Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise

Hill Country winery harvests new Italian restaurant with star chef

Flat Creek Estate winery makes a strong case for Texans to head to the hills.

Courtesy of Flat Creek Winery

An award-winning winery and vineyard in Marble Falls is adding to the long list of reasons Texans should head for the hills. Flat Creek Estate is entering a new season of growth, announcing new ownership, recent renovations, and a Michelin-pedigreed chef to boot.

Located within two hours of San Antonio, Flat Creek is nestled in a little pocket of the Colorado River as it winds through the Texas Hill Country.

Perhaps that's what first attracted Eva Horton, the estate's new owner, who is leading Flat Creek into this next elevated era. With a strong background in real estate investment and development, Horton is helping the estate implement enhancements to its facilities and staff, as well as a new line of fresh grapes.

“I loved Flat Creek from the first time I came to visit. I saw so much potential for its growth, but I also want to preserve all the things that make the estate so special,” says Horton, a partner with Austin-based real estate firm Post Lake Capital Partners. “I am honored to continue the family legacy and further the vision of this beautiful winery."

Part of that vision is the hiring of executive chef Tim Lane to helm the property's onsite restaurant, Ellera. (If you recognize that name from Bee Cave and South Lamar spots, those concepts are now called The Garden, and this transplant is now the only Ellera location, complete with separate menu and dining concept). Lane served as co-executive chef at the Bee Cave location, and previously studied Italian cuisine under a Michelin-starred chef in Rome for 10 years.

Lane will infuse that experience into his new menu for Ellera, anchored by Italian-style dishes with Roman-style pizzas to showcase his ingenuity and talent while enhancing Flat Creek’s award-winning wines. Featuring herbs grown onsite for an authentic farm-to-table feel, Lane's thoughtfully crafted three-course pairing meals will include mouthwatering hand-rolled pastas and genuine Northern Italian cuisine.

“There’s something so magical about the way food can bring people together. I am extremely excited about bringing Ellera to Flat Creek,” says Lane.

Also new to the Flat Creek team is consulting winemaker Jean Hoefliger, who brings experience making wine all over the world. Working with winemaker Bob Wonacott and the entire Flat Creek Estate winemaking team, Hoefliger will lend his expertise to farming practices, production procedures, and final blending.

“Our goal is to create world-class wines right here in Texas,” says Hoefliger. “You don’t need to go to Italy to experience the finest wines. I am elated to bring my experience to the incredible team at Flat Creek.”

The pristine property offers plenty of opportunities to sip, savor, and explore, including 80 acres of vineyards and a full-working winery, an elegant tasting room, the full-service restaurant, a covered pavilion, and a one-of-a-kind, 18-hole disc golf course. All wine served at Flat Creek is made in-house and has received over 400 awards and accolades.

The estate is currently open Wednesday through Sunday, hosting weekend events like Bubbles and Brunch and a rotating music series. For more information, head to FlatCreekEstate.com.

Flat Creek Estate winery makes a strong case for Texans to head to the hills.

Courtesy of Flat Creek Winery

Flat Creek Estate winery makes a strong case for Texans to head to the hills.

chefs openings

NYT loves AUS

Pastry chef from San Antonio makes New York Times Best Bakeries list

Comadre Panadería/Instagram

Comadre Panadería is known for nostalgic Mexican bakes with feminine flair.

The New York Times has once again shined its spotlight on Austin’s culinary scene. It included Comadre Panadería, an Austin bakery by San Antonio native Mariela Camacho, on its new list of the 22 of the Best Bakeries Across the U.S. Right Now.

Interim food critic Priya Krishna praises pastry chef Camacho’s pastries that include conchas and her signature pink cake. “Despite their saccharine appearances, not one of the desserts is overly cloying, and even the coffee drinks (Texas pecan horchata! Cranberry vanilla agua fresca!) strike the playful tone of the pastries,” she writes.

Comadre Panadería has been widely recognized, including by this publication; Camacho, who is now based in Ausitn, won Pastry Chef of the Year in the 2023 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards. She also earned a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.

Camacho and Comadre as a whole are both invested in using baked goods to make a more equitable world, from the bakery's early days as a fundraiser for disaster relief, to a current insistence on charging enough to support ethical and organic foods, and paying staff enough to keep up with rising costs in Austin.

Although Camacho was born in San Antonio and started her baking career there, she also spent a significant time in Seattle, Washington, where Comadre started as a pop-up. According to Austin Monthly, she then moved back to San Antonio, and then to Austin. But no matter where she is, the Mexican cooking traditions of her ancestors take precedent.

Mariela Camacho of Comadre Panaderia in Austin Mariela Camacho, Comadre Panaderia. Courtesy photo

The Times also recognized Houston's Koffeteria. Krishna hails the bakery for pastry chef-owner Vanarin Kuch’s creative fare that includes dishes such as beef pho kolaches, Chinese sausage breakfast tacos, and butter mochi.

“Some of Mr. Kuch’s offerings are rooted in his Cambodian American identity — he makes cornbread with the coconutty, scallion-forward flavors of Cambodian street corn — while others are odes to Houston’s multicultural makeup. But most of the fun of Koffeteria is having no idea what Mr. Kuch will do next, and eagerly awaiting his next innovation,” Krishna writes.

Open since 2019, Koffeteria has been riding high this year. It earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Bakery and a CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Award for Pastry Chef of the Year.

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Comadre Panadería and Koffeteria are the only Texas establishments to make the Times’ list. Only California and New York City, which each have three representatives, earn more recognition.

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