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, TX
Everything you need to know about Austin run clubs
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Data analyst Corey Yeung created the ATX Running Guide to help runners find community across Central Texas. What started as a personal project has become one of Austin’s most comprehensive running resources.
Looking for a Run Club? There’s a Map for That
When Corey Yeung moved to Austin three years ago, he had a simple question:
“How many run clubs are actually out there?” The answer wasn’t easy to find. While several websites listed local groups, Yeung felt none offered a complete picture. So, he decided to build one himself. What started as a spreadsheet evolved into ATX Running Guide, a website and social media platform that helps runners discover clubs throughout the Austin area.
“The list would be more useful if it were a map and search tool,” Yeung said. “The Instagram page was simply a way to communicate those free resources to the community.”
Today, the guide covers running groups from San Marcos to Hutto and serves as a one-stop resource for runners looking to connect. In this episode of KXAN’S Plus Simple Health, Corey Yeung walks us through everything you need to know about the 200-plus running clubs in Austin.
Austin, TX
Texas Volts begin first home slate Thursday at Dell Diamond
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Volts are off to a rough start in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, but maybe a little home cooking can help them get right.
After playing their first five games on the road, the Volts open play at Dell Diamond in Round Rock at 6 p.m. Thursday against the Utah Talons, kicking off an 8-game homestand.
It’s the first season the Volts will call Dell Diamond home. In the league’s inaugural season last year, the original four teams competed with a touring schedule that included a stop at Dell Diamond. This is the first year that the AUSL, now a 6-team league, will play in home markets.
They have a roster peppered with local stars, including 2-time NCAA national champion middle infielder Leighann Goode from the Texas Longhorns. Aliyah Binford, a New Braunfels native, played collegiately for Ole Miss and former Texas State pitcher Jessica Mullins made an appearance in the Volts’ previous series against the Carolina Blaze.
Goode said there’s been a bit of a learning curve, but she credits her teammates for helping her adjust to the league.
“This group has brought me in and taught me stuff, taken me under their wings,” she said. “They’ve done an awesome job.”
Legendary Texas pitcher Cat Osterman is the team’s general manager, and the head coach is Texas State’s Ricci Woodard.
“We’re ready to rock and roll at home,” Woodard said. “I’m anxious to see what happens now that we get to play in our own place.”
Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 draft, joined the team last weekend after a brief contract holdout.
The Volts are 1-4 this season, picking up their lone win over the Oklahoma City Spark on June 10. They’ll face the Talons in a 3-game series, the Chicago Bandits for a pair June 23-24, and finish the homestand with a 3-game set against the expansion Portland Cascade on June 26-28.
Ryan Sanders Baseball, the organization that owns and operates the Round Rock Express, is an operating partner with the Volts and an investor with the AUSL.
Austin, TX
Investigators seek clues in small jet crash that killed 1 in Texas, where bystanders rushed to help
(AP) – Investigators combed through wreckage Wednesday for clues to why a business jet crashed on a Texas highway, killing one person on board after its pilots reported mechanical problems while requesting an emergency landing at a nearby airport.
The fiery crash late Tuesday in Laredo near the Mexican border sent bystanders racing from their cars to help police rescue passengers and crew from the burning aircraft. The crash killed Joshua Baer, a leader in Texas’ technology and startup sectors, the president of Baer’s company told the Austin American-Statesman.
Video from the frantic scene showed someone trying to smash the cockpit glass with a sledgehammer, while others used makeshift levers as they worked to open the plane’s door. Local officials said a firefighter entered the smoke-filled jet to extract one person still inside after the rest had escaped.
“While the loss of life is deeply regrettable, it is nothing short of a miracle that this tragedy did not become a mass fatality event,” Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño told a news conference Wednesday.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating along with the National Transportation Board.
Laredo Police Chief Miguel Rodriguez Jr. said investigators working to reconstruct the crash were at the crash site Wednesday.
Crash victim worked to help entrepreneurs launch startups
Baer was the founder and chief executive of Austin-based Capital Factory, which helps entrepreneurs connect with investors and others to launch their businesses.
“Joshua was a fearless leader, a brilliant partner, and a dear friend to so many of us,” Capital Factory President Bryan Chambers told the Austin newspaper.
Capital Factory executives did not immediately return phone messages Wednesday from The Associated Press.
Baer lived in Austin with his wife and three children, according to his LinkedIn page. He recently taught a student entrepreneur class at the University of Texas at Austin.
“I help people quit their jobs and become entrepreneurs,” Baer said on his LinkedIn page.
In a social media post, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called Baer “one of the most significant figures driving innovation and entrepreneurship across America.”
Police did not release the name of the person killed, citing a request from family members. Rodriguez said those on the plane included two pilots and three teenagers.
Pilots reported low fuel, electrical issues, airport director says
The Cessna Citation Latitude twin jet departed Tuesday evening from the Mexican resort city of San José del Cabo and was bound for Austin, Texas, the FAA said in a statement.
The plane was operated by NetJets, a company owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway that lets people buy part ownership in private jets. NetJets said in a statement it was cooperating with authorities.
The jet went down at about 10 p.m. Tuesday on the Loop 20 highway, just a few minutes after its pilots radioed the local airport seeking to make an emergency landing. Their call to air traffic controllers “mentioned low fuel and a power outage,” Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez said.
“They had mechanical issues and they lost communication with the tower,” Sanchez said Wednesday, “and that’s when the accident happened.”
Dashcam video posted on social media showed the aircraft careening down the highway and knocking down a light post before coming to a stop near the airport. The jet also barreled into a car, sending one motorist to a hospital in stable condition, said Laredo police investigator Jose Baeza.
Video posted to social media showed the plane on its side, smashed into a highway barrier with the tail ripped from the fuselage.
“It looked like part of a movie. I was in shock,” said Zayra Garza, an esthetician who was driving her co-workers home when she came upon the crash.
Garza, who shot video of the scene as her husband ran to help, saw motorists leave their cars to try to help smash the cockpit glass. She said the plane’s door opened and three people who looked like teenagers rushed out, followed by someone who appeared to be a pilot. Another crew member tried to pull out a person who seemed to be unconscious.
Smoke billowed from the plane as a firefighter climbed into the aircraft to rescue the remaining passenger. Police officers helping prop open the door had to back away as they doubled over coughing because of the intense smoke. Police said five officers were treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation.
“What was worrying me was the fire,” Garza said. “I was concerned that it could have just exploded at any time.”
This was the third significant aviation accident in as many days. A B-52 crashed Monday during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California and killed all eight people aboard, while on Sunday, 12 people were killed when a plane on a skydiving outing in Missouri crashed.
___
Golden reported from Seattle; Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut; and Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. AP journalists Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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