COMPASS

On a visit to Austin, many people are drawn to what makes the food scene unique; the lovely communities that can be found inside the dining rooms across the city.

Food is part of the DNA of the city, and as it adapts, the food scene moves with it.

Many restaurants have placed cultivating a sense of community at the top of their priorities. A feeling of togetherness is what makes a restaurant great, according to Easy Tiger’s head dough puncher David Norman, and many of the principles that these places are founded on bring a specific and unique group of people together.

Nick Conn, marketing director at Wheatsville Co-op, thinks that the “old-Austin vibe” is still reflected at Wheatsville. Many silly and unique elements of the city’s personality are still present in the store’s two locations.

“We’re listening to Austinites every day,” said Conn. Wheatsville was founded during the cooperative movement of the ‘70s and has continued to listen to its community since then with an elected board of directors and donation programs each month that contribute to local social change. Their most recognizable feature is a giant blow-up dinosaur on the roof of their Guadalupe location, nicknamed Mangiasaurus. The cooperative movement took off in Austin because of the lack of fresh produce available and people’s inclination to want organic, farm-fresh produce.

Conn said that Wheastville defines itself as a “community-owned grocery store” that adapts to consumers’ needs.

“The cooperative movement as we know it in the 70s was born from this way of looking at things in a way where people wanted to make healthier choices,” Conn said.

Casa de Luz, another restaurant in the area, was also founded on the principles of fresh, natural food. When entering the dining area, the phrase “Nature is our Menu Planner” pops out from the wall of the open kitchen, where the cooking staff is visible from the dining area. Eduardo Longoria, founder of Casa de Luz, says that the community was based on the macrobiotic movement, which prioritizes whole, unprocessed foods. Casa de Luz is also part of a larger community surrounding the restaurant, where classes and naturopathic healing practices are offered.

“I think the whole idea of the community makes people have to be able to accept it in the first place,” Longoria said, “It’s got a purpose for wellness, so we don’t choose foods that are going to taste good. We choose foods that are good for you.”

According to Norman, togetherness is one of the largest tenets of the Austin food scene, making most restaurants feel like one big community. Easy Tiger, a local bakery and beer garden, has made this one of their biggest priorities, even when choosing to open in new locations. They look for large, open locations where people can get together and chat.

Easy Tiger’s slogan, “Slow down and stay a while”, exemplifies this sentiment.

The communities created at each of these institutions are self-selecting, creating a sense of camaraderie that is unique to each place. Food brings people together; the connections formed over it can be some of the strongest we can make.

“The place, it selects its people,” said Longoria. Austin’s local food establishments, whether food trucks, grocery stores, or traditional restaurants, have cultivated a unique sense of community that connects people across the city.

“It’s about that experience,” said Norman, “It’s about, you know, creating this space that people want to come and just gather and share food and drinks and have fun.”

by Eleanora Mason

schoolers’ responses of their restaurants and food enterprises, all locally established. Responses google form for LASA students January to February 2023.