Houston is getting its own version of Dallas’ epic food festival this fall: Chefs for Farmers Houston!


Dallas’ best culinary festival is taking its show on the road this fall.

Chefs for Farmers, which began in Dallas twelve years ago as a long-table dinner to celebrate connections between chefs and farmers, has grown into one of America’s premier  food and wine festivals.

Now Houstonians will get to see what all the buzz is about. Chefs for Farmers Houston takes place Sunday, October 2, at Autry Park. VIP tickets offer an hour of early access, starting at 1 pm, Early-bird pricing (through July 15) is $99 for general admission and $135 for VIP access. After Friday, the prices will increase to $115 and $150 for the respective tiers.

“Two of our goals at CFF events are to connect chefs to farmers and increase awareness that food comes from farms, not styrofoam boxes” CFF founder Iris Midler told EscapeHatch.

Like the annual Dallas event (Nov. 2-6 this year), Chefs for Farmers Houston will bring together top chefs and local farmers with an array of tasty bites, wines, spirits, beers and cocktails. For its inaugural year, Chefs for Farmers Houston is slated as a one-day event (the Dallas version spreads out over a long weekend, with related dinners dotting the calendar all year).

“We are stoked to bring Chefs for Farmers to Houston and to continue supporting independent chef-driven concepts across America,” Midler tells EscapeHatch.  “Houston was a natural choice for expansion as it is home to some of the most talented chefs in the country, and I am a huge fan of the city’s restaurant scene.”

A number of popular chefs have already committed to participate, including Chris Shepherd of Georgia James, Niki Vongthong of Hidden Omakase and Top Chef Season 9 winner Paul Qui.  Here’s who’s already in cheffy line-up:

Aaron Bludorn, Bludorn

Adolfo Monjaras, Mandola’s Catering

Alex Au-Yeung, Phat Eatery

Austin Waiter, The Marigold Club

Brandi Key, Daily Gather

Chris Shepherd, Georgia James

Drake Leonards, Eunice

Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu, Kin

Hugo Ortega, Backstreet Café

Jio Dingayan, Money Cat

Justin Yoakum, Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette

Kirthan and Kripa Shenoy, Auden

Leonard Botello, Truth BBQ

Marcos Leal, Loro

Maria Gonzalez, Lees Den

Michael Hoffman, Brasserie 19

Michael Sambrooks, Andiron

Neal Swidler, Annabelle

Niki Vongthong, Hidden Omakase

Otto Sanchez, Magnol French Baking

Paul Qui, Golfstrømmen

Quy Hoang, Blood Bros. BBQ

Ryan Pera, Coltivare

Steve Marques, Craft Creamery

Travis McShane, Ostia

Tommy Laczynski, Ouzo Bay