Two Austin Chefs Appear on Netflix Food Shows, One About Tacos, the Other About Hunting

Austin Chefs on Netflix Shows
Fermín Núñez, the executive chef of Suerte, was featured in the second season of James Beard Award-winning Netflix series Taco Chronicles, which premiered earlier this month. The first episode highlights centers on the suadero taco, where the chef talks about how he preps the dish and creates that wonderful black magic oil.

Likewise, Jesse Griffiths, the owner and chef of Cherrywood butcher shop and restaurant Dai Due, is featured in the first two episodes of Netflix show Meateater. The chef took host Steven Rinella fishing and hunting in South Texas. This is the James Beard Award-nominated show’s ninth season.

Drag Mediterranean Restaurant Switcheroo
Owner Mahmud Ugur closed the 2530 Guadalupe Street location of his fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant MezzeMe in order to turn the space into a more general restaurant and bar. Moody’s is now open as of September 17. “When the pandemic hit, we lost the majority of our student customer base,” explains Ugur as to why he changed the restaurant. “We were faced with the decision of permanently closing our doors at a location we loved, or reworking the concept to cater to a broader audience.” Moody’s features a full bar with cocktails, as well as a more general, fast-casual menu with pizza, burgers, chicken wings, avocado toasts, and the like. The patio is being expanded as well, and will include television screens for sports. MezzeMe’s only remaining location is still open at the Triangle at 4700 West Guadalupe Street.

Austin Culinary Grants
The Austin Food & Wine Alliance’s annual grant program is back, and applications are being accepted starting on Thursday, October 1. The nonprofit will give away $27,500 in grants to food- and drink-related individuals and businesses, ranging from producers to farmers to culinary professionals. The deadline is Friday, October 23. The recipients will be announced with a virtual ceremony in December. 2019 awardees included Boggy Creek Farm, Nixta Taqueria, Sweet Ritual, and Huckleberry Hospitality.

Forthcoming Drive-Thru Restaurant
Dripping Springs restaurant Rolling in Thyme and Dough is opening a new drive-thru restaurant at Ranch to Road 12 and Fitzhugh Road, near Treaty Oak Distillery. It’s aiming to open on Thursday, October 15, according to Community Impact.

Italian Restaurant Switcheroo
Pizza restaurant Brick Oven on 35 has been turned into a new restaurant over the summer. Owner Jay McBride had owned the pizzeria franchise location, but decided to turn the 1608 West 35th Street space into his own restaurant, Cucina on 35, as reported by Austin 360. Now called Cucina on 35, the new restaurant still serves an Italian menu for takeout and dine-in services. The Red River location of Brick Oven closed permanently during the beginning of the pandemic in March. Its last remaining restaurant is still open in the Arboretum at 10710 Research Boulevard.