Introducing the Austin Food Lovers’ Companion
One of the really interesting things about blogging is watching as the blog matures over time. Looking back on the notes I made when I first started my blog, there are many things I thought I would do that I did, some things that I never quite got to, and some things that I never expected to do that have impacted my blog significantly. My original vision for my blog was centered squarely on cooking and entertaining. While I did expect that blogging would make me a better cook, and conversely becoming a better cook would make me a better blogger, I could never have guessed how influenced both my blog and I would be by my decision to focus some of my attention on local Austin food events. When I posted my first Austin Foodie Bits back in the summer of 2009, I was really looking for a way to give back to Austin and help other food lovers enjoy the many amazing food experiences I enjoy myself. I wasn’t looking to branch out or expand my blog horizons, but happily that’s exactly what’s happened. Week after week I get great feedback that the Austin-centric content I put together is useful to both Austinites and visitors, and because my core blog mission is to be useful to readers, I’ve decided to devote more blog time to Austin food and wine, and give that content a place all of its own on the blog.
Welcome to the Austin Food Lovers’ Companion
Austin is chockfull of lovers of food and wine. Some of us throw ourselves into cooking and entertaining, others enjoy dining out and cultivating amazing food experiences. (Truth be told, many of us do both.) Austin responds beautifully to our desire to eat great food and drink great wine. From exceptional restaurants to artisan food purveyors and a regular collection of food-related events, there’s always something interesting going on in the Austin epicurean world. Chasing down all of the food and wine goodness out there can be time consuming for the bon vivants among us, and getting the word out about events and experiences can be difficult for those offering them. My goal is to create a place where lovers and purveyors can easily connect for amazing experiences.
The Austin Food Lovers’ Companion will include content that falls into four different categories:
- Food & Wine Events: I will continue to publish Austin Foodie Bits each Monday as a way to corral the many food and wine goings on about town, but I will branch out to cover some of those activities in more detail. My Guide to Austin Restaurant Week is a good example of the kind of additional information you can look forward to in this category. I’m also plotting a food and wine events database to release later in the summer to make finding events even easier.
- Sources & Resources: Austin has some amazing shops and foodie resources, and I want to let everyone know about them. Posts in this category will highlight local gems like Anotonelli’s Cheese Shop and Dai Due.
- Favorites: While I don’t plan to turn this site into a restaurant review site, there are plenty of great sources for that sort of information already, I do want to share my favorite restaurants and eateries. These posts will let me celebrate what I consider to be the best of Austin. There are some great chefs making some amazing food in our town these days and I want as many people as possible to know about them.
- Food Trailer Friday: I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that my Food Trailer Friday posts are popular – Austin’s food trailer scene is a fantastically popular place and I’m happy to be able to write about it. I’ll continue to post about new trailers and old favorites as long as there are food trailers to be visited.
The site is brand new so I’ll be tinkering with it in the days and weeks to com. I also expect that Austin Food Lovers’ Companion will grow and mature over time to offer new features, so please keep the feedback coming. I want to know how to make it a useful and usable resource, so comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome.
Let’s Connect!