In these times of responsible social distancing and the mandated closure of bars and dining rooms during the novel coronavirus pandemic, Austin restaurants and food businesses are taking to digital means in order to connect and engage with people. This means hosting virtual cooking lessons and cheese monger sessions and remote happy hours. Here are just some examples of what these places are doing:
Virtual Cooking and Cocktail Lessons
East Austin Italian restaurant Intero is offering the services of their chefs via Skype cooking lessons. Interested parties will reach out to the restaurant, book a date and time, come by the restaurant to pick up ingredients or receive a shopping list to purchase items on their own, and then click into the digital video session, led by a chef.
Likewise Veracruz All Natural co-owner Reyna Vazquez is taking to the truck’s Instagram page for a live cooking demo today, Friday, April 3 at 5 p.m. She shared the necessary ingredients earlier this week so that people could cook along at home, which includes potatoes, peppers, eggs, among others.
New-school barbecue truck LeRoy & Lewis put together a Patreon page, where people can subscribe for access to the truck’s instructional and educational videos, form how to make the barbacoa-stuffed avocado to how to render beef tallow. The team also shared a fun blind brisket trimming video earlier this month.
Olamaie’s beverage director Erin Ashford has been answering cocktail questions through Instagram Stories and shared her margarita recipe on her account page.
Chef Maribel Rivero of Peruvian restaurant Yuyo is offering cooking advice through free Zoom sessions in April.
Virtual Tastings/Cheese Classes/Cheese Mongering Session
While Hyde Park shop Antonelli’s Cheese is closed to walk-in business, co-owners John and Kendall Antonelli decided to host virtual cheese classes and cheese mongering sessions. For the classes, people can purchase $30 tickets for selected dates, come by the store to pick up the session’s cheese selections (curbside pickups only) on that day, and then join a Facebook Live session that evening hosted by the Antonellis. From their home, the couple will walk participants through said-cheeses. Bookings in April are still available.
The shop is also offering scheduled digital cheese mongering sessions for those who want to learn more about available cheeses before purchase. The shop also turned all of its on-the-calendar events into private Facebook Live events, with plenty of tickets available for future dates. Otherwise, the store is open for regular to-go/curbside pickups, as well as deliveries through Favor.
Virtual Wine Tastings
Hye, Texas-based winery William Chris Vineyards is launching daily happy hours via Facebook Live, which started on Saturday, March 20. The tastings begin at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. on weekends until it can reopen its physical tasting room. People can order bottles from its online store, through in-person curbside pickups by texting “pickup” to 313313 for the menu, or through most Austin-area retailers.
Fredericksburg winery Lost Draw Cellars is also hosting virtual private tasting packages which include six bottles of wine for pickup or delivery, wine glasses, and a corkscrew, for $185.
Virtual Happy Hours
Daijoubu co-founders Caer Maiko and Sharon Yeung couldn’t celebrate the anniversary of their roaming Asian cocktail pop-up with a party. So instead, they’re opting to host a virtual happy hour through Instagram Live on Saturday, March 20 at 8 p.m. The duo will show viewers how to make drinks and answer questions.