DishLit is a serial e-book, written to entertain and engage, while providing a unique look at some of Austin’s most delicious gems. Its other mission is to support several Austin-based charitable food organizations. Learn more about DishLit’s Friends here.

The site receives no advertising dollars or corporate sponsorships. All real Austin establishments showcased, mapped and curated on DishLit are chosen solely on an editorial basis.

Is truth stranger than fiction? Sometimes, but all DishLit characters and plot lines are fictional. Any resemblance to true life is entirely coincidental.

About the Author

Laura Kelso

Austin-based scribe, Laura Kelso, has long been a foodie at heart. After earning a Philosophy degree at Brown, she hightailed it to Mexico City (andale!), where she worked on NAFTA negotiations by day, and learned about the art of la comida by night. Two years later, on a bread and butter diet in London (with a lot of memorable Indian food to boot), she received a Master’s from the London School of Economics. Piggybacking on her corporate gigs, Laura traveled – and tasted – the world, from Hong Kong to Hamburg, Manila to Madrid. Her Austin writing career blossomed in 2004, where she served as Austin Monthly’s food critic for four years. Laura went on to help co-found Dishola, a website dedicated to sharing the love of food – dish by dish. She has written for the likes of Travel + Leisure, Southern Living, the Discovery Channel, Texas Monthly, Austin Woman, and the Austin American-Statesman. Today, she lives in Austin with her husband, son, and two golden retrievers.

About the Editor

Stirling Kelso

As the youngest of three girls, Stirling has always been spoiled in the food arena. Her sisters cried, “not fair!” when their Mom filled her lunchbox with Little Debbie food snacks, Gushers, and Fruit-by-the-Foot. Over time, Stirling’s palate became more refined. While other University of Texas college students lived on pizza specials, Stirling saved up for weekly sprees at Austin’s best organic grocery stores. After a turn in documentary film at National Geographic, Stirling honed her editing skills at Texas Monthly Magazine, under the guidance of food critic Pat Sharpe. Today, after a nearly five-year stint in New York City at Travel + Leisure, Stirling is back in Austin and newly wed! When she’s not traveling to some fascinating or glamorous location, she’s writing about it for the New York Times, Travel + Leisure, and Food & Wine among other pubs.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to the fine folks at Creative Pickle whose top-notch design and development talents transformed the DishLit vision into a reality. And a huge thank you to Austin’s established—and burgeoning—food community, an amazing array of people from every walk of life. Your hard work and creativity help make Austin one of the most special places to live on earth.