Jane Ko, known for her blog A Taste of Koko, found a niche and leaned into it. A Texas native, Jane moved to Austin to go to UT, fell in love with the city, and never left. In 2010, still early in the birth of the blogger boom, Jane began blogging about baking. “I’ve always been fascinated with cooking and baking - more so baking, “she says, “A Taste of Koko originally started as a baking blog and then I received my first restaurant invite and started focusing on restaurant features.” The rest is history. Jane now prefers to eat out rather cook (she eats out 4-5 days each week!) so you’ll find more restaurant reviews than her own recipes on her blog, but her go-to when she does find herself in the kitchen - Spaghetti with Arrabata sauce. And her favorite part about her job? “On the daily I help people with restaurant recommendations and things to do in Austin,” she shares, adding that “The past 15 months has shown me what A Taste of Koko can do for the community in Austin, helping raise funds for Hundred For Hospitality ($14,000) and Austin Winter Storm Relief ($160,000). Being able to step up when there's a crisis is what has been most fulfilling for me. “ You can find her blog at ATasteofKoko.com and her first book, KoKo’s Guide to Austin, is available on Amazon.
Favorite Restaurants in Austin right now:
- ATX Cocina - ceasar salad, el jefe or pork tomahawk, & margarita
- Dough Boys
- Swift Pizza Co. - the spaghetti & meatballs
- Qi - Shanghai soup dumplings
- Fat City Stacks - the smashed sliders, crinkle fries with buffalo hot sauce and root beer float.
Go-to cocktail:
Margarita - my favorite ones in Austin are Fresa's, La Condesa, and Grizzelda's
Words I live by:
Escape competition by remaining authentic.
What I’m obsessed with:
- Apple Watch + Airpods - I hate running but with these two, it gets me up in the morning to go for a quick jog to clear my mind before jumping into work
- Sparkling Botanicals Schisandra Berry
- Territory Foods
- Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Earl Grey
- Theragun Mini
Favorite cuisines: Italian and Tex-Mex.
Social:
IG: @atasteofkoko
FB: @atasteofkoko
Twitter: @atasteofkoko