Five Food Gifts to Help Smash the Patriarchy

Courtesy of Joy Max Jardín

Joy Max Jardín

Jennymarie Jemison's garden is the joy of her friends, family, and thousands of Instagram followers. Luckily for those who prefer their flora to be edible, the constant gardener sells packets of her heirloom "Salad Days" seed collection – with ruby red lettuce leaf and slow bolt arugula and more – along with bull's blood beets and red-veined sorrel and, oh, see for yourself, green-thumbed citizen!

Casero

Good Food Foundation Award winners Jackie Letelier and Emily Stengel will elevate your parties with their artisanal cheese-and-charcuterie boards, featuring elegant arrays of the best nibbleables from Austin and beyond, sometimes showcasing their acclaimed pâtés, and bringing freshness and style to any gathering – holiday-based or otherwise. You can order online or, more fun, stop by their storefront in the Mueller neighborhood.

WildGins

You're not going to find a more local, more handcrafted gin anywhere, not with UT biology professor and private distiller Molly Cummings out there foraging various species of West Texas junipers herself. And you're unlikely to find a more palate-pleasing spirit than her WildJune, conjured from red juniper berries and 10 other botanicals, although Cummings' London dry-style gin called WildBark (which uses alligator juniper) also has its tippling champions.

Hardcore Carnivore

Jess Pryles is originally from Australia, but, as the saying goes, she got to Texas as fast as she could. It was mostly the barbecue that lured her, and now the indefatigable chef and 'cuevangelist has built her own company – Hardcore Carnivore – on all things meaty and delicious. Whether you're looking for a finishing sauce or for seasonings to create the perfect Angus steak, the best pork ribs, or even some heritage fowl, Pryles' blends will set you up right.

Courtesy of Joaihú Chocolate

Joaihú Chocolate

We were already fans of Austin's Kate Robberson due to her musical talents in world folk band Ley Line, but let's advance that designation to superfan since she's founded this direct origin, tree-to-bar chocolate from the old-growth rainforest in Bahia, Brazil, via the regenerative farm of Fazenda Boa Vista. Joaihú currently offers three percentages of chocolate, ranging in intensity from 75% to 85% and 100%, sure to be dark enough for your brightest pleasure.