crossing Rd., Ste. 304). The company takes its meat-cheese-and-other-snacks curating very seriously, and these gargantuan charcuteries are sure to impress large parties.

Similarly, Seattle-based Eastern European pie-maker Piroshky Piroshky is making its Texas debut — but in this case, they're not sticking around. Catch the pop-up in Austin on October 6 to see why this bakery is popular enough to pull off a national tour. The team is posting locations as they go on Instagram.

Radio Coffee brings the brews to new East Austin shop and music venue in October

going live in the fall

When it comes to expanding the influence of coffee connoisseurs in Austin, there's room for everyone on the East Side.

One East Austin coffee shop just changed hands for a fancy rebrand, and another recently expanded out of the area into Buda. Cosmic Coffee, a South Austin staple, blew everyone out of the water with a gorgeous, sprawling industrial complex on East 4th Street, and now another neighboring coffee and beer combo is following suit.

Radio/East, a second location spun off from the original music-loving Radio Coffee & Beer, will open its doors at 3504 Montopolis Dr. in East Austin on Wednesday, October 18.

The new family- and dog-friendly space sprawls across two acres, which is divvied up among a 1,200-square-foot indoor coffee shop, indoor and outdoor live music stages, and a food truck park. Guests will be able to order their favorite drinks from the indoor counter, or they can choose to order from either of the two outdoor windows that open to the grand shaded backyard. And we can't forget one of the more rare features: plenty of parking for customers.

Radio's founding father-son duo Jack and Greg Wilson brought on two new partners — Trey Hudson and Nine Mile Records owner Rick Pierik — in the hopes of developing and maintaining this new spot as a community-focused space, much like the beloved original.

“With the new space, we’ve been able to create a through line to the existing concept of Radio,” said Hudson in a release. “With Radio/East we tried to listen to what the Montopolis community needed and we hope that we can be as central to this neighborhood as we have been to the area around Menchaca.”

Pierik will be the driving force behind Radio/East's musical events. Local musicians and touring bands will all get their chance to take the stage with four nights of performances planned indoors and outdoors beginning on Thursdays.

With Austin's wide-ranging music taste, Pierik will seek to reflect the city's musical diversity with every show.

"Jack Wilson and I are looking to bring together diverse programing from every corner of the music industry, booking up-and-coming national and international acts alongside all of the amazing Austin talent we've known and admired for years," said Pierik. "We're especially committed to helping local artists develop their fanbases through quality concert experiences and eclectic bills."

A list of events following Radio/East's grand opening is as follows:

October 19 – Sunrosa with Guma and Feeling Small
October 20 – Redbud with Mockjaw, Tearjerk, and Creekbed Carter Hogan
October 21 – Peachfuzz 10th Anniversary Party featuring The Texas Gentleman, Brown Burlesque, Lady Dan, and a to-be-announced special guest
October 28 – First Annual Radio/East Chili Cook Off and the Austin Flea, featuring Mother Neff, The Push & Shove, and Sour Bridges
October 31 – A Rocky Horror Halloween featuring A Giant Dog with Trouble in the Streets
November 11 – A Free Lunch Benefit featuring Caroline Rose and BRUCE
November 17 – Money Chicha with The Tiarras

Tickets for the upcoming shows can be purchased online beginning Friday, September 29.

In addition to keeping Radio/East music-focused, visitors can expect to see some classic beverages on the menu, with a few new twists to keep customers coming back. The new location will have two tap towers with eight craft beer taps, four rotating specialty draft cocktails, and plenty of wine to go around.

Radio/East Get a local favorite beer on draft, or try a new specialty draft cocktail.Photo by Renee Dominguez

Bar Manager Jacob Biggie has been hard at work to develop new creative cocktails for the new location, including Phantom Mood (Still Austin Gin, hibiscus, lime, and cucumber with soda) and Sensitive Artist (Senza Maeso hybrid spirit, Aperol, St. Germain, lime juice). Guests can also try the new seasonal non-alcoholic highball, dubbed the Chai-ball.

The lineup of food vendors at the new East Austin digs include Veracruz All Natural with its binge-worthy tacos; organic pizza slices from Side Eye Slice (a sister concept to Side Eye Pie); and Radio's own food truck – Shortwave Diner – offering classic American diner fare and comfort food such as smash burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken and waffles, and more.

Following the grand opening at 7 am on October 18, Radio/East's operating hours will be 7 am to 1 am Monday through Saturday, and 7 am to 10 pm on Sundays.

Austin is No. 12 in the U.S. with the highest number of 'unretirees'

Office News

Many Austin seniors are still punching the clock well past retirement age. According to "Cities with the Most Working Seniors," a new employment study by business website ChamberofCommerce.org, more than a quarter of Austin seniors aged 65 and up are still employed, making it the No. 12 city in the U.S. with the most working seniors.

More than 25,400 Austin seniors aged 65 and up are employed out of a total 93,861, or 27.1 percent of the city's senior population.

The No. 1 city in the U.S. with hard-working oldsters is Alexandria, Virginia, located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, where 36.8 percent of its seniors still employed. Coming in second was Tallahassee, Florida, with 30.9 percent. In third place was Dallas, with 30.3 percent of the senior population clocking in for work around the city.

To determine their ranking, the site examined the percentage of seniors aged 65 and over who were actively employed within the last 12 months, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Their analysis included data from 170 of the nation’s most populous cities.

The report says the median household income of a senior citizen in Austin is $58,546, and hints at the rising cost of living coupled with personal extenuating circumstances leading to a new trend of "unretiring" seniors within the local workforce.

"Deciding when to retire is one of the most important financial and personal decisions that workers can make," the report's author said. "Before making the leap, make sure you have factored in your savings, social security benefits, spending habits, economic volatility, and how your social life will change after retirement."

Also in Central Texas, San Antonio ranked No. 82 overall with 22.1 percent of the senior population currently in the workforce. Although that seems like a smaller number of people, it's actually much larger than Austin, with 41,918 seniors toiling away out of a total 189,544.

San Antonio's relatively high percentage of working seniors might come as a surprise, considering the city was named one of the best cities for retirees earlier in 2023.

The top 10 U.S. cities with the most working seniors are:

No. 1 – Alexandria, Virginia
No. 2 – Tallahassee, Florida
No. 3 – Dallas, Texas
No. 4 – Irvine, California
No. 5 – Washington, D.C.
No. 6 – Plano, Texas
No. 7 – Anchorage, Alaska
No. 8 – Minneapolis, Minnesota
No. 9 – Overland Park, Kansas
No. 10 – Madison, Wisconsin

ChamberofCommerce.org is a digital site for small business owners and entrepreneurs. The full report and its methodology can be found on chamberofcommerce.org.

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