Food-O-File

Last week, I participated on a media panel at an event called PR Over Coffee organized by Dave Manzer at Capital Kitchens (1605 W. Stassney) alongside Marla Camp (Edible Austin), Dan Gentile (Thrillist Austin), and Nancy Marr (Austin Foodstyle magazine). We were treated to samples of foods from the companies who work out of that shared-use commercial kitchen and answered questions from 35-40 artisan food producers who were curious about the best ways to approach media outlets. It's entirely likely you'll be hearing about some of these new products in these pages or on our blog in the future, but one tidbit of news I can share now is this: Austin Eastciders' first light sparkling cider, Gold Top, will make its debut in kegs on Thursday, Oct. 10, at several locations around town. For more about my conversation with cider-maker Ed Gibson and info about upcoming events featuring Gold Top cider, check out our On the Range blog this week at austinchronicle.com/blogs/food.

Restaurateur Carlos Rivero says he's reopening El Chile Cafe y Cantina (1809 Manor Rd.) in the original location because of "very vocal demand from the neighborhood." Rivero plans to reopen on Manor Road in time to celebrate the restaurant's 10th anniversary on Oct. 23. He also disclosed plans to close the Flat Top Burger Shop (1900 Manor Rd.) by Oct. 16 and use that facility as a catering kitchen and event space under the direction of new team member, caterer Gina Burchenal. "We had to turn down requests for parties and events because we didn't have the space. We decided to concentrate on Mexican food and make that space available for parties and extra parking for El Chile," he said.

Entrepreneur Nicole Patel announced expansion plans for Delysia Chocolatier which include a full-scale production facility with a kitchen and climate-controlled storage, offices, a conference room to host prospective customers and classes, and a loading dock. Patel has already purchased the building and begun construction, but she's launching a Kickstarter campaign Oct. 14 to raise the $55,000 necessary for equipment and supplies for the new facility. According to her email, investors can expect "various chocolate-themed incentives" based on the level of their contribution.

The Twitterverse was all abuzz last week with news of the closing of two more of Austin’s fine wholesale bakeries. Sandwich consumers at the Seedling Truck booth at ACL will enjoy the last of Simon Perez’s excellent Baked in Austin breads. After projecting the equipment and manpower necessary for upcoming holiday production in his tiny wholesale space, Perez decided he would close up shop instead, choosing to spend more quality time with his wife and 3-month-old son, Oliver. We’re also told that Amity Bakery’s Barrie Cullinan plans to suspend operation of her bread and pastry business in the next few weeks. These quality products will be missed.