Austin, TX
Justin Timberlake Is a Fan of Terry Black’s BBQ’s Burnt Ends
Pop star Justin Timberlake shared that he had Austin barbecue during a recent concert in the city. While on stage at the Moody Center on May 31 and June 1, he talked about his meal at Terry Black’s BBQ. “If you see me moving kind of slow tonight, you have to blame that Terry Black’s,” he said. “Now, listen, you’re talking to a Memphis boy. Those burnt ends.” The Texas barbecue restaurant (with an Austin location on Barton Springs) shared a video of the banter on its Instagram.
One of the last times Timberlake performed in town — 2017 for F1 — he dined at Southern restaurant Olamaie.
Mochi doughnut coming attractions
Austin mochi doughnut bakery Mochinut ATX is opening a second location in the city. It’ll be found in the St. Johns neighborhood in the Linc development at 6406 North I-35, with an opening date not announced yet, but it should be “soon,” per its Instagram. The original Austin shop opened inside of Scofield Farms’ Asian supermarket Hana World Market in 2022.
Tracking Austin openings
A new cafe opened in East Austin this month. Prana Cafe debuted at 1623 East Seventh Street in the East Cesar Chavez neighborhood as of June 1. The menu is centered on what it describes as “holistic” dining, with smoothies, juices, toasts, panini, coffee, teas, and more. It took over the former El Chilito location, which had closed in early 2021.
Growing Japanese noodle soup chain Ramen Tatsu-ya opened its next new location in Round Rock this month. It debuted at the Rock Creek Plaza on 2132 North Mays Street, Suite 960 as of June 2.
North Austin cupcake bakery Cupprimo opened a second location in South Austin in May, as reported by Community Impact. The new East Oak Hill bakery is found at 4404 West William Cannon Drive, Suite N as of May 18, serving up cupcakes, coffee, and espresso-based drinks. The original bakery opened in 2008.
Reservations-only tiki bar opens walk-in bar
Also in Tatsu-ya news, the hospitality group turned the second floor of its South Austin tiki bar Tiki Tatsu-ya into a comparatively more casual walk-up bar on select days. The Retreat at the Nest opened at 1300 South Lamar Boulevard in the Zilker neighborhood as of June 3. On deck’s bar service and walk-in seating, its own cocktails such as a choose-your-own-rum-base daiquiri and the MARGHHH, a tiki take on margaritas with rum and a Sichuan pepper foam twist; as well as highballs, beers, and ciders. Food-wise, the menu focuses on snacks like the mochiko chicken wings, taro tots, and Spam sandwich. It’s open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 5 p.m. to midnight. Tiki Tatsu-ya opened in 2021.
Texas farmers market changes
The Texas Farmers Market at Lakeline underwent a change in name and location. It’ll be known as the Texas Farmers’ Market at Bell, found within the same-named mixed-use development in Cedar Park. The new market made its debut on May 25. Its hours are Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Farmers market bagel stand hiatus
In related farmers market news, bagel shop David’s Doughie’s is temporarily closing up its stand at the new Texas Farmers Market at the Bell. This will be until they “can get properly staffed,” per the newsletter. The bagel bakery is still selling out of the Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller on Sundays, as well as its East Austin food truck.
Culinary scholarship awardees
Women-in-food-and-drink-focused organization Les Dames d’Escoffier’s Austin chapter announced the winners of its annual scholarship and grants programs. This year’s awardees include gluten-free bakery Zucchini Kill founder and co-owner Cecelia Loessin, who will use the funds to get its Brutal Brownie and chocolate chip cookie mixes into stores; Evangeline Bundi, who wants to cook Kenyan foods professionally and will be mentored by the Coconut Cup; and many others.
Culinary business grant applications
Austin-based Mexican American food company Siete Family Foods opened up its Junto Fund for applications. It’s aimed at Latinx-owned food and drink businesses that have been around for at least two years and are based in America. The deadline is on Monday, July 1, and recipients will be announced starting on Sunday, September 15. The goal is to give away $300,000 in total.
And then the Wine & Food Foundation opened up its hospitality scholarships program for the summer. There are two applications: one for Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Art students for people in the Associate of Applied Science Degree Programs for Culinary Arts and Pastry Arts, with $2,500 scholarships. The second is for funds for any sort of hospitality education program. The deadline is Monday, July 15 with the recipients announced on Friday, August 30. The foundation is looking to give out $35,000 in total.
Austin food company gets national recognition
And speaking of Siete, the company was named as one of Food & Wine’s Game Changers this week. The write-up highlights the business’s family-grown roots led by siblings Veronica and Miguel Garza. who created gluten- and grain-free tortillas in 2011 and started the company in 2014.
National coverage of Texas barbecue
Also in Food & Wine-slash-Texas coverage, the magazine published a guide to barbecue in the state in late May. The features delves into the history and variety of Texas barbecue and its styles, as well as a ranked list of the best restaurants in the state. Number one is Austin’s La Barbecue; number two LeRoy & Lewis; and fourth is Southside Market & Barbeque (a mini-chain with an Austin location).
Chef shuffle
Hill Country New American restaurant Tillie’s has a new executive chef on the team. Meredith Shaffer, who was and will remain the resort’s executive banquets chef, started overseeing the kitchen as of late May.
Tracking Austin food events
Nonprofit Good Work Austin is celebrating its five-year anniversary with a bunch of food and drink fundraisers at its members this month. This includes pizzeria Bambino and Italian restaurant L’Oca d’Oro donating one dollar from every sale of a cocktail made with Tito’s Vodka (with the spirits company matching those funds); casual Texas restaurant Redbud Ice House doing the same with one dollar of every sale of its margarita made with Lalo tequila (where the company will also match); New Texan restaurant Dai Due with one dollar of its burger; casual New American restaurant Hillside Farmacy with two dollars from every wine bottle sale; brewery and American restaurant Central Machine Works with one dollar from every nonalcoholic cocktail; and finally frozen sweets spot Casey’s New Orleans Snowballs’ collaboration with coffee shop Epoch — tea snowballs — at the cafe sold on Saturday, June 22.
The East Cesar Chavez location of pizzeria and wine restaurant Bufalina is offering an oyster and riesling evening on Thursday, June 6. On deck will be oysters from seafood pop-up Austin Oyster Co., along with bottles and glasses of various rieslings, as well as special dishes.
Whiskey brand Monkey Shoulder and art gallery Secret Walls are co-hosting the Battle of the Bars between two Austin bars — Dumont’s Down Low and Murray’s Tavern — this week. It takes place on Thursday, June 6 from 7 to 10 p.m. at downtown venue the Riley. It’s free to RSVP.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution unveiled a new monument at the Texas State Cemetery on Saturday, dedicated to Texas Revolutionary War soldiers.
“We must educate every generation about why it is that America grew from a tenuous 13 colonies into the most powerful country in the history of the world,” said Governor Abbott. “This monument here is an enduring testament to the heroes who fought for the freedom that is unique to America.”
The monument was dedicated to 69 soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Texas, according to a press release.
Among those that were honored, Abbott recognized:
- José Santiago Seguín, grandfather of Texas Revolutionary hero Juan Seguín.
- Peter Sides, who fought in the 2nd Battalion of the North Carolina Regiment of the Colonial Army, and was later killed in the 1813 Battle of Medina, fighting for Mexican independence against Spain.
- Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, the founder of Nacogdoches.
- William Sparks, who fought as a mounted rifleman in the American Revolution and later settled in Texas. He had two sons and two grandsons who fought in the Texas Revolution.
“This year marks the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which not only gave freedom to the British colonies of North America, but inspired movements for freedom and liberty all over the world,” said TSSAR President Mel Oller. “Texans played a role in the war too, and it’s important to recognize them, and the sacrifices they made for our freedom.”
At the monument unveiling, Abbott was also inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution and received its Silver Good Citizenship Medal.
AUSTIN, Texas — Inside a green wooden box mounted to a steel fence, a treasure trove of trinkets awaits. Just a few miles north is another goodie box, this time covered in leopard print and inside a craft studio. Farther east, a simple white trinket box sits mounted on a wooden pole, decorated with stars and a crow saying, “Thanks for visiting!”
These boxes, filled to the brim with stickers, keychains, jewelry, collectibles and more, are known as trinket trade boxes. Austin has seen a sudden surge in these boxes over the last few months, and despite their varying locations, one sentiment ties them all together: trinket trading is a fun way to bring a bit of joy to the community.
“Little things that bring people joy is so important right now, which I think a lot of us can agree with, and I’ve seen all sorts of people use the box so far,” said Anna Arocha, whose trinket box is in The Triangle neighborhood downtown. “Little kids and all the way up to people in their 50s and 60s, I’ve seen stop by.”
Trinket trading operates on a simple system of take something, leave something. People can swap a toy car for a lanyard, a bracelet for a Sonny Angel, or a Pokémon card for a rubber duck.
“There was somebody who was just walking by with their kid in the stroller, and there was a finger puppet inside of the box, and I saw her swap something out and walk away with the little finger puppet,” Arocha said. “And it was just such a cute moment to see a mom and a kid enjoy something like that.”
Arocha put her crafting skills to work and made her green wooden box in just one day using craft wood and a wine crate last month. Amy Elms opted for a small, white junction box to ensure it could withstand harsh Texas weather. Ani’s Day & Night on East Riverside, which has a large outdoor space for picnic tables and food trucks, gave Elms permission to place her trinket box on their property in January.
Ally Chavez used her own property, Create! Studio ATX on West Anderson Lane, for her leopard-print box that opened in March.
“There wasn’t a ton up here in the north area, so we just kind of wanted to put it together and put it up for the studio just as a way to connect with the community in a way that no one has to spend money,” Chavez said.
Since their debuts, all three trinket boxes have garnered thousands of interactions on social media. When Arocha posted about the opening of her box in March, she racked up 100,000 views on TikTok. But with the excited comments came a bit of negative attention, and her cameras caught a thief trying to take all the trinkets. Arocha now locks the box at night.
“If somebody wants to do that, so be it,” Arocha said. “We can start over, and if the joy that it brings outweighs that every time, I think it’s worth doing.”
Arocha, Elms and Chavez’s boxes are now registered on a website called Worldwide Sidewalk Joy, alongside all the others in Austin and across the globe, as trinket trading grows to become a kind of new, modern geocaching.
“Honestly, it’s been I think even better than I expected so far,” Elms said. “I’ve had people… visiting Austin from out of town, and they’re making it a stop during their visit. I’ve also had multiple people reach out to me to ask how they can start their own trinket trade box, too, which I really love.”
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Forbes on Friday released its annual list of ‘New Ivies,’ and the University of Texas at Austin made it. This is not UT’s first time on the list; it was included in 2024 and 2025.
It’s important to note the Forbes designation does not make UT an Ivy League School. Schools currently designated as Ivy League are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.
Forbes argued its list was created because a growing number of employers have said they are less likely to hire an Ivy League grad today compared to five years ago. The list is curated by surveying over 100 C-Suite and hiring executives, as well as using data from the 2024 National Center for Education Statistics to gauge if a school fulfilled the criteria to be on the list.
One respondent said instead of prestige, employers are looking for graduates who have “complex emotional intelligence, radical adaptability and visionary creativity to orchestrate AI tools rather than compete with them.”
Forbes said colleges had to meet three criteria to be considered, which included:
- Size: Private schools must enroll at least 3,000 students, and public colleges must have at least 4,000 students enrolled.
- Selectivity: All but one private college had an admission rate of less than 15%; public college admission rates were 50% or less.
- Testing Requirements: At least half the entrants must have submitted either the SAT or the ACT scores
Forbes argued testing requirements indicated academic rigor, as a result. Schools such as the University of California and California State schools were not considered.
When it came to UT meeting the requirements for the list, UT had an undergrad enrollment of 44,663 students with a 27% acceptance rate. When it came to test scores, it had a median SAT score of 1390 and a median ACT score of 31.
For a full list of the public and private schools included in the Forbes 2026 New Ivies list, click here.
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