As SXSW Kicks Off, Coast Packing’s ‘Taste the Difference’ #FatMaps Spotlight Austin Eateries, Singing Praises of Lard and Beef Tallow

Whether or not Australian novelist Gregory David Roberts has ever made it to South by Southwest (SXSW), he nailed the essence of this long-running Austin festival when he said, “food is music to the body, music is food to the heart.”

Especially this year.

To mark the occasion, Coast Packing Company, the leading supplier of animal fat shortenings in the Western U.S., is offering up a special online gastronomic #FatMap prepared expressly for SXSW (https://bit.ly/2TeChAO).  In its latest installment of “Taste the Difference,” Coast winds up its #FatMap tour of the Lone Star state, following up recent stops in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.  While the 20 Austin eateries run the gamut of culinary styles, all include dishes prepared with lard and/or beef tallow.

SXSW, which bills itself as “an annual conglomerate of film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences,” has added a delectable Food Track to its menu of activities, the highlight of which figures to be the session, “Localizing Food to Restore Human Health” on March 11.  On hand will be New York Times contributor Mark Bittman; Michelin three-star winner Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn; Matt Barnard, founder of vertical farm Plenty; and Daphne Miller, MD, author of Health From The Soil Up.  The four will discuss “the democratization of access to the pure, clean food and flavors of our ancestors, bringing culture back to our tables, habits back to our cooking, and health back to humanity, through a combination of increasingly popular methods that are both old and new.”

In that same spirit, Austin’s can’t-miss places for lard and beef tallow lovers include, among others, Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden, known for good vibes and a rabbit and mushroom dish that features rendered bacon fat; Barley Swine, where, as CNN Traveler notes, “hyper-local ingredients dictate the changing menu;” Dai Due, which the Food Network describes as “a butcher shop-slash-restaurant that focuses on consciously sourced and underappreciated proteins;” Fixe, Austin’s home for Southern classics; Lamar-based Asian smokehouse Loro; and Patrizi’s (number 7 on Austin’s 10 Best list, per Yelp).

“SXSW is a defining event for Austin and for the culture at large, so we’re delighted that the focus this year is on the traditional and the authentic,” said Eric R. Gustafson, Coast Packing CEO.  “People don’t go to restaurants so they can consume heavily processed, chemically extracted substitutes for healthy, natural animal fats.  They go for the rich history and the flavor.

“In terms of freshness, flavor and texture, foods prepared with lard and beef tallow are natural standouts , which is exactly why we’re so delighted when consumers can taste for themselves, as they will in Austin,” Gustafson said.  “Toward that end, we at Coast Packing are continuing our efforts to build #FatMaps showing that healthy animal fats are just about everywhere, and that consumers don’t need to go far to find places where they can let their palates make the call.”

Have a favorite restaurant that puts lard or beef tallow on the menu (or just in some of its prize dishes)?  If so, drop Coast an email at info@coastpacking.com and the company will put it on the #FatMap.  Consumers can also post an image or link to via Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest, etc., with the hashtag #LardOnTheMenu or #TallowOnTheMenu. 

About Coast Packing Company

Now marking its 100th year in business, Coast Packing Company (www.coastpacking.com), a closely held corporation, is the number one supplier of animal fat shortenings – particularly lard and beef tallow — in the Western United States. The company sells to major manufacturers, distributors, retailers, smaller food service operations and leading bakeries. The company participates actively in diverse ethnic markets – from Hispanic retail chains, with its VIVA brand, to various Asian specialty markets. Based in Vernon, Calif., Coast Packing Company is regional, national and, increasingly, global. In some cases, supplier relationships are multigenerational, extending back 50 years and more. Coast is a founding member of the Healthy Fats Coalition (https://www.healthyfatscoalition.org/).

For more information about Coast Packing Company, visit: www.coastpacking.com. Follow us via social media on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coastpackingco, Twitter @coastpackingco and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/coastpackingco.