Barbecue Spot Burnt Bean Co., a Newly Anointed James Beard Award Finalist, Is Cooking Up at an Austin Whiskey Event

McKinney whiskey distillery Fierce Whiskers is hosting a bunch of Texas barbecue greats in honor of its new release, what it’s describing as a carbon-neutral rye. Serving food will be Segiun’s Burnt Bean Co.’s Ernest Servantes (who was recently named a James Beard Award semifinalist in the Best Chef: Texas category this week), Houston’s Truth BBQ’s Leonard Botello IV, and Atlanta’s Bryan Furman BBQ’s namesake pitmaster. The new whiskey was created with Robert Jacob Lerma (who’s an Eater Austin photographer). It’s free to attend the event on Saturday, April 1 from noon to 4 p.m., but food tickets are $38, and bottles are $105.

New monthly baked goods membership

Texas French Bread launched a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) membership to help the business reopen on a fuller scale after its original building was destroyed during a fire in January 2022. The bakery’s currently baking out of a commissary space and has been serving food and drinks from its garden Airstream trailer in the meantime. The Texas French Bread Founding Community Memberships involve monthly deliveries of either small ($32) or large ($52) boxes of baked goods and breads through Table 22. There will be home deliveries available for people in the Central Austin area or pickups at the trailer on Wednesdays. To receive the first shipment in April, people have to sign up by Sunday, April 2.

Seasonal reopening

East Austin hotel bar Gin Bar within the Arrive East is opening after its usual seasonal closure on Friday, March 31.

Tracking Austin food events

Austin Food & Wine Alliance’s annual Live Fire event — where participating chefs cook live-fired foods — takes place on Thursday, April 6 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Camp Mabry. Bhefs like Damien Brockway of Distant Relatives, Best Quality Daughter’s Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin, By Kin’s Evelyn Garcia, Jose’s Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, and many others. The VIP area includes surf and turf by Navy Blue’s Aaron Bludorn and Eunice’s Drake Leonards. General admission tickets are $125 and VIP tickets with early entry are $175., benefitting the organization’s culinary grant program.