October is Texas Wine Month and the celebration kicks off today with the first annual Go Texan Restaurant Day sponsored by the Texas Department of Agriculture. All across the state, restaurants participating in TDA's Go Texan restaurant program will be "bringing Texas to the table" by showcasing local produce, Texas artisan foods, and Texas wines in meals all day long. A portion of the proceeds of these meals will be donated to support Texas food banks. For a listing of restaurants in this area that belong to the Go Texan program, go to www.GoTexan.org. Show your support for local sustainable agriculture by eating out in a participating restaurant on Wednesday, October 1st! [video-1] [video-2]

Former Austin Chef Roberto Santibanez will be in Austin in early October for the opening of Maria Maria Cantina (415 Colorado, 687-6800;www.mariamariarestaurants.com). Many Austinites became fans of Santibanez' subtle, sophisticated interpretation of classic Interior Mexican cuisine when he was Executive Chef at Fonda San Miguel from 1997 to 2001. Santibanez left Austin for New York City where he was culinary director for the upscale Rosa Mexicana restaurant chain and wrote a highly-acclaimed cookbook entitled Rosa's New Mexican Table that came out last year. In 2007, he became culinary director of the Maria Maria Cantina chain, owned by legendary musician Carlos Santana. The new Austin eatery will be the fourth outlet in the chain and is scheduled to open October 4th in the Warehouse District. Blackberry Mole lovers - this place will be one you don't want to miss!

Marc Summers, host of the Food Network's Unwrapped, is in town today with a production crew filming a story about one of Austin's favorite homegrown beverages, Sweet Leaf Tea. No word yet on when the segment will air, but we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, we're assured there will be plenty of Sweet Leaf's delightful, refreshing teas to help you survive at the Austin City Limits Festival next weekend.

Hearty congratulations to Tracy Claros, owner of Austin's award-winning Sticky Toffee Pudding Company. We've just been advised that her delectable products will be featured in the "O-List" in the upcoming issue of Oprah Winfrey's O Magazine as the "Sexiest English Creation Since Colin Firth!" We couldn't agree more. Bravo, Tracy!

Ahoy, mateys! Those wacky folks at Opal Divine's Freehouse (700 West 6th Street, 477-3308)will be all dressed up and talking like pirates this Friday evening, September 19th. The Jolly Garogers will be on hand to provide musical entertainment and there will also be a pirate costume contest. For more info, go to www.opaldivines.com and/or www.talklikeapirate.com.

Years ago when I was making salads and desserts at a restaurant on Kerbey Lane, one of the chefs and I dropped by the restaurant on our mutual day off to pick up our paychecks. When the owner saw us sitting on the patio towards the end of lunch service, he ran outside in a panic shouting "Who is on the range, who is on the range?" Ever since then, that's the phrase I use to refer to the person in charge of the kitchen, or in this case, the Chronicle's new food blog. So - Virginia's on the range here. Most of the time, gathering information for and writing my column, reviewing restaurants, and organizing the Chronicle food section is more than enough work to keep me busy. Occasionally, I still get the urge to create restaurant desserts and a couple of days of baking usually scratches that itch. But when the press release about the Z'Tejas Chile Bash Dessert Recipe contest showed up in my email back in July, I just could not resist the challenge. I'm really not much of a chile-head and I only have two