Aaron Franklin Advocates for Amplify Austin, and More A.M. Intel

— Amplify Austin Day, when people are encouraged to donate to various charities, is approaching on Thursday, March 2nd starting at 6 p.m. through Friday, March 3 at 6 p.m. To raise awareness for the day, notable Austinites heralded the cause through a video, including Aaron Franklin.

— Keeping busy, Franklin headed up to Dallas to cook up ramen with chef Tyson Cole at Top Knot this Monday. The ramen included brisket slices and noodles paired with a spicy broth.

— Indie Chefs Week, Foreign & Domestic Ned Elliott’s series of grand collaborative dinners, is coming back to Austin this month, and it recently announced its full lineup, which includes Misti Norris from Dallas’ impending Petra & the Beast, Brett Michael Cooper from Aster in San Francisco, Christine Rivera from Galaxy Taco in San Diego, Cara Stadler from Tao Yuan in Maine, and others, as well as a lot of local Austin chefs. It begins on Wednesday, March 15, and ends with an epic 14+ course dinner on Saturday, March 18.

— Drinks-focused publication Punch paid a visit to Christmas-forever Lala's Little Nugget, and found that, despite the change in ownership, its quirky, brightly-lit holiday spirit endures.

— Community Impact examined the restaurant scene in Northwest Austin, which seems to be getting more crowded, so much so that Thai Passion had to close up its 183 location.

— Southern Living tested out various bottled barbecue sauces. The writers deemed Stubb's BBQ Sauce as “has having a "savory, smoky flavor.”

— The nominees for Young Women's Alliance and Young Men's Business League's Austin Under 40 were announced this week. Under the culinary arts, events, and hospitality category are Mason Ayer of Kerbey Lane, C.K. Chin of Swift's Attic/Wu Chow, June Rodil of McGuire Moorman Hospitality, Anthony Sobtik of Lick Honest Ice Creams, and Mariam Parker from the Austin Food and Wine Alliance. One winner in each group will be announced on Saturday, April 1.