Austin Artist Paints Mural Honoring Vanessa Guillén at Joe’s Bakery

Mural Honoring Vanessa Guillén
East Austin Mexican restaurant Joe’s Bakery is now the host of a mural honoring Vanessa Guillén, the Fort Hood soldier who was missing for three months until her remains were found earlier this month. The artwork by artist Carmen Rangel depicts Guillén surrounded by roses, a dove, and hands in a prayer formation alongside text that reads “Justice for Vanessa Guillén” and “Rest in Peace.” The restaurant asked people not to leave candles at the mural because of safety issues. The mobile mural will remain up for several weeks at 2305 East Seventh Street.

Very Realistic Cakes
The New York Times covered the whole “realistic items as cakes” meme that began last week with the publishing of a compilation video posted by BuzzFeed Tasty. The clip included cakes created by Austin-based bakery Sideserf Cake Studio, known for its very realistic cakes (see: Via 313 pizza, Baby Yoda, Willie Nelson’s head). Writer Taylor Lorenz spoke to Sideserf’s Natalie Sideserf, who talked about their cake process (lots of fondant and chocolate molds). She’s working on creating a cake replica of herself, orders have increased, and yes, someone asked for a shoe cake.

Queer Eye’s Austin Casting
Netflix reality series Queer Eye is still looking for potential candidates for its yet-to-be-filmed Austin season, as reported by CultureMap.

Temporary Restaurant Shutter
Korean restaurant Seoulju is temporarily closing its original North Lamar location from Wednesday, July 15 through Wednesday, July 22, so that it can focus on its recently opened takeout-and-delivery-only location within ghost kitchen hub Kitchen United Mix in Wooten.

Barbecue Shutter, Switches to Barbecue Sauce
Austin barbecue truck Gabrick Barbecue closed permanently as of early June, but pitmaster Mark Gabrick launched a retail barbecue sauce bottle business instead. The Texas Tang BBQ is made with chicken broth and honey, available for purchase through Gabrick Barbecue or via Walmart’s website. Eventually, its Fire & Ice pickles will be available, too.