Houston Chefs and Texas Farmers Team Up This Fall for a Tasting Extravaganza
The Chef for Farmers festival returns, with a two-day event showcasing dozens of Houston chefs and various farms in a unique culinary and collaborative experience
Chefs for Farmers, a Texas food and wine festival that bridges the talents of local chefs and farmers, is returning to Houston for the second time — and this time, for a two-day tasting affair.
The 21-and-up, all-inclusive festival will once again take over Autry Park at Shepherd and Allen Parkway from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on September 30 and October 1, featuring tastings, live entertainment, and food pairings, including cocktails, craft beer, and wine from top vineyards, according to a release.
Chefs like Top Chef: Houston finalist and Jun’s Evelyn Garcia and James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega will each receive $200 stipends to purchase ingredients from Texas farms, which will allow them to create dishes that will help further showcase farmers throughout the state. The hope is that the festival — which benefits Urban Harvest, a local nonprofit that helps build community gardens and educate Houston residents through related programming — will also cultivate lasting relationships between chefs and farmers in the name of collaboration and sustainability.
Robert Lerma
Robert Lerma
Robert Lerma
Some of the Houston chefs featured on this year’s roster include:
- Alex Au-Yeung, Phat Eatery
- Jassi Bindra, Amrina
- Leonard Botello IV, Truth BBQ
- Kent Domas, Eau Tour
- Evelyn Garcia & Henry Lu, JÅ«n
- Maria Gonzalez, Lees Den
- Geoff Hundt, Local Foods
- Marcos Juarez, Hidden Omakase
- Drake Leonards, Eunice
- Luis Machuca, Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette
- Louis Maldonado. Andiron
- Steve Marques, Craft Creamery
- Travis Mcshane and Ray Melendi, Ostia
- Adolfo Monjaras, Frankie B. Mandola’s Catering
- German Mosquera, Wild Concepts
- Joe Murphy, Nobu Houston
- Hugo Ortega, Backstreet Café
- Paul Peddle, Toro Toro
- Micah Rideout, Degust
- Otto Sanchez, Magnol French Baking
- Mark Schmidt, Rainbow Lodge
- Kirthan Shenoy, Auden
- David Skinner, Th Prsrv
- Robin Wong, Quy Hoang, Arash Kharat. Blood Bros BBQ
- Jerrod Zifchak, Navy Blue
Confirmed farms include:
- Animal Farm, of Cat Spring
- Blackwood Educational Land Institute, of Hempstead
- Stakar Farms Wagyu, of Brenham
- Laughing Frog Farm, of Hempstead
- Verdegreens Farms, of Houston
Early bird tickets are now on sale on the festival website, with VIP tickets ($185) giving attendees early access to the event starting at 1 p.m. — an hour before general admission tickets, now priced at $135, tickets give access at 2 p.m. Regular priced tickets will be $150 for general admission and $200 for VIP.
Robert Lerma
Robert Lerma
Founded in Dallas in 2010, the Chefs for Farmers Festival started as a small farm-to-table dinner series before evolving into a large food and wine showcase that raises awareness and support for family farms in Texas. The festival was similarly held at Autry Park last year, but was a one-day event. More than 900 people attended.
