Mattie’s main dining room (Credit: Jaclyn Hubersberger)

Mattie’s Southern charm is evident before you even walk through its doors. Upon entering the gates surrounding the Green Pastures estate, located off South First Street, I was immediately taken aback by the impressive 120-year-old Victorian home with wrap-around veranda and giant Live Oak trees, under which peacocks freely roam. Yes, you read that right: peacocks.

As I walked through the front doors into a foyer with a dramatic staircase opening up to the second floor, warmly-lit gathering spaces on either side of me, it felt more like I had arrived for dinner at a celebrity’s home than a public restaurant. The space is undeniably cozy and dripping with Southern hospitality. [Read more…]

With over 40,000 followers on Instagram alone, Tiny Pies proves their taste is big, though their pies may be little. This is the story of how a small business from Austin took the nation by storm.

Tiny Pies Idea Is Born

Tiny Pies is a creative endeavor started by the mother-daughter duo of Kit Seay and Amanda Bates back in 2011. The idea of making hand-held pies came from Bates’ son. He loved taking a slice of pie to school, but it always got too messy. “One day he tossed out an idea: ‘Why don’t you come up with something I can eat with my hand?’ We instantly knew it was a really good idea,” Bates explained.

The idea turned into days spent in the kitchen playing around with recipes and testing flavors. Baking together wasn’t new for the pair. Bates baked with her mom for as long as she can remember. And Seay, in turn, used to bake with her own mom. [Read more…]