By Mike Snider | USAToday.com
Those who braved the cold, rainy morning at South By Southwest Saturday were greeted with something warming: free food at the Today Munchie Mobile.
This morning and through Tuesday at SXSW, the Munchie Mobile will be handing out free breakfast food including a Breakfast Bomb, an egg, cheese and bacon jam biscuit, homemade French toast sticks with blueberry puree and papaguiles, a crispy block of hash browns covered with eggs, salsa verde and sour cream in a tortilla.
The TODAY Munchie Mobile can be found in entrance of the Courtyard By Marriott in downtown Austin at 300 E. 4th Street & Trinity St., on mornings through Tuesday March 13 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Late night snackers can find it tonight through Tuesday evening at 6th Street and Red River Rd (10 p.m.-2 a.m.) Saturday night a live DJ performs.
The free food is prepared by Austin-based chef Eric Silverstein, who owns the truck and is the chef and founder of the Peached Tortilla, a well-known Austin food truck. And the papaquiles recipe won comes from Austin natives Julie Munroe and Ryan Schierling, who won the TODAY Home Chef Challenge: Southwestern Edition. The truck is supplied by Austin’s Snappy Snacks.
SXSW attendees are encouraged to follow @TODAYFood for updates on where and what to eat during the festival, as the truck may make some other stops. The Austin food truck scene is chronicled on Today’s Bites blog.
The Munchie Mobile is Today’s first foray into SXSW. “We are filling that need where you have got to eat. We have free food. We are showcasing our brand and we are interacting with people in a fun, attractive way, which is a surprise and a delight,” says Gina Stikes, director of public relations and marketing at MSNBC.com. “That is what Today does on our platforms.”
