🍲 5 iconic Austin soups to try

🫶 Central Texas Food Bank Needs Volunteers

Central Texas Food Bank needs at least 250 volunteers to sign up for warehouse shifts this week to keep up with food demand, especially after the winter storm. [KXAN]

📰 Heat, Food at Downtown Shelter Was Insufficient During Storm, Residents Say

People who stayed at the city’s Eighth Street Women’s Shelter during the winter storm this week say temperatures inside were freezing, and meals were inadequate. Austinites ended up sending pizzas, salads, wings, and soup to the shelter after a Reddit post showed meals included a single peanut butter sandwich. [Austin American-Statesman]

🍭 Big Top Candy Shop Is Expanding

Big Top Candy Shop is opening its second location in Hyde Park on Saturday. The new shop is at 417 E. 43rd St., near Quack’s Bakery and Julio’s Cafe. [Austin Business Journal]

🤣 How Austin’s Comedy Boom Happened

Austin’s comedy seems to be having a moment – local comics are making it big nationally and more are finding a home for their work here. Some say Joe Rogan’s Comedy Mothership made this moment happen, but it’s not the only force shaping the scene. [City Cast Austin 🎧]

If Austin’s freezing weather has you dreaming of warm bowls of soup, you are so not alone. I’ve been perusing soup recipes since temperatures dropped into the 30s and feel really prepared to make some fun recommendations. Let’s do it:

The Driskill Hotel’s Cheese Soup

Chef Helen Corbitt served this cheese soup when she was running The Driskill’s 1886 Cafe & Bakery. The soup doesn’t appear to be on the menu anymore, which makes it even more important that you make it. The recipe calls for a pound of cheddar!

Thai Fresh’s Tom Kha Kai-Coconut Soup

Nothing hits quite like a bowl of Tom Kha soup from Thai Fresh – it’s fragrant, wonderfully spicy, and just what you want when it’s cold or if you’ve been feeling sick. That’s why I was a little shocked the recipe is just sitting on the restaurant’s website for free. It’s so good that maybe it should be kept under lock and key? (Don’t send them this newsletter! We need the recipe forever!) Everyone say, “thank you” to Chef Jam Sanitchat for sharing!

Magnolia Cafe’s Chicken Tortilla Soup

I’m sure you have a great chicken tortilla soup recipe, but you can never have too many. This one comes from Magnolia Cafe and includes the restaurant’s chipotle sauce recipe!

Soup Peddler’s Mulligatawny Soup

This copycat recipe for Soup Peddler’s mulligatawny soup looks real good. Mulligatawny, which roughly translates to “pepper water,” is made with vegetables, lentils, and curry. The mulligatawny soup is one of five that is always on the menu at Soup Peddler and it seems to be pretty popular – when you search for a mulligatawny recipe online, a lot of Soup Peddler wannabes pop up!

Fonda San Miguel’s Sopa de Elote

Sopa de Elote, or corn soup, from Fonda San Miguel is great if you’ve been looking to offload some frozen corn that’s sitting in your freezer. The recipe is made with all of life’s best things: Cheese, tortillas, butter, milk, and, of course, corn.