Armadillos and Sorghum Syrup

You gotta love a party with an ice sculpture. Last night, Armadillo Palace threw a benefit party for Foodways Texas with decorations that included a frozen rendition of the organization’s logo. Under the melting artwork, Levi Goode made grilled oysters, Chris Shepherd made corned beef sliders, Randy Evans made shrimp corny dogs and Bryan Caswell made those shrimp shots that were featured on Iron Chef. Rebecca Masson made sorghum syrup cookies for dessert. Beer from Saint Arnold’s and vodka from Dripping Springs were consumed in volume.

One of the hottest music groups in Austin these days, Band of Heathens played three sets. The group plays a nostalgic style of electric country that made me want to get out my old Grateful Dead vinyl and the Music from Big Pink album by The Band. In fact, the group played an awesome cover of The Weight.

The first Foodways Texas documentary, Keeley Steenson’s, “Good, Better, Best,” was shown. The ten minute short is about a Texas-Czech farming family that still makes sorghum syrup in an old-fashioned mill near Yoakum. Raising the money to make more films and record more oral histories about disappearing Texas foodways is what the benefit was all about.

I’ll update this post with more party photos here after the photographers wake up.