Chefs For Farmers Wrap Up

Though we cannot say that fall has definitely landed in Houston, this past weekend did bring somewhat milder temperatures and less humidity. Luckily, it was sunny skies and smiles for this year’s Chefs for Farmers event, one of the best food and drink festivals of the season.

Chefs for Farmers was founded by Iris Midler in 2010 in Dallas. Now, the event is held annually in both Dallas and Houston, showcasing local chefs as well as farmers, ranchers and producers. It also raises funds for various non-profits. CFF Houston 2025 raised funds for both Houston Food Bank and Urban Harvest.

This year, the Houston Press was invited to check out the foodie frenzy for both days of the festival and it was a unique experience each visit. My companion for Saturday’s festivities was my husband, Classic Rock Bob. On Sunday, I took along Kingwood Kim. While each of them brought a different dynamic, the festival itself was a little different each day as well.

We were also fortunate to be offered VIP access, which makes a huge difference. And we think the word is out about the bonus of the extra hour because the VIP line seemed longer this year, though it was efficient and speedy to get in.

The layout this time was a little different due to nearby construction but it actually worked a bit better. There was a complete loop and it felt more accessible. The first thing I did was grab a Le Croix sparkling water, of which there was plenty. The event emcees occasionally reminded attendees to hydrate and there were stations with bottles of Icelandic water, too.

Classic Rock Bob spied the Stella Artois tent and grabbed a beer. The staff working the tent offered me a non-alcoholic version of the beer when they saw I was drinking water. And there were a number of other non-alcoholic options as well, plus a few THC-infused seltzers. But, there were definitely more cocktail stations than previous years.

We first hit up Union Mezcal where two young women gave us a lot of information about Oaxaca and the handmade jicaras used for drinking mezcal. Another staff member talked to us about the Battle of Puebla and how French forces were thwarted (briefly) by their blowsy uniforms getting caught on the spikes of the agave plants. That might be a bit of a colorful explanation, but it’s true that the French were unused to the terrain initially. So far, we were getting history, spicy guava mezcal margaritas and a couple of jicaras to take home.

CRB wanted to make sure we hit the food stands before the crowd grew so we started our stroll. There was huge line of people getting free cowboy hats at the El Patron tequila booth. That left the food booth lines with a few less folks.

Chefs for Farmers can be pretty meat-forward with its chef-driven offerings, but our first bite was actually a smoky grilled maitake mushroom from Bludorn’s decked out BMW stand which led to the Texas Tailgate Experience. There was a large screen for the Texans game, beer pairings and lawn games.

We then checked out Blood Bros. BBQ and its Vietnamese lemongrass beef sausage, plus Phat Eatery’s beautifully composed salad. It was a refreshing dish amid the sausages and brisket. CRB’s favorite bite was the seafood tostada from The Original Ninfa’s. When he went back later for a second one, he was met by an eager fan who kept saying, “You need to write about this one!” Okay, tostada boy.

We continued making the loop; sampling whiskey at Santa Fe Spirits, a delicious gumbo croque at Liberty Kitchen and then a smashburger from Pablo Pete’s out of Dallas. The smell of the grilled onions from its booth wafted through the air and they had a pretty large line. However, the biggest line that day was at Kirkwood, an upcoming restaurant from Mac Haik Enterprises. A spokesperson at the booth told us that it is shooting to open in March 2026. And why was the line so long? Well, caviar and steak are always an indulgent pairing, so guests were wanting their fair share before it ran out. The bavette steak had a vibrant broccoli salsa verde and the crispy potato coin, topped with caviar, was a nice pop of flavor.

There was also a shady VIP area, Rose Ranch, with more chairs and tables this year. In fact, there was more seating in the entire festival area than previously. Someone definitely listened to feedback from prior attendees. The VIP section also had wine distributors in the former MF Lobster & Ceviche space doling out sips. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be air-conditioned, but there were three industrial fans keeping it cool, except when groups of people stood directly in front of them, blocking the air for everyone else.

The lounge was a prime spot for folks looking to get off their feet, but there was also another side VIP patio giving out “bumps” of caviar. For those who were not in the VIP lounge, there were still wine reps from William Chris Vineyards, Oyster Bay and Reddy Vineyards, a small winery out of Brownfield, Texas. I am not sure what Texas red I tried, but it lacked the mineral overload that a lot of Texas wines seem to have, resulting in a much smoother balance.

At the end of the day, it was TASTE Kitchen and Bar which took home the Best Bite win for Big Chef Bowie’s marinated jerk lamb chops, the one bite we did not get to try. My favorite bite was the smoked brisket tostada from LORO, though the gumbo croque was also amazing.

As for parking, we easily found a spot in the parking garage and the QR code gave us a special price of $8. When I returned with Kingwood Kim the following day, we arrived via Uber, a choice made emphatically by my husband. He knows us too well.

The VIP line for Sunday was much lighter and so were the outfits. The day before, it seemed as if half the people in attendance were headed to a nightclub afterwards. Saturday, there were some truly fashionable outfits, from summery dresses to prepped-out fellows in slim shorts and flower-patterned shirts. On Sunday, most folks were sporting shorts and tank tops.

Sadly for CRB, a seafood aficionado, Sunday was the day with the most seafood options. Both Latuli and Eunice were dishing out oysters on the half shell while Chef Leo at Hachi had the most amazing sea bream tempura. Kingwood Kim, who rarely eats seafood, loved it. And she especially loved the masu tom kha from Hidden Omakase. It was a dish of ocean trout, maitake mushroom, cherry tomato and coconut broth. For a non-seafood eater, she sure was enjoying the fish dishes.

Most of the same wine and spirits booths from the previous day were there and my friend and I may have made more than one visit to Hocho’s booth for tequila palomas and mezcal margaritas. I had informed Kingwood Kim to bring a bag for swag, because regular CFF-goers have gotten wise. If you’re going to get a free Stella Artois glass with your name etched onto it, you’ll need something to carry it around in during the festival. The free El Patron hats helped keep our faces from getting sunburned and some booths had complimentary fans.

Sunday didn’t seem as crowded, so we were able to enjoy almost everything. My favorite bite of the day was from Guard and Grace. It had a number of ingredients, but they all seemed to meld into a perfect bite. It was a grilled slice of Prime NY strip from Creekstone Farms served over crispy potato and bone marrow salsa macha topped with kabocha squash puree. It ended up winning Best Bite for Sunday.

We also tried the pork belly wrapped in cotton candy from Ishtia, but it was a little odd with the seasoned smoked salt. We were starting to get a bit full, especially after we tried the huge fried drumstick from Field & Tide. It was beautifully crispy with just a drizzle of hot sauce, and the coleslaw underneath was sweet and creamy.

My friend and I rounded out our savory samplings with a chocolate ice cream from PLK 1848. The caramel cajeta added just the right amount of tanginess. It was a perfect ending to our culinary rodeo.

We stopped by the produce display, which was not as massive as usual, but everyone was still getting their photos taken in front of it. Each year, CFF usually allows guests to take some of the produce after the Sunday event. I grabbed a red onion that I would later need for a salad. My friend wound up with a very handsome pumpkin.

Mr. Pumpkin made for an interesting conversation starter with our Uber driver, Duke.

Chefs for Farmers Best Bites Winners (Presented by Stella Artois)

Saturday

1st Place: Guard and Grace (Chef Troy Guard), Oak Grilled Creekstone Farms Prime NY Strip

2nd Place: Leo’s River Oaks, Shrimp Ceviche in Puri

Sunday

1st Place: TASTE Kitchen & Bar (Chef Don Bowie), Marinated Jerk Lamb Chops

2nd Place: Azumi, Crunchy Tuna Handroll

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