Local news and fun, every day 6am.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed

Suerte Chef Fermín Nuñez was named in FOOD & WINE's 'Best New Chefs' List. (Suerte)
As recognition for bringing a taste of Torreón Coahuila, Mexico to the capital city, chef Fermín Nuñez of East Austin Mexican restaurant Suerte has been named one of FOOD & WINE's 2021 "Best New Chefs."
Coming in as the only Texas-based chef on the 33-year-running list, Nuñez will be awarded today in Aspen, Colorado, with nine other chefs from across the country who made it through the lengthy selection process.
"It's a true joy to be named a FOOD & WINE 'Best New Chef,'" Nuñez said in a press release. "I celebrate this as an honor to the craft I love and extend immeasurable gratitude to the team at Suerte."
Nationally renowned for its commitment to craft-made masa dishes, Suerte, 1800 E. 6th St., is the manifestation of 12-year chef Nuñez and fellow restaurateur Sam Hellman-Mass. The pair opened the restaurant in 2018 with a goal to create their own unique brand of Mexican food—one that is familiar to Austin but cooked with deep-rooted tradition.
With a profound love for masa, a trait he gets from his hometown, Nuñez uses a process called nixtamalization, which prepares dried corn kernels to be ground into dough for tortillas. Those corn tortillas, which are ground in-house and pressed-to-order, earned Nuñez features in Netflix's "The Taco Chronicles," Bon Appetit's "Brad Makes Tortillas" and The New York Times.
"Mexican food, to me, was always something that I was very passionate about because it meant something to me, and a tortilla—it's the canvas of Mexican cooking," Nuñez said.
Committed to the community as well as the craft, Nuñez has been in the kitchens of many beloved Austin establishments—La Condesa, Uchiko, Launderette and Barley Swine—and strives to support local by sourcing from Barton Springs Mill and other local farmers.
"This achievement is a testament to the importance and impact of hard work, and doing the right thing even when no one is looking," Nuñez said. "I take great pride in sharing my culture through food in new ways with our community."
And it doesn't stop in the kitchen, Nuñez has used his platform of more than 30,000 followers to raise awareness and funds for mental health in the service industry through the Mike & Sherry Project, cultivate leadership efforts through community farming with Urban Roots, and empower Latino voters through Jolt.
Suerte's menu fluctuates daily so no matter when you pay a visit to Nuñez, you'll be in for a delicious surprise.
- Whole Foods' 2021 food trends will change your definition of food ... ›
- Austin food under $10, cheap eats that are delicious - austonia ›
- Pop-ups and partnerships: 5 new moves in Austin food - austonia ›
- Austonia reviews local eats and treats at Q2 Stadium - austonia ›
- 4 Austin semifinalists named in James Beard Awards - austonia ›
- Austin chefs, El Naranjo, Nixta Tqueria, win James Beard Awards - austonia ›
Popular
(Tesla)
Giga Texas, the massive Tesla factory in southeast Travis County is getting even bigger.
The company filed with the city of Austin this week to expand its headquarters with a new 500,000-square-foot building. The permit application notes “GA 2 and 3 expansion,” which indicates the company will make two general assembly lines in the building.
More details about the plans for the building are unclear. The gigafactory has been focused on Model Y production since it opened in April, but the company is also aiming for Cybertruck production to kick off in mid-2023.
While there is room for expansion on the 3.3 square miles of land Tesla has, this move comes after CEO Elon Musk’s recent comments about the state of the economy and its impact on Tesla.
In a May interview with Tesla Owners Silicon Valley, Musk said the gigafactories in Berlin and Austin are “gigantic money furnaces” and said Giga Texas had manufactured only a small number of cars.
And in June, Musk sent a company wide email saying Tesla will be reducing salaried headcount by 10%, then later tweeted salaried headcount should be fairly flat.
- Grand opening of Giga Texas faces push back from the community ... ›
- Giga Texas may start production of Model Y's this week - austonia ›
- Tesla hosts Cyber Rodeo grand opening party for Giga Texas ... ›
- Musk: Recently opened Giga Texas is a gigantic money furnace ... ›
- Elon Musk is spotted driving a Cybertruck through Giga Texas ... ›
- PHOTOS: Peek inside the Tesla Gigafactory producing Model Ys in ... ›
- Cyber Rodeo: what we know about the Giga Texas opening party ... ›
- Excitement over Giga Texas grand opening continues at Tesla Con ›
- Tesla's mileage range on new Model Y lowers - austonia ›
(Dullnig Ranch Sales)
You’ll have to leave city limits if you’re looking for a proper ranch property like 417 Acres Shipp Lake Ranch, aptly named for its acreage. The property comes built out with three farmhouses, one of which has bedrooms and two bathrooms and two of which have two bedrooms and one bathroom. The nearly untouched property, which surrounds the 100-plus-acre Shipp Lake, has remained in the same family since the early 1900s and gives you picturesque views for the making of a dream home. In fact, the previous owners ran a water ski camp on the property.
Sitting waterside on Lake Austin, this home gives you the unique opportunity to own a piece of the lush Hill Country with views of Mount Bonnell. The 2,750-square foot, three-bedroom, four-bathroom house allows you to integrate indoor and outdoor life with large windows opening to an outdoor living area. The crown jewel is the .76-acre parcel of land that tapers off to your own lakeside resort, featuring an covered outdoor kitchen, fire pit, stone boat house to store your water sports supplies and veranda sitting at the mouth of the water, perfect for an entertainer.
Got dreams of becoming a real Texas rancher? 7814 Brown Cemetery Rd. is the perfect place to start with 40 rolling acres of land and its very own swimming hole. Just east of Austin in Manor, the modest-on-the-outside home clocks at 4,412 square feet with five bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms, but there are an additional two living structures on the property. The horseshoe-shaped pond sits in the heart of the property and comes equipped with a water slide, diving board and a fishing dock.