Dripping Springs, Texas

January 2014discover LOCAL INFORMATION & ADVERTISING

Published by the Hill Country Sun. For advertising, call 512-484-9716

or email julie@hillcountrysun.com

See HOMESPUN, page 2

Gourmet cuisine, local ingredients at Homespun

LEFT TO RIGHT Chef Mitch Rutland, Candace Thompson and Jennifer Walker welcome you to their new restaurant, Homespun Kitchen and Bar. Photo by Laurel Robertson.

By LaureL robertson

When the folks at Homespun Kitchen and Bar say they like to source their ingredients locally

—they mean sometimes from just across the street!

Dripping Springs’ newest restaurant, located across from the Triangle and the Farmers Market, prides itself on using the freshest ingredients from local ven-dors to create its “gourmet, yet unpre-tentious food.”

Many Wednesdays, Chef Mitch Rut-land walks across the street to select in-gredients for that evening’s menu from the bounty of locally-grown veggies in the vendors’ stalls.

This farm-to-table approach to serv-ing food started in the imagination of self-professed “foodie” Candace Thompson – who easily talked her accountant mother,

Jennifer Walker, into venturing into the restaurant business with her.

The pair teamed up with chef Mitch—a seasoned veteran of several area res-taurants—to transform the building all three of them had enjoyed eating in over the years into the restaurant they knew it could be.

Mitch sums it up: “Quality is what counts most.”

The trio added a few new features to maximize their restaurant’s customer-friendliness: a back patio with a play-ground for the kids (“We’re a family-friendly place,” stresses Candace.) and a storage building to house walk-in coolers and dry storage, freeing up kitchen space to give Mitch the room to work his cre-ative magic.

There’s even a screened porch for

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the huge smoker Candace’s grandfather built for which Mitch has big plans.

Besides offering entrees and ap-petizers created from local ingredients (from Onion Creek Farm, Johnson’s Backyard Farm, Wicker Produce, Celtic Seafare, Hill Country Olive Company, Drippin’ Sauce, Engel Farms, CKC Farms and more), Homespun Kitchen and Bar has a full-service bar serving up craft cocktails made with the products of regional wineries and distilleries.

There’s a rosé martini made with Dripping Springs Vodka, a Prickly Ricky featuring prickly pear syrup with Blanco’s Z Tequila, a raspberry mojito made with Wimberley’s Cypress Creek Rum, a classic margarita using Austin’s own Dulce Vida Anejo Tequila, and many more.

The wine and beer list includes, among others, everyone’s favorite re-gional brands: Twisted X, Real Ale, Pedernales Brewing Co., Bell Springs, Sister Creek, Llano Estacado.

Currently, Homespun Kitchen and Bar is serving their Southern-inspired food with European roots (think grits to schnitzel – with classic American fare in-between ) for lunch and dinner.

A Sunday Brunch is in the plans for the future.

FYI • Homespun Kitchen and Bar is located at 131 East Mercer Street, just across from the Triangle. Hours are 11 am to 3 pm and 5 pm to 10 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations are accepted.

For more information, call 512-829-4064, visit the web site at homespunkitchenandbar.com (where you can find the complete menu), or find them on Facebook.

A playground out back provides plenty of entertainment for the kids. Photo courtesy Homespun Kitchen and Bar.

Homespun Kitchen and Bar, Dripping Springs’ newest eatery located at 131 East Mercer Street, offers up delicious entrees and appetizers created from locally-sourced ingredients. Taste for yourself Tuesday through Saturday for lunch from 11 am to 3 pm and dinner from 5 pm to 10 pm. Photo courtesy Homespun Kitchen and Bar.

The welcoming interior of Homespun Kitchen and Bar, where a great dining experience awaits. Photo courtesy Homespun Kitchen and Bar.

HOMESPUN, from page 1

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Don’t forget dessert! Homespun offers delicious options.Photo courtesy Homespun Kitchen and Bar.

Diners can delight in a refreshing Pepé Jalapeno LEFT and a tasty Buffalo Yardbird sandwich RIGHT. Photos courtesy Homespun Kitchen and Bar.

A tempting Reuben at Homespun Kitchen and Bar. The new restaurant serves up a wide variety of appetizers, soups and salads, steaks, seafood and more, plus plenty of their original specialties. Photo courtesy Homespun Kitchen and Bar.

HOMESPUN, from page 2

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By LaureL robertson

It’s a beauty pageant where looks alone take the prize and there’s no award for Miss Congeniality.

January 22-25, everyone will have an opportunity to see some of the best-looking (and best cared for) livestock in the county as they parade past the judges’ stand at the 46th annual Hays County Livestock Show, held this year for the first time in Dripping Springs at Dripping Springs Ranch Park’s Event Center.

The new Event Center offers more room for the Livestock Show than the facility in San Marcos that housed it in years past, says Roger Mikeska, a member of the Hays County Live-stock Show Board of Directors.

Cattle, goats, sheep, swine, rabbits and poultry will be bathed, blown-dry, clipped and coiffed in prepara-tion for their moment on stage.

Their owners, members of FFA and 4-H clubs across Hays County, have been working throughout much of the past year to have their animals in peak condition.

Beyond the livestock competi-tion, FFA and 4-Hers will bring their food, craft, photography and cloth-ing creations to compete in the Home Skills category and their homemade livestock and shop equipment, trail-ers, and home and yard convenienc-es to compete in the Ag Mechanics division.

There are more than blue ribbons at stake in these stiff competitions. After the judging, entries in each di-

vision will be auctioned to the highest bidder – although the auction winners don’t actually go home with the ani-mal.

In what is called a Premium Sale or Ribbon Sale, the winning bidders ac-tually donate the “purchase” amount to the student exhibitor to help cover the costs of raising the animals, which can be substantial, according to Roger Mikeska.

Besides “purchasing” an entire animal, contributors can also donate smaller amounts as an “add-on” to the auction sale amount. (Worth noting: winning bidders in the food division auction get to actually take home their purchases!)

Why would individuals and orga-nizations pony up money each year to “buy” an animal they’ll never possess? “We’re not raising animals here - we’re raising kids,” Roger explains.

Participation in FFA and 4-H pro-grams teaches life-long lessons such as responsibility and market economics, he points out.

Beyond paying for feed and stock, many contestants put their winnings into college savings accounts, he says. Plus donors get a photo of their “pur-chased” animal and a hand-written thank-you note from its owner (a les-son in a quickly disappearing skill!)

A final lesson the kids learn may be the hardest: “The market animals are here to provide a food source. All the kids know that,” Roger says matter-of-factly. The livestock they’ve carefully

Dripping new host of county livestock show

See LIVESTOCK SHOW, page 5 and 6

2013 Grand Champion rabbit. Photo courtesy Hays Co. Youth Livestock Show.

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January 2014LIVESTOCK SHOW, from page 4

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2013 Grand Champion turkey. Photo courtesy Hays Co. Youth Livestock Show.

2013 Grand Champion goat. Photo courtesy Hays Co. Youth Livestock Show.

Dripping Springs Ranch Park Event Center. Photo courtesy Herron Design Studio Architecture.

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raised by hand will become part of the food chain after the show; breeding stock can be returned to the herd, he ex-plains.

Two weeks before the main Livestock Show, the Equine Division competitions will take place at the DSRP Event Center on January 11.

Contestants will compete in several roping divisions; cloverleaf barrel racing; pole bending; western riding, horseman-ship and pleasure; English pleasure and equitation; and general showmanship competitions – including miniature horse divisions!

Opening the whole event on the morn-ing of the Equine Show is the Presentation of the Queen. One girl will be chosen by a

panel of judges, based on her grades and involvement in 4-H or FFA and her com-munity, church and school organizations.

The queen reigns for a year and at-tends each livestock show event to pass out ribbons and refreshments, assist buy-ers at the auction and pose in photos with winners and donors.

On Saturday, January 18, a Buyers Appreciation Dinner will honor the top buyers from 2013’s event with a Fajita Buffet.

FYI • The 2014 Hays County Livestock Show will take place January 22-25 at the Events Center in Dripping Springs Ranch Park. The Equine Division competition will be held in advance (January 11) at the same location. For more information, visit the web site at hayscountylivestock-show.com.

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LIVESTOCK SHOW, from page 5

2013 Grand Champion pig. Photo courtesy Hays Co. Youth Livestock Show.

2013 Grand Champion lamb. Photo courtesy Hays Co. Youth Livestock Show.

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January 2014

EVERY SUNDAY• Live Jazz Brunch at the Nutty Brown Cafe. www.nuttybrown.com.SECOND and FOURTH SUNDAY• Drippin’ Dancin’. BYOB and food. Barn at Bell Springs, 4000 Bell Springs Road. 7 pm to 10 pm. Dance lessons 6 pm to 7 pm. $7 cover. www.HotTexasSwingBand.com.EVERY MONDAY• Rotary Club. 11:45 am at Creek Road Cafe. 301 West Highway 290, 512-626-7673, www.drippingspringsrotary.org.• Boy Scout Troop 280 meets at St. Martin de Porres Church Hall. 512-904-0444, ckichuk@yahoo.com, drippingsprings280.mytroop.us. SECOND MONDAYS• Group of Dripping Springs (GODS) Moms meets at Dripping Springs Methodist Church 9 am to 11:15 am. 512-894-0581.FOURTH MONDAYS• Artists of Dripping Springs. Gatherings at area studios. 512-894-0394.• Gen. Ben McCulloch 2435, UDC meets at the Veterans Hall, 27500 Ranch Road 12 at 7 pm. Call Sharon Hudson at 512-858-7177.MONDAY through THURSDAY• Discovery Day School. mmilligan@discoveryday-school.org.EVERY TUESDAY• Toastmasters Dripping Springs. 6:30 pm. Pioneer Bank Building Conference Room. Call Mike at 214-339-3237.• Dripping Springs Property Tour. 512-579-7711, dshometour@gmail.com.SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH TUESDAYS• Dripping Springs Boy Scout Troop 101 meets. Dripping Springs United Methodist Church. 7 pm. Tom Chenault at 512-707-7488.FIRST and THIRD TUESDAYS• Lions Club meets. 6 pm at Flores Restaurant. Call Sharon at 512-858-5159.SECOND TUESDAYS• Friends of the Dripping Springs Community Library. 11 am at the library. Contact Bobbie Hentschel@512-771-3217 or friendsofdslibrary@gmail.com for information and volunteer opportunities.EVERY WEDNESDAY• Dripping Springs Farmers Market. The Triangle (Highway 290 and Ranch Road 12) 3 pm to 7 pm. Rain or shine. cityofdrippingsprings.com.• Awana. Wednesday. Henly Baptist Church. henlybaptistchurch.org.SECOND WEDNESDAY• Free Alzheimer’s Support Group meets at Arveda Alzheimer’s Family Care, 11013 Signal Hill Drive. RSVP to 512-637-5400. www.arvedacare.com.EVERY THURSDAY• Steak Night and Karaoke at the Nutty Brown Cafe. nuttybrown.com.• Thyme and Dough Bistro Nights with live music, dinners and decadent desserts.

6 pm to 9 pm. 512-894-0001.• Henly Baptist Church JOY (Just Older Youth) Club meets at 9:30 am. www.henlybaptistchurch.org. FIRST THURSDAYS• Dripping Springs American Legion 7 pm. 512-858-5637.FIRST AND THIRD THURSDAY• Lions Club meets at 131 East Mercer Street. 512-858-5159.SECOND THURSDAYS• Knights of Columbus, Council 11695, meets at the St Martin de Porres Parrish Hall on Post Oak Road, at 7:30 pm. Preceeded by a pot luck dinner.• Charlotte’s Book Club. Dripping Springs Community Library, 6 pm. Visit www.dscl.org , 512-858-7825’THIRD THURSDAYS• Dripping Springs Cookoff Club. Meets at 6:30 pm in the VFW Hall in Dripping Springs. For information, email Michele at ryoncrew@yahoo.com.• Dripping Springs VFW meets. 27500 Ranch Road 12. 7 pm. 512-858-5637.• Thirsty Thursday meets at 7 pm. New Life Lutheran Church at 120 Frog Pond Lane off Highway 290. Poets, musicians, songwriters and storytellers share work. Works of artists, photographers and quilters also welcome. 512-858-2024.FOURTH THURSDAY• Photographers of Dripping Springs (PODS). Meet at Dripping Springs Community Library, 501 Sportsplex Drive, in the conference room. 6:30 pm. 512-524-7897. EVERY FRIDAY• Men’s Breakfast at Fitzhugh Baptist Church. 6:30 am. 512-913-4808.• Free wine tasting and art gallery. 5 pm to 8 pm at Cedar Valley Spirits (across from Nutty Brown Cafe). www.cedarvalleyspirits.com.• Cajun Night with Charles Thibodeaux’s Cajun Trio featuring All You Can Eat Fried Catfish and Shrimp Boil at the Nutty Brown Cafe. nuttybrown.com.FIRST SATURDAY• Low Cost Pet Vaccinations at Tractor Supply. 512-858-7229.SECOND & FOURTH SATURDAY• Pet Adoption Sponsored by Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary. Tractor Supply. 512-402-9725.JANUARY 4• Al Monti. Live music from 7 pm to 10 pm at the Nutty Brown Cafe. Free admission. www.nuttybrown.com.JANUARY 2, 3• Tie-Dye Workshop. Instructors will be there to help with new techniques. $16 includes all materials and instructions The Art Garage. theartgarageaustin.com.JANUARY 18• Erik Zamora. Live music from 7 pm to 10 pm. Free admission. www.nuttybrown.com.

Dripping Springs Calendar

Send Calendar Events tomelissa@hillcountrysun.com

Please submit by the 15th of the month prior.

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JANUARY 25• Stephen K. Morris. Live music from 7 pm to 10 pm at the Nutty Brown Cafe. Free admission. www.nuttybrown.com.JANUARY 11• Medina Moonshine Band. Live music from 7 pm to 10 pm. Free admission. www.nuttybrown.com.JANUARY 20• Peace, Love Art Camp at The Art Garage. Ages 7 and up. 10 am to 2 pm. www.theartgarageaustin.com.JANUARY 23• Happy New You 2014. Enjpy wine and hors d’oeuvres while learning about the latest products and procedures at Ron S. White, DDS. Drawings and door prizes all day. Noon to 7 pm. 4189 East Highway 290. 512-858-5683.JANUARY 26• Mercer Street Jam for Missions at Mercer Street Dance Hall. Live music by Tracie Lynn along with local bands Ninth Hour, Square 1, more. Food, cash bar and silent auction. drippingspringstx.org.FEBRUARY 28• 11th Annual Suits & Boots Community Awards Banquet . Ce lebra te the community, walk the red carpet and have your photo taken in front of the “Academy Awards” wall. Dripping Springs Ranch Park Ballroom. drippingspringstx.org.FYI • For information on any calendar event, call the Chamber at 512-858-4740.

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