Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival kicks off with exclusive April 5 preview dinner at Reata. Seats to the dinner are on sale now

Everyone at Hatch HQ loves the annual Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival. If you’ve never been, you should put the long weekend event of April 5-8 on your calendar. We especially love the exclusive events the FWFWF throws to launch the festival, and — good news — they’re throwing one on Thursday, April 5. We’re telling you about it now so you can snag a couple of seats today — before the Fort Worth cognoscenti and EscapeHatch HQ staff snap them all up.

Have you been to Reata restaurant? I have. Great place. Great people. Even better food. Know who got their start there? Here’s a list of just five of them.

Andrew Dilda – Culinary Consultant (Reata 2015-2016)
James Gaines – Reata Restaurant (Reata 2014 – present)
Tim Love – Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Love Shack, White Elephant Saloon and Woodshed Smokehouse (Reata 1999-2000)
Brian Olenjack – Eagle Mountain Tavern (Reata 1996-1998)
Juan Rodriguez – Magdelena’s (Reata 2007-2015)
Grady Spears – Horseshoe Hill Café (Reata 1995-2001)

Those five, plus another five “culinary leaders” (hmmm, no EscapeHatch representation there?), are getting together to serve a dinner they’re calling “a dining tribute to Texas cuisine.” Seems fitting that cowboy chef Tom Perini (Perini Ranch Steakhouse)will be there, too. So will wine guy J.R. Clark, an EscapeHatch favorite who now runs the wine program at Central Market Fort Worth.

The whole thing kicks off on Reata’s rooftop at 6:00 p.m., followed by a multi-course dinner in the main dining room at 6:45 p.m. 150 seats, $140++. Tickets go on sale March 1 at www.reata.net.

A portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival Foundation. The fifth annual Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival kicks off that same night and runs through Sunday, April 8. (http://fortworthfoodandwinefestival.com)