Gati Cafe started out as a dessert spot in East Austin and soon evolved into a cafe serving up vegan ice cream, baked goods, morning meals and mid-day eats with flavors from across the map.

The context: Gati Cafe is rooted in chef and owner Jam Sanitchat’s experience as a traveler and seasoned restaurateur. 

Her first venture as a restaurant owner came in 2008 when she opened Thai Fresh, offering pre-prepared meals with the same Thai flavors she grew up eating and cooking at home. As Thai Fresh’s dessert menu expanded and the restaurant became a destination for sweets, Sanitchat opened Gati as an ice cream shop in 2020. 

On the menu: The concept started as a dessert shop, selling vegan coconut milk ice cream, including Thai coffee and tea flavors, pandan, lavender caramel, toasted coconut chip and black sticky rice horchata.

After opening, Sanitchat decided to expand the menu to include an entirely gluten-free brunch and bakery lineup because she had always dreamed of selling breakfast.

• 1512 Holly St., Austin

Renters in Austin will soon be guaranteed more information about the various costs associated with their leases under a new transparency policy prompted by officials' push against "junk fees."

The details: In a move billed as a piece of Austin's housing affordability strategy, City Council first called for full fee disclosures at the start of the leasing process in 2024. That mandate is now going into effect and will impact a large share of the local population as nearly 59% of Austin households are now renting.

While extra fees can be detailed on common leasing forms, landlords or property owners aren't obligated to provide that information—and may also not share it until prospective tenants have already paid to apply or signed a long-term lease. Starting later this year, all mandatory, optional and variable fees will have to be disclosed early in the leasing process.

Texas has no state-level rules about fee disclosures and legislation on the topic stalled last year, while federal rulemaking about "deceptive" rental practices remains in progress.

The breakdown: Travis County officials released a strategic plan May 19 aimed at strengthening mental health services for children and youth. Twenty-eight young people died by suicide in Austin last year.

The plan targets barriers that prevent families from accessing care, including high costs, provider shortages and lack of services in outlying areas, according to a summary document presented at Travis County Commissioners Court.

By the numbers: Integral Care, the local mental health authority, served 25,339 residents in 2025 and responded to 108,405 crisis calls.

The county invested $14.1 million in mental health services in fiscal year 2025-26.

What's next: Strategies include expanding school-based mental health services, utilizing mobile clinics, expanding telehealth and creating a roadmap to help families navigate the system.

Kids Living Well, a coalition of member organizations, will implement the plan through 2031.

Check out six upcoming or ongoing transportation project updates across the Austin metro.

Upcoming projects
Austin will commit $104M to support future I-35 decks: Austin will commit more than $100 million to support future public amenity decks covering portions of I-35, after a scaled-down alternate proposal was tabled this spring. The city would develop larger caps and smaller stitches to cover the interstate, connecting downtown and East Austin with public decks that could house parks, plazas and small buildings or venues. Building all caps and stitches is now estimated to cost about $400 million, added amenities across all decks could cost nearly $260 million, and maintaining the structures will cost about $9 million annually once they're in place. 

Ongoing projects
Construction on Austin Avenue bridges in Georgetown to resume: The southbound Austin Avenue bridge decks will be demolished beginning this month in preparation for new bridge construction. Demolition will take approximately two months, and both bridges are anticipated to be completed and open to traffic next April.