My Endless Feast

I’m a staunch supporter of buying local. I buy organic and try to stop by the local farmers market when I can (not as much as I’d like.) I made all my kiddos’ baby food because I wanted to know what was going into their body. I even go so far to try to dine only at local restaurant because there is a vested interest in their food. So, when I read about this upcoming event called Chefs for Farmers where local chefs with a passion for local ingredients paired with local farmers create market-to-menu dinners, my hubby and I jumped at the chance to attend. Fortunately, the date of the event coincided with the week of our 10 year anniversary.

The evening began with hors d’oeuvres. We mingled with “honey bee queen of the DFW area” Susan Pollard, Brian Luscher, the Executive Chef/Owner of The Grape Restaurant and his beautiful wife/General Manager Courtney Luscher, and Scardello Artisan Cheese owners Rich and Karen Rogers, and that was all before we sat down for dinner. At 5 p.m. sharp, we were rounded up and led to a table set for 80 in the middle of Eden’s pasture in Balch Springs, Texas. We were treated to a delectable five-course dinner by eight of Dallas’ premier chefs. The chefs of the night included Abraham Salum and Al Havens of Salum Restaurant; Bruno Davaillon of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek; Janice Provost and Chad Houser of Parigi Restaurant; Matt McCallister of Stephan Pyles Restaurant; Nathan Tate and Randall Copeland of Restaurant Ava in Rockwall; and Ryan Tedder, sommelier of GRACE in Fort Worth.

MENU

Barking Cat Farms Roasted Sweet Peppers with Local Green and Brazos Brie

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Seared Scallop with Edens’ Cucuzza Squash, Caprino Goat Cheese and Pancetta Bread Pudding with Grain Mustard Vinaigrette

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Smoked Tennessee Duck Breast with Spiced Pumpkin Puree and Rockys’ Swiss Chard

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Confit of Local Pork Belly with Blood Sausage, Heirloom Apple, Rapini, Chestnut and Aged Sherry Vinegar

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Burgundy Beef “Pot Roast” Deconstructed

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Gleaned Sweet Potato Panna Cotta with Coconut Lemongrass Sauce

Dinner pals included Jon and Amy Davis, owners of Hear, Hear Wines; Adam Jones, owner of GRACE in Fort Worth; Blaine Staniford, executive chef of GRACE in Fort Worth; Randall Copeland, chef/owner of Restaurant Ava; and my wonderful husband of 10 years. The weather was perfect, the sunset was absolutely gorgeous, and by the end of the night, it felt like one gigantic family dinner. It was truly a spectacular evening!

**The money we raise will not only help local farmers but goes specifically toward a great organization called The Gleaning Network , which collects surplus produce and makes sure it gets in the hands of people in Texas who really need it.**