A Deliberate Detour to Antonelli’s Cheese Shop – Austin, Texas • March 25, 2023
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Some detours begin with a recommendation. Others begin with a road sign. Ours began with a television commercial.
Before a family trip to Austin in March 2023, Tom and I had seen one of Capital One’s small-business commercials featuring Antonelli’s Cheese Shop. It was part of a series spotlighting small businesses around the country, and for whatever reason, Antonelli’s stuck in our minds.
We were already in Austin visiting family when Antonelli’s came up in conversation. Once we realized the cheese shop from the commercial was right there in town, of course we said yes to a little detour.
Curious to see the commercial that started our little cheese-shop detour? You can watch it here:
https://youtu.be/fqFIAEy4nvU
So while we were in Austin visiting family, we mentioned it: wasn’t that cheese shop from the commercial here? The response came quickly — did we want to go see it?
Of course we said yes.
On March 25, 2023, we headed over to Antonelli’s for what turned out to be one of those wonderfully random little outings that makes a trip more memorable.
The first surprise? The place was tiny.
On television, Antonelli’s had seemed much bigger — almost like a full-scale destination. In person, it was a small storefront tucked into its Austin neighborhood. Tiny, yes. But absolutely mighty.
And that was part of the charm.
We went inside, browsed, sampled plenty of cheeses, and simply enjoyed the experience. There was no elaborate itinerary attached to it and no major attraction to check off a list. We had seen a place on television, remembered it when we happened to be in the same city, and followed our curiosity through the door.
That may be my favorite part of this little detour when I look back on it. We didn’t need a reason beyond, “Wouldn’t that be fun?” Sometimes that is reason enough.
Antonelli’s also ships its cheeses, which is very useful information for anyone who believes a good cheese delivery can improve an ordinary day. And for us, the shop now comes with something even better than a commercial: a memory of actually standing there, laughing at how small it was, tasting our way through the visit, and being delighted that we had gone.
Would we detour for cheese again? Absolutely.
Especially when the shop is tiny but mighty, the samples are plentiful, and the story begins with, “Remember that place we saw on TV?”
Some of the best travel memories come from grand plans. Others come from saying yes to the odd little idea that pops up along the way.
Sometimes the best detour is simply curiosity with a destination — and, in this case, a very good piece of cheese.
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The Deliberate Detour
Because the best destinations are the ones we choose deliberately.
Deliberate Desires
