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(Tiny Pies/Instagram)
With Valentine's Day around the corner, it's the sweetest time of the year in Austin. Whether you're looking for a chocolate gift set to give your friends or a special gift for your significant other, Austin sweet specialists have you covered for an ultimate sweet treat on Cupid's day.
Here are 17 shops around town offering sweet Valentine's Day specials.
Berdoll Pecan Candy & Gift Co., 2626 State Hwy. 71 W.
Gift your significant other a pecan-filled Valentine's Day gift set from Berdoll Pecan Candy & Co. With four gift set assortments and different flavored pecans, the pecan specialists in town will help you find the perfect sweet treat for any pecan-lover.
You can find the different Valentine's Day gift sets from Berdoll Pecan Candy & Gift Co here.
Dolce Neve, multiple locations
The beloved gelato shop in Austin is providing a Valentine's Day special unlike any other in town. Dolce Neve is offering a heart shaped gelato cake you never knew you needed until now. Filled with pistachio gelato, strawberry crumble, pistachio powder and white chocolate, you can purchase this cake for $30.
You can find more information on Dolce Neve's menu here.
Zucchini Kill Bakery, 701 E. 53rd St.
Completely vegan and gluten free, Zucchini Kill Bakery has Valentine's Day specials unlike any other place in town. The bakery is offering an assortment of different cupcakes, cream and waffle pies and brownies for Valentine's Day, plus a cookie and brownie box mix so you and your loved one can make a fresh batch from the comfort of your home.
You can find more information on sweets at Zucchini Kill Bakery here.
Edis Chocolates, 3808 Spicewood Springs Road Suite 102
Edis Chocolates has everything and anything to set the spirit for Valentine's Day this year. The sweet shop and bakery is offering different box assortments including an assortment of truffles, chocolate covered strawberries, all types of chocolate and so much more.
You can find the different Valentine's Day gift sets from Edis Chocolates here.
Tiny Pies, multiple locations
Trade in the usual chocolate set box for Tiny Pies this Valentine's Day. Tiny Pies is offering a Valentine's Day menu filled with different assortments of sweets. With cherry pie, chocolate tart, creme brulee and so much more on Cupid's day, the differently curated love boxes make for the perfect gift this Valentine's Day.
You can find the Valentine's Day gift sets from Tiny Pies here.
Lammes Candies, multiple locations
Lammes Candies has been providing Austinites with sweet treats since 1885 and this Valentine's Day is no different. The shop is offering various assortments of flavored chocolates, truffles, chocolate covered strawberries and praline gift sets for you and your special person.
You can find the Valentine's Day gift sets from Lammes Candies here.
Sugar Mama's Bakeshop, 1905 S. 1st St.
Sugar Mama's Bakeshop has been keeping Austin sweet since 2008 and they don't plan on disappointing this year. The shop is offering different flavored cupcakes, cookies, macarons, hot cocoa bombs and chocolate dipped strawberries for Valentine's Day, plus much more on their regular menu to help your sweet cravings this Valentine's Day.
You can find the Valentine's Day specials from Sugar Mama's Bakeshop here.
Maggie Louise Confections, 1017 E. 6th St.
Maggie Louise Confections is offering specialty sweets unlike any other shop in Austin. With an assortment of beautifully decorated and hand painted chocolate gift sets, you can find the perfect sweet treat for your Valentine's or Galentine's day celebrations.
You can find the Valentine's Day gift sets from Maggie Louise Confections here.
Michelle's Patisserie, 12233 RR 620 N. Suite 114
Michelle's Patisserie is not messing around this Valentine's Day. The shop is offering Valentine's cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries, a Valentine's cookie decorating kit, plus a Valentine's "Afternoon Tea at Home Box" featuring four tea sandwiches, salmon canape, a mini quiche, scone, fresh fruit and five desserts for $35.
You can find the different Valentine's Day gift sets from Michelle's Patisserie here.
See's Candies, 10710 Research Blvd.
See's Candies chocolate shop has so many different types of chocolate assortments you'll struggle picking just one for Valentine's Day. From dark, white and milk chocolate plus some special flavors including caramel, almond, coconut and so much more, this is the place to hit for a different assortment of Valentine's Day gift sets.
You can find the Valentine's Day gift sets from See's Candies here.
SRSLY Chocolate, 117 E. Third St., Taylor, Texas
This Texas-made chocolate shop offers deliciously addicting chocolates with fresh ingredients. Besides the typical chocolate bars and brownies, SRSLY Chocolate is offering a limited edition love bar featuring dark chocolate, rose petals and cranberry for your Valentine.
You can find the different chocolates offered at Srsly Chocolate here.
Hayley Cakes & Cookies, multiple locations
This Austin bakery has all the sweets you and yours desire for Valentine's Day. From an assortment of cookies, brownies cupcakes, and more, Hayley Cakes & Cookies has your sweet treat for the upcoming special day.
You can find the different assortment of sweets offered at Hayley Cakes & Cookies here.
Antonelli's Cheese Shop, 4220 Duval St.
If you prefer savory over sweet on Valentine's Day, Antonelli's Cheese Shop has you covered. The shop is offering two different assortments featuring different cheeses, meats, chocolates and fruits for the perfect Valentine's Day gift. With their 10 year anniversary on Feb. 11, the shop is celebrating big this year by offering giveaways everyday until Valentine's Day.
You can find more information on the Valentine's Day gift sets from Antonelli's Cheese Shop here.
La Pâtisserie, multiple locations
Treat yourself and your significant other with sweets from this traditional French pastry shop in Austin. La Patisserie is offering special Valentine's Day decorated macarons, cookies, eclairs, tarts and so much more to share the love and sweetness on Sunday.
You can find out more on what La Patisserie has to offer here.
Foliepop's, 1340 Galleria Circle Suite A-140
If you're looking to send your significant other a kiss on Valentine's Day, look no further. Foliepop's is offering signature decorated French kiss cakes with vanilla mousse and strawberry jelly, plus different assortments of chocolate tartelettes you can give your special someone.
You can find the different Valentine's Day specials from Folliepop's here.
Crema Bakery & Cafe, 9001 Brodie Lane
Crema Bakery has all the sweetness you, your significant other and friends need this Valentine's Day. The shop is offering chocolate covered strawberries, hot cocoa bombs, cakes, DIY sugar cookie kits, cheesecake, a locally-grown succulent with a cactus-theme cookie and so many more sweet options.
You can find the different Valentine's Day specials from Crema Bakery here.
Austin Food and Wine Alliance Citywide Sugar High Bake Sale
Not sure which shop to pick for your Valentine's Day sweets? The Austin Food and Wine Alliance is bringing back the Citywide Sugar High online bake sale for Valentine's Day, and with over 20 participating shops, the online shop includes every sweet imaginable. Featuring cookies, pies, cakes, macarons and so much more, Austin bakers and pastry chefs have you covered for the perfect Valentine's Day sweet. Orders are available for pickup at Last Straw at 1914 E. 6th St. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb 14. Delivery is also available.
You can find more information on the Austin Food and Wine Alliance Citywide Sugar High online bake sale here.
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Pearl Lantana Apartments is one of many apartment complexes around town without running water due to plumbing issues. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
The last night Stephanie Landgraf, 25, spent in her apartment, off of Rundberg Lane, was on Valentine's Day. First, her power went off, only to return shortly after the complex lost water. Since then, she's been staying with friends. "There's no end in sight," she told Austonia. "At this point, I'm just angry."
<p>Although Austin Water announced it had restored service system-wide on Tuesday and reporting on the crisis has faded, some residents remain impacted due to burst and broken pipes that still need repairing. Landgraf's apartment complex provided an update earlier this week, attributing the outage to a shortage of specific plumbing parts and saying that service would be restored within 24 hours. That was three days ago. </p><p>Landgraf spent Friday, her day off, trying to get a hold of Austin Water. If her service isn't restored by Sunday, she'll get a hotel room—an expense that isn't covered by her renters' insurance. Still, she counts herself lucky to have an alternative place to stay. If she was still in her apartment, she would need to find a way to get water up to her unit. "My area of town is not okay," she said, adding that her neighbors were already spread thin by the pandemic. "We're still struggling." </p><p><strong>Ongoing repairs</strong> </p><p>After nearly a week of widespread outages and a boil water notice, Austin Water announced it had restored service and lifted its notice citywide on Tuesday. But hundreds of apartment complexes and other properties still lack water because of unresolved pipe breaks. Although these complexes may be able to restore water service, they cannot do so without risking flooding or other damage. </p><p>"I would anticipate right now there's at least two to four hundred apartment complexes, condos, areas served by interior piping systems … that are out of water in one form or another," Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros told City Council Thursday. "That's changing rapidly, but that's a very large number. And that doesn't count single-family homes or others that are struggling with those kinds of things." </p><p>The utility, along with the city of Austin, is working to deliver water to impacted residents, conduct wellness checks and facilitate repairs on private properties now that the public system is stable. But some residents are still without a basic necessity.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I haven't had running water in my apartment in over a week. This is an absolute disaster, <a href="https://twitter.com/AustinWater?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AustinWater</a> . Pick up your phone. I have some things to say. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SnowStorm2021?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SnowStorm2021</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TexasPowerOutage?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TexasPowerOutage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TexasBlackout?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TexasBlackout</a> <a href="https://t.co/W8ZU0n573N">pic.twitter.com/W8ZU0n573N</a><br/>— masky gal (@SistasgonResist) <a href="https://twitter.com/SistasgonResist/status/1365359522836013056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><p>"In many, many instances, families including children are living in unsanitary conditions with water shut off," Miguel Barbosa said during the public portion of Thursday's council meeting. "People need toilets. Families need showers. This is risky, and quite frankly it is life-threatening."<br/></p><p>Property owners and management companies, on the other hand, are competing for repair services and other amenities. </p><p>Pinnacle, which manages the Arboretum Oaks property in Great Hills, sent an update to residents on Wednesday saying that 10 additional plumbers are expected to arrive this weekend to help with ongoing plumbing repairs. The property has been without water for days now. The company was also in the process of securing portable showers and toilets from vendors that are pulling inventory from other states due to high demand. Until they arrive, residents can schedule a time to use a shower in one of five vacant units at the Argosy at Crestview, a sister property 15 minutes away by car. </p><p><strong>What residents can do</strong> </p><p>Residents without water should call 311 to report the outage. This will help with coordinating water deliveries and other support services, Juan Ortiz, the city's director of homeland security and emergency management, said Thursday.</p><p>Water distribution sites operated by the city and Travis County are being consolidated due to declining demand. One such site, at the Onion Creek Soccer Complex at 5600 E. William Cannon Drive, is open on Friday. The latest information on such sites can be found <a href="http://austintexas.gov/weatherinfo#winterwaterdistro" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Austin Water has not forgotten those who are still dealing with pipe damage and waiting for their water service to be restored. "We're going to stay on this and help these apartment complexes and others get water back to their systems," Meszaros said. But, he added, it will likely be "many days" before their crisis is over.</p>
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Cara Caulkin, Jane Ko, Chelsea Hughes and Kristy Owen helped raise funds and spread the word to feed the community during the winter storm last week. (Cara Caulkin/Instagram)
When city services shut down, four Austin influencers stepped up to bring thousands of free meals to the community.
<p>As Winter Storm Uri left residents across the city without power and water, <a href="https://www.mylkcollective.com/" target="_blank">Mylk Collective</a> founder Chelsea Hughes, Cara Caulkins of <a href="https://www.caracaulkins.com/" target="_blank">Cara Caulkin Communications</a>, A Taste of Koko <a href="https://www.atasteofkoko.com/" target="_blank">food blogger Jane Ko</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/365thingsaustin/" target="_blank">365thingsAustin</a> Kristy Owen knew they needed to use their platform to bring help to fellow Austinites. </p><p>By Monday, Hughes was contacted by Deep Eddy Vodka to begin coordinating with restaurants that may have leftover food to give to those in need. </p><p>Knowing that both Caulkins and Ko had raised money during the hectic beginning of the pandemic, Hughes contacted them to help get the ball rolling.</p><p>The trio made a GoFundMe last Wednesday and began organizing a restaurant network that spanned across the city. Ko, who has covered the local restaurant scene for about a decade, said that she contacted at least 150 restaurants as they looked for candidates. Early volunteers, including The Peached Tortilla owner Jerry Silverstein, cooked their leftover reserves with a gas oven in the dark as they continued to have no power.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLZ5xnVHdnZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLZ5xnVHdnZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLZ5xnVHdnZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by The Peached Tortilla (@peachedtortilla)</a><br/></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p><br/></p><p>Three days later, the <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/austin-winter-storm-relief" target="_blank">Winter Storm Relief Fund</a> had raised over $100,000 in funding, passed out thousands of free meals to residents in need, and teamed up with dozens of local restaurants.</p><p>The outreach served more than just those without food to eat during the storm. Hughes said that providing free meals served as a boost for both citizens in need and restaurants who had lost money on a frozen Valentine's Day weekend and were sitting on a stockpile of food. </p><p>"Our mission was twofold: feeding the public and underserved communities, hospitals and ems workers but also giving back to the rest who have lost so much throughout this pandemic and with this truly historic storm," Hughes said. "Our mission is also to continue whatever this rebuild process looks like and to continue to be a resource for whatever restaurants that need this."</p><p>They soon learned that Austin's water utility also gave out later on in the week, but many restaurants still needed to feed and pay their employees as the crisis began to worsen. Ko said that it was heartwrenching to hear back from eager volunteers who had gone to their food trucks or restaurants and found broken pipes, unusable kitchens and water damage. </p><p>"It was heartbreaking to me to have restaurants and food trucks reach out to me and then check on their food truck and say, 'I'm sorry Jane, our pipes are busted we can't cook," Ko said. "They have families they need to take care of."</p><p>Eventually, the three discovered specific pockets in the community that were suffering more than others in the disaster. In far north and southwest Austin, communities had been without power or water for days. Some populations had no transportation to get to water distribution hubs, and hospitals and EMS workers were falling apart as they spent days without power or water. Alongside their partners, the group visited hospitals and first responder locations with free, warm meals from various restaurants.</p><p>Rumors spread of apartment complex residents drinking pool water during the disaster, homes flooding irreparably, and many living in subfreezing conditions for much of the storm. Hughes said the incident was eye-opening to how privileged many in the community, including herself, are on a regular basis.</p><p>"It was the first time in our lives that we had to wonder how we were going to get our next meal and how we are going to be warm and how those basic needs are going to be met," Hughes said. "It made me realize how underserved certain communities are. This is a moment in my life where I know I always want to use my contacts now to be a resource to help underserved communities in my city."</p><p>When the situation progressed, the community doubled down and began donating more. In three hours on Wednesday, Ko said the GoFundMe had already reached $10,000. By Thursday, funding swelled to $70,000, surpassing its goal by over $50,000 and sitting above $150,000 into last weekend. On Monday of this week, Ko estimated that the group had helped coordinate over $30,000 free meals.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="1792" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2df71e906931af52aa87114bb056233" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY4NTE4NS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MDczNzc5MH0.Elquc4jeXZWYY_rkbYeLwrPRBQZaP0vjzufiFNmMEsg/img.png?width=980" data-width="828" id="3e9a5" type="lazy-image"/>
</p><p><br/></p><p>The GoFundMe was not the only source of donations going into Austin area restaurants. After Deep Eddy communicated with Hughes, the local brand began <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLkMrDPM6OT/" target="_blank">sponsoring restaurants</a> on its own to provide hundreds of meals at a time. Large local companies such as Kendra Scott and Bumble matched Deep Eddy's funds, while national brands like Red Bull funneled their contributions into the community.</p><p>Caulkins noted that the influence of social media was really highlighted as the three used their profiles, including Ko's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/atasteofkoko/" target="_blank">@atasteofkoko</a> account and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/365thingsaustin/" target="_blank">@365thingsaustin</a>, to get the word out.</p><p> "This really speaks to the power of social media," Caulkins said. "We were able to raise these funds and also allowed these platforms to be a community resource."</p>
<p><br/></p><p>Although water has been restored, the boil-water ban has been lifted and temperatures are way above freezing, the recovery process is not over. In addition to restaurants and businesses losing money, the city will have weeks of repairs and damages to fix before the storm becomes a distant memory.</p><p>The remaining funds that went unused have since been donated to Good Work Austin, a kitchen program that aims at feeding underserved populations. </p><p>All the influencers have hopes that things will change within the community as residents continue to band together to rebuild and repair what was lost to Winter Storm Uri. Caulkins said that she wants the disaster to continue the trend of young, passionate members of the community taking city leadership positions.</p><p> "I think we're seeing a lot of younger voices and I think that's also something that things like this show," Caulkins said. "It would be great to see that continue because we're maybe a little bit more in touch with what is happening around us and wanting to make a difference and hopefully that will make an impact on city officials that are representing us in the future."</p><p>Despite the disaster, Ko said that the huge outpour of donations and volunteers that came through in the worst of times is exactly what makes Austin special.</p><p> "I love Austin, and I think this is what makes the city so great, that you have citizens like us that are willing to step up," Ko said. "Many, many people stepped up during this time. While Texas is strong, I think Austin is stronger."</p>
Austin Winter Storm Relief Fund kept the city running when power and water failed
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY5NTI1NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NDM5Mzc3OX0.0_n9cu1x8x3kA93moKQfQdB9JmTzCE09jh2c-ERp77s/img.jpg?width=980" id="8c8fb" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b14aaafe3f3360c60d8a5601910e2a18" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="768" data-height="1024" />
<p>All images courtesy of Cara Caulkins.</p>
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