I Love Me Some Random Food Fairs

Can you even see the end?

One day after church, my friend and I went to Whole Foods to pick up some groceries for the week. As we drove to park, we saw a bunch of tents and booths right outside the front of the store. Curious, we ventured over and found a mini food event featuring local food vendors that sell products inside Whole Foods. Yum! Here’s a recap.

Thanks for posing!

Drinks abounded at this place. We tried teas, coffees, juices, and waters. What impressed me most though was the Pure Rain bottled water. Considered one of the purest waters as it is water that hasn’t even touched the ground. The water was clear as could be and I could actually taste the water as being pretty clean. If I needed bottled water and didn’t mind prices, I wouldn’t mind buying this brand.

The dessert chips were amazing with the unique salsas from Dread Head Chef

There were also a lot of salsas. It’s Texas. One that struck me as quite interesting was the mango salsa from Dread Head Chef. Specializing in dessert chips and sweet salsa, it was a sweet and savory snack that tasted delicious. I could also imagine using the mango salsa like I use my corn relish on hot dogs and chickens that need a little something extra. It was sweet and you could see the mango chunks in the salsa.

We meet again, cocoa nib

Ooh, cocoa nibs! These things are absolutely delicious and something we encountered at the Farmer’s Market in downtown Austin before. Basically, they are cacao beans that are covered in chocolate and a pretty unique snack that just screams organic and Austin. It’s crunchy and perfect bite-sized pieces that will sate your chocolate cravings. Expensive, but a great gift, I am definitely buying some one day.

Low in cholesterol, low in fat, completely vegan, and still tastes like queso? Yes!

I must say, I am impressed by the vegan queso. Though I am not vegan and would prefer a queso made out of queso, I know some people have dietary needs that this vegan queso can fill. It’s not only gluten-free, there are no animal products like milk or eggs and it’s low in fats and cholesterol as well. Heated up and on a chip, it tasted surprisingly familiar and even had the right texture. Mixed in with some salsa or into a taco, I bet you wouldn’t miss regular queso too much. I even ended up buying some, hee hee.

A booth just for pets!

As always, Austin is a pretty friendly place for pets and there were some dogs with their owners checking out the fair. It’s nice how animal-friendly Austin is and there was even a booth with special all-natural pet food for the dogs to try out.

One of the most unique foods I tried at the fair: Pao de Queijo or Brazilian cheese balls

Some other places of note are Kohana coffee with its cold coffee brew in a bottle, Kerbey Lane’s pancake mixes, and Lana’s Egg Rolls that I could imagine buying and keeping in my freezer until I had an Asian food crave. Whole Foods is always full of surprises and this food event is kind of a reminder of the many unique and tasty food vendors that have taken root in Austin. Be brave and try something new, especially at one of the biggest organic chain grocery stores: Whole Foods.

Rating: for random food fairs with delicious local food.