The Texas Food & Wine Alliance announced the winners of their grant funds this year, and 19 unique concepts are set to benefit from this year’s funding. Austin is home to nine of those recipients, including Comadre Panaderia, a pastry shop with a Latin twist. The locally owned business will receive $5,000 from The Shari Braly Grant for Emerging Woman Restaurateur. The funds will help the Comadre Panaderia purchase a double stack electric convection oven and an espresso machine, allowing it to expand its offerings of high-quality bread and sweets and be more competitive in the rich restaurant environment of Austin.
Community Vegan, a plant-based food truck in East Austin, is getting a boost from the Favor Delivery Grant for Local Restaurants. Food trucks are particularly popular in Austin, especially in East Austin where they are scattered throughout several neighborhoods. With a grant of $5,000, the Community Vegan plans to purchase a smoker trailer, becoming the first plant-based barbecue joint in Austin. The food truck specializes in smoked mushrooms and veggies.
Of the three grant recipients in Dallas, Cafe Momentum, a working cafe providing culinary skills training and support for justice-involved youth, will receive $8,500 from the Dallas Bourbon Club Grant. Cafe Momentum helps prepare youth for restaurant industry careers through the Cafe Momentum Academy on-site high school. The funds will go towards various aspects of the program, including intern wages, educational support, mental health counseling, and culinary skills training.
In San Antonio, four businesses received grants, including the H-E-B Grant Supporting Diversity and Inclusion which has been awarded to Habitable Spaces, an innovative arts and agriculture project. With a grant of $5,000, Habitable Spaces will purchase a walk-in cooler and other equipment to outfit a commercial kitchen and serve its community with farm-to-table meals during its Full Moon Dinner Series.
These grants will help bring exciting new ideas and delicious food to communities in Texas. For more information about the grant winners, visit texasfoodandwinealliance.org
