Coconut, strawberry, and cream: a Sweet Caroline snowball

I take snow cones—one of the world’s most whimsical foods­—very, very seriously.

Like any good neurosis, I think it stems from childhood. I grew up in Frisco, a then-small town north of Dallas where The Snow Cone Lady was a local celebrity. Her stand was the only place to go to get your sweet, icy fix on a hot summer night. It wasn’t summer until The Snow Cone Lady opened her stand in the gas station parking lot, and it would be summer until she closed down, even if it was well into the school year.

Basically, the seasons were determined not by the weather or the time of year, but by the presence or absence of snow cones.

Given my history, it should come as no surprise that I’ve taken it upon myself to scour the city for the best of the best in the world of sugar highs and brain freezes. Come to find out, Austin has an impressive inventory of snow cone stands, shops, carts, and trucks. This will be my tenth summer in Austin, and I have yet to try every snow cone in town.

My decade-long taste test continues this summer. But for now, here’s a list of some of my favorites so far. [Read more…]

Dishes created by Trace at the 3rd Annual Food Republic Interview Lounge

You can still smell the smoke! The recently concluded Austin Food and Wine Festival celebrates the constantly evolving tastes of Texas, the flavors, aromas, cultures, and characters. Itself evolved from the earlier Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival, it brings chefs from all over the world to our fair city to showcase their skills and knowledge to attendees and contemporaries.

Once confined to more populous metros such as New York and LA, the chefs of honor at this exclusive culinary event are more likely than ever to call Texas home. We all know that we live in a state full of delicious dishes, but have you ever looked up from your brisket to thank the cook? [Read more…]

Southern Traditions grass-fed beef (Photo credit: Jeff Parnell)

Don’t let the name fool you. Southern Traditions Grass Fed Beef brings more to the table than just beef, and cooking it up is sure to uncover home-grown memories for just about anyone.

The grass-fed meats from Southern Traditions are a sustainable product of the family owned and operated 5G Ranch, located in Briggs, Texas. For 40 years, the family has delivered a product that contains no additives, no use of corn and offers customers higher levels of Omega 3’s, vitamins or antioxidants, and is naturally fortified. I found it most fascinating that the cattle, goats and lambs are born, raised and harvested right here in our backyard, only about 45 minutes from Austin.

Owner of Southern Traditions, Jeff Parnell, was under the white canopy at Lone Star Farmers Market this past Sunday, where he and I were speaking carnivore. “People just love our [Read more…]