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The three owners and business women are combining their restaurants in search of a new experience. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
The taco-slinging sisters of Veracruz All Natural and the woman behind Dee Dee Thai are joining forces for a fresh new take on eating local.
The three women, Dee Dee Thai owner Lakana Trubiana alongside Maritza and Reyna Vazquez of Veracruz, are planning on opening a five-acre botanical garden and cafe in southwestern Austin. According to a report from Austin 360, the cafe would be located at 6405 Brodie Lane.
Trubiana and the Vazquez sisters say the project will bring a meadow-like green space into the urban sphere, serving Thai and Mexican food made in part by food grown on the property. A native of Thailand, Trubiana said opening the garden restaurant would be a lifelong dream come true.
Dee Dee Thai, Veracruz All Natural and a to-be-determined third tenant will prepare food out of small cabins with three picnic areas on the property for customers to dine. There will also be room for another building, serving as a café and bar.
As of right now, the project needs a zoning change to become a reality. The plot of land the women are eyeing comes from the estate of the late Betty Grubbs, who purchased it with her husband back in 1952. A longtime supporter of women's athletics at the University of Texas, a portion of the proceeds from the sale must be donated to the women’s athletics department, according to Grubbs’ will.
In response, Trubiana and the Vazquez sisters said they will hold an annual fundraiser for the Betty Grubbs Endowed Scholarship Program at UT and work to support women-owned businesses.
Gary McIntosh, the estate’s independent executor and longtime friend of the Grubbs family, said he will recommend that the zoning commission approve the venture, which would likely provide a record-breaking donation, and that Grubbs would have supported it as well.
In order to move forward, the women are asking that the city of Sunset Valley change the zoning on the property from single-family residential to neighborhood commercial. The planning commission will hold a hearing to hear the proposal on Jan. 26.
If approved, the space will be one of very few retail commercial spaces in Sunset Valley.
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Popular
(Moriah Wilson/Instagram)
Austin police are investigating the killing of Moriah "Mo" Wilson after she was found with gunshot wounds inside an Austin home.
Wilson, a gravel and mountain bike racer, was visiting Austin from Colorado in preparation for the Gravel Locos race on Saturday taking place in Hico, a small town 2 hours from Austin.
On Wednesday, her roommate came home and found Wilson unresponsive with "a lot of blood near her,” police said. It is now being investigated as a suspicious death. No further information on the suspect or motive behind the killing are available at this time.
Wilson recently had become a full-time biker after winning a slew of races in the past year.
(Pexels)
Some of your favorite Instagram filters can’t be used in Texas anymore and Austinites are sounding off on social media.
Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, announced on Wednesday that certain filters would no longer be available in Texas.
The change is a result of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against Meta, alleging the company uses facial recognition technology that violates laws in Texas. A release from Meta says it stopped using facial recognition tech in November 2021 and denies Paxton’s allegations.
Some Austinites bemoaned the shift, saying some of their favorite filters were now unavailable.
This was my FAVORITE filter on @instagram and they done removed it cause I’m in Texas ! Like wowwwwww pic.twitter.com/uX60hdIC0Q
— Pinkyy Montana (@inkstar_pinkyy) May 11, 2022
i heard that instagram filters got banned in texas? what the actual fuck y’all better give me my favorite filter back
— lia 🤍 (@liatootrill) May 11, 2022
loved this stupid filter sm i hate texas pic.twitter.com/DXr9mmUc64
— birthday boy jeno 🎂 (@beabtox) May 12, 2022
But more often than not, locals joked about the ban.
Texas women seeing the filter ban on IG pic.twitter.com/yDMcP3Qtsr
— Christian (Anabolic) Flores (@christian_flo24) May 11, 2022
So, the state of Texas has banned filter use on IG? THE END IS NEAR. 😂
— THE FRANCHISE! Франшиза (@NYCFranchise718) May 12, 2022
And some in-between chose to show off some natural beauty.
I live in Texas, but no filter needed. 😉 pic.twitter.com/A6teRgYMKn
— bad and bruja (@starseedmami) May 11, 2022
filter, no filter..texas women still reign supreme.
— 🎍 (@_sixile) May 11, 2022
Finally, some are trying to cash in on the opportunity.
Texas IG users- if you want to filter your picture cashapp me $1.50 $ErvnYng
— Gemini (@ervn_y) May 11, 2022
Meta said it plans to create an opt-in system for both Texas and Illinois residents, who are facing the same issues.