Check Out the Chef Fest Top Chefs!

One of the privileges of having an educational farm is being able to host exciting and meaningful events. Chef Fest, a celebration of local ingredients and the chefs who love them is quickly becoming one of our favorites. The farm-to-table festival returns to Harvest Green from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 4, at 8939 Harlem Road.

The featured chefs — who hail from Houston, Dallas, Austin and Louisiana — will be preparing numerous dishes utilizing ingredients sourced from area farms. Between them, they boast nods from the James Beard Foundation, Top Chef appearances and a slew of accolades from prestigious organizations and food magazines. All are known for their innovative approach to farm-to-table cuisine. 

Among the chefs dishing out bites to the hungry crowd will be:

Monica Pope — An early leader of the Houston farm-to-table movement, Chef Pope helped put Houston on the national food map with a James Beard award nomination, a Food & Wine Magazine Best New Chef honor and participation in popular shows like Top Chef Masters on Bravo in 2010.

Matt McCallister - A James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist for Best Chef Southwest three years running, Chef McCallister is the owner and chef at nationally-recognized FT33 in Dallas.

Andrew Wiseheart - The co-owner and chef at Contigo and Chicon in Austin, Chef Wiseheart has received numerous accolades including CultureMap Austin’s “Chef of the Year 2015” and three consecutive nominations for The People’s Best New Chef: Southwest from Food & Wine Magazine.

Adam Brick - Named Rising Star Chef by StarChefs and Rising Star “30 under 30” by Zagat, Chef Brick is the owner and chef of Marinas restaurant opening in Austin in late 2018.

Jill Bartolome - The Pastry Chef of Paul Qui’s new restaurant in Houston, Aqui, Chef Bartolome got her start at Michelin-starred Cyrus fine-dining restaurant in Healdsburg, Calif.

Ara Malekian - After spending his early years working with celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, Chef Malekian developed an affinity and love for Texas BBQ and has created his own unique brand found exclusively at Harlem Road Texas BBQ in Richmond.

Robert Lyford - Seasonal produce is the foundation of Chef Lyford’s ever-changing daily lunch menu at Patina Green Home and Market in McKinney. The restaurant holds the title of “Best Sandwich in the State of Texas” by Food Network. 

Jason Kerr & Becca Reyenga - Founders of pop-up catering venture Lowfi Praline, Chef Kerr and Chef Reyenga have rebranded to form Little Kitchen HTX opening in 2018 in Houston’s Chinatown.

Stephanie Hoban - Founder and owner of Ripe Cuisine food truck, Chef Hoban serves a locally and seasonally inspired, fully plant-based menu that earned Ripe Cuisine the title of Best Vegan Restaurant in 2016 by Houston Press. 

Chris Zettlemoyer, A seasoned chef who trained under famed Louisiana chef John Folse, Chef Zettlemoyer has worked in venues around the country, finally settling in Fort Bend where access to the freshest meats and vegetables possible inspired him to open the Renegade Kitchen and Catering food truck.

Rebecca Masson - Affectionately known in Houston as “The Sugar Fairy,” Chef Masson is the owner and pastry chef of Fluff Bake Bar. She was a contestant on Bravo Network’s Top Chef Just Desserts and is a highly sought consultant creating signature dessert menus for well known Houston restaurants, including Shake Shack Houston.

Chef Ned Elliott - Chef Elliot trained at the Culinary Institute of America then worked in several well-known New York City  resturants before founding Foreign and Domestict in Austin where he brought national trends to the rising culinary scene. 

Tickets are on sale now, and prices cover adult beverages and unlimited plates, as well as event activities, including interactive cooking demonstrations, a children’s tent, lawn games and more.

Prices are $75 for the first 400 tickets sold (a great reason to get online and purchase your tickets now), after which ticket prices go up to $90. At-the-door purchases will be $105. Tickets for children ages 5 to 16 are priced at $30. Children under age 5 are admitted free.

We're also excited to present the Chef Fest VIP Experience. VIP tickets are $120 and provide entry at 10 a.m. to interact with chefs while they cook over live fire in preparation for service. VIP parking passes also included.

Parking for Chef Fest is located at the adjacent Travis High School, 11111 Harlem Road, and complimentary bus service will deliver you to the Village Farm. Parking in the farm lot is limited to VIP ticket holders and those with handicapped permits.

Learn more about our Village Farm!