Texas Will Get Its Very Own James Beard Awards Category

James Beard Texas Awards
Among the many new changes for the James Beard Awards 2020 (likened to the Oscars of the food world), Texas will get its own dedicated award. The foundation decided to implement the change, among others, to “recognize changing population data, restaurant demographics, and culinary trends.” Typically, Texas nominees dominated the state’s previous Southwest category, which will now consist of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Nevada. This means Austin chefs will compete against chefs in Houston, Dallas, and elsewhere in the state. During this year’s James Beard Awards, three Austin chefs (Barley Swine’s Bryce Gilmore, Olamaie’s Michael Fojtasek, and Emmer & Rye’s Kevin Fink), and one San Antonio chef (Cured’s Steve McHugh) were finalists, but didn’t win.

Biscuits On Demand
Downtown restaurant Fixe announced it will now offer its excellent biscuits via delivery. The carby items will be sold by the dozen for $30, which also includes butter, honey, and seasonal preserves. For now, the service is only available downtown, West Campus, and campus, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through online ordering.

Chinese Food Delivery Restaurant Expands
Though delayed from its initial date, Chinese delivery/takeout restaurant Tso Delivery has now opened its second location in the Arboretum. The restaurant, which comes from the former owners of Jenna’s Asian Kitchen, can now deliver delivers north of Koenig Lane, south of Parmer Lane, and west of Metric Boulevard. The original location is in Cherrywood, and there are already two other locations in the works.

Grain-Free Siete Foods Now in Target Stores
Siete Foods, the Austin-based company making grain-free tortillas, chips, queso, and salsa, can now be found in Target stores across the country. This comes on the heels of a $90 million investment earlier this year (co-founder Miguel Garza was named to Forbes 30 under 30 in 2017).