WORDS BY OLIVIER J. BOURGOIN (AKA. OLIVIER THE WINE GUY)
Pasture-Raised Beef from 529 Meats
Photo by 529 Meats
529 Meats offers healthy and flavorful Texas-raised, grass-fed Akaushi goodness from “P to P” — pasture to plate.
“Quality beef comes from quality cattle,” says 529 Meats’ website. This one sentence alone sums up Misty and Roger Parkers’ philosophy on their business. The pair truly has made it their mission to responsibly raise quality, pasture-fed cattle that are half-blood Akaushi. The majority of their cows are 100 percent grass-fed while the rest are grass-fed and grain-finished.
About 12 years ago, the Parkers introduced the Akaushi breed into their breeding program, with the goal to improve marbling, flavor and taste of their finished product. Their grass-fed steers graze on native pastures and improved grasses, as well as on homegrown oats, triticale, turnips and wheat, supplemented in the winter by coastal bermuda and Sudan sorghum, all of which is also homegrown. The meat is known for being buttery and heart-healthy. The beef from their grain- finished steers is highly marbled and juicier, as they are fed for 300 to 400 days on an all-natural, distillers’ grain feed ration.
Only you can decide which one is better. As for their business’ name? The Parkers save a portion of all sales to fund their kids’ 529 college fund. Buy online or in retail stores such as For Goodness Sake in New Braunfels or The Cornucopia in San Marcos and occasionally at the Garden Ridge Farmers Market.
Sprinkles & Spoons GF Bakery
Photo by Sprinkles and Spoons GF Bakery
If you’re ready for some indulgent, 100 percent gluten-free treats — then get ready to crumble!
After being diagnosed with Celiac disease in 2009, Sprinkles & Spoons owner, creator and head baker, Amber Goulden, began working as a professional recipe developer. Eventually, she started baking commercially with one goal in mind: to recreate the textures and flavors patrons with Celiac remember from before they began needing to adhere to their gluten-free diets.
Sprinkles & Spoons has a rotating menu with weekly specials as well as limited-time and seasonal flavors. Their staple items include croissants, biscuits, cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, scones and toaster pastries.
Photo by Sprinkles and Spoons GF Bakery
Goulden’s baking business was born at her home as a cottage- industry startup. Now two years into it, she is operating out of a commercial kitchen at Local Sprout Food Hub with plans to start shipping products nationwide, thanks to the increased production capacity. Although Sprinkles & Spoons doesn’t have a storefront, you can follow them online for updates on weekly pop-ups held at different shops around town. You can also order from the daily menu for delivery or pick-up Tuesday through Saturday; or you can sign up for ‘The Sprinkle Squad,’ a themed subscription box that includes five different baked items every month.
Red Bird’s House Towels & Totes
Photo by Pauline Stevens
The kitchen and tea towels from Red Bird’s House are each hand- printed on cotton flour sacks with their own striking motifs from original photographs taken by owner and Mexico City native, Pauline Stevens (who also writes and shoots content for Edible publications). Long before Stevens had a towel printing business, she was a professional photographer, working for places like H.E.B. as a food placement and package photographer. For her, Red Bird’s House was a natural progression.
The name of the company comes from a memory of her father — one of the last times she saw him before he passed. When visiting him a few years ago, she says they talked about the symbolism of seeing a cardinal as a reminder or message from departed loved ones. Stevens says she named her business in his honor and as a reminder of him.
Photo by Pauline Stevens
About the Contributor
Olivier J. Bourgoin has been a wine broker and consultant, as well as a freelance writer, who has been involved in these industries in and around the greater San Antonio area for more than 25 years. A native of France with family roots deep in the wine producting region of Burgundy, he is known as “Olivier the Wine Guy” and featured as such on a local weekly radio segment for 20 years.
