As the Texas winter storm continues and people are stuck without power, heat, and food, Austin restaurants have taken it upon themselves to feed their neighborhoods.
Cajun Cherrywood restaurant Vic & Al’s has been regularly making and giving away gumbo this week. The effort is in line with the ethos of co-owners and cousins Nicholas and Matt Patrizi, who used the space as a service worker community kitchen during the early days of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“I don’t have any power, so I’m just living in the restaurant, eating all my pickled eggs,” says Nicholas Patrizi. “So I figured I might as well try to make some people happy and fed while I’m here.” The restaurant already had food products on hand, meant for Mardi Gras specials, but Vic & Al’s also wanted to offer a space for people. “It feels like people need some outlets for food, purpose, conversations, happiness,” he tells Eater.