This Week in Gluttony

Dallas brewery's birthday bash tops best food and drink events this week

Well, foodies, we hope you like vino, because this week is jammed with wine dinners. But there are options for craft beer enthusiasts too, as Lakewood celebrates its third birthday, and the vegan beer dinner returns to Libertine Bar.

Wednesday, July 29

Vegan Beer Dinner at Libertine Bar
It’s back! Start off the night with a refreshing amuse bouche paired with a Veev Acai champagne cocktail. The five-course dinner starts at 7 pm and includes watermelon caviar, spicy tempeh nori rolls, vegan charcuterie boards, "bbq ribs," and fudgy blueberry brownies with green tea ice cream. The meal costs $65 and includes the beer and liquor pairings. Reservations are required; call 214-824-7900.

Oak Cliff Cellars Wine Dinner at Bridge Bistro
Enjoy a pre-release wine dinner of Oak Cliff Cellars’ 2014 Napa Pinot Noir featuring chef Eric Shelton of Cafe Momentum. He cooks up four courses to show off this wine and other recent releases. Cost is $65, which is due at the end of the dinner. Register here.

Texas Sous Chef Dinner at CBD Provisions
CBD Provisions and Lucia sous chef Justin Holt co-host this annual event, where Texas sous chefs collaborate to prepare a 10-course plated dinner. The menu focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients, with beverage pairings from CBD, FT33 and Bolsa (plus wine and beer). Participating chefs include Patrick Feges of Southern Goods, Nick Hurry of Proof & Pantry, Christian Koelling of Ten Ramen, Joshua Sutcliff of FT33, Carolanne Treadwell of Knife and more. Tickets are $100 for food and $145 for food and beverage pairings. Dinner begins at 7 pm. Call 214-261-4500 for reservations.

Thursday, July 30

Come-as-you-are Wine Dinner at The Grape
Enjoy wines from Spain as chef de cuisine (and Tastemaker Award winner) Sarah Snow creates an intimate three-course meal to complement selected wines. Special guest host Chelsey Rothe of Republic Beverage is slated to speak to each individual table about the wines selected. Dinner is $52, and reservations are recommended. Reservations can be made anytime between 5:30-9 pm.

Saturday, August 1

Sausage Fest 2015 at Main Street Garden
At this tongue-in-cheek event, each show from 105.3 The Fan has its very own unique sausage plate for purchase, while a cash bar supplies all of your favorite mixed drinks and cold beers. DJ Melissa Richey spins tunes, and Velcro Pygmies perform live on the main stage. Don’t miss sausage games for the chance to win an assortment of cool prizes, and go head and decide who you are going to soak in the dunk tank. Tickets are $15, and the fun lasts from 4-10 pm.

Lakewood Brewing Company’s Third Anniversary
This beloved Dallas brewery is celebrating another birthday with two days of fun. The festivities kick off on Saturday from noon-6 pm with a private party in the taproom, where your $30 ticket gets you a limited-edition, souvenir day one glass plus four 10-ounce pours of your choice. Live music and food trucks are also on the agenda. On Sunday, join the Lakewood Brewing Company crew at Goodfriend Beer Garden and Burger House for a different limited-edition, souvenir day two glass to collect as well (while supplies last). This event is free and lasts all day.

Sunday, August 2

Uncork for a Cause at Max’s Wine Dive
Texas Ranger Prince Fielder and his wife, Chanel, host this fundraiser from 7-9 pm that also serves as the release party for Fielder’s 2012 Sonoma Reserve red wine. Only two barrels of this limited-edition blend were bottled for the charity program. All guests enjoy food from executive chef Patrick Russell, wine and beer, plus an auction packed with Rangers gear, local and national sports items, and wine lots from many of California’s elite producers. Tickets are $125 for general admission and $250 for VIP. Funds go to support Promise House and the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation.

The table is set for the Libertine's vegan beer dinner on July 29.

Libertine

The table is set for the Libertine's vegan beer dinner on July 29.

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Farm News

Dallas farm-to-table champion Profound Farms closes produce operation

Profound

Profound Microfarms

A Dallas farm-to-table champion is pulling the plug: Profound Microfarms, the small farm in Lucas that provided locally-grown produce to chefs and the general public for nearly a decade, is shutting down its growing operation and discontinuing deliveries. Their final delivery and pickup day will be May 23.

According to cofounder Jeff Bednar, they were simply unable to keep the business afloat.

"It's always been tough for small farmers, and it's only getting harder," Bednar says. "I'd hate to count how many farmers and ranchers we've known in the last 10 years that have gone out of business. Honestly, I know very few farmers that could make it with out having off-farm income from a spouse or other sources."

Jeff and Lee Bednar first bought their 2.6-acre plot in Lucas in 2014, then spent three years learning hydroponic methods and building industry relationships. In May 2017, they began selling produce to Dallas-area chefs, helping to support DFW’s burgeoning farm-to-table restaurant scene, delivering to restaurants multiple times per week.

In 2018, Profound Foods received a USDA grant to create a local "food hub" — a business that helps small farmers grow by offering a combination of production, distribution, and marketing services. At their peak, by the end of 2019, they were serving 130 restaurants.

And then the pandemic arrived. They pivoted, expanding into retail sales in March 2020, offering weekly home delivery and pickup outpost options for home consumers.

Profound Microfarms lettuce Beautiful lettuces at Profound MicrofarmsProfound Microfarms

"Unfortunately, running a year-round food hub became tougher than we can sustain right now," he says. "It's disheartening we were not able to make it work after trying for 11 years. But we were able to raise our daughters the way we wanted to and we really had a great run. Profound impacted hundreds of Dallas chefs and thousands of families in our community and we'll continue to do that, just differently."

Over the years, Profound grew from harvesting greens to aggregating and delivering for other producers, then into community gathering spaces, commercial kitchens, and hands-on education.

"Profound has never been just a farm — it’s our commitment to connecting North Texans with local food, and that commitment will keep evolving even as the farm operations wind down," Bednar says.

So while the growing part has gone away, Profound will continue hosting cooking classes and other foodie events. In the interim, they'll also be listing their plants, hydroponic supplies, and greenhouses for sale.

Some of their stats:

Moved more than $4.5 million of truly local food into North Texas kitchens.
Sent 75 cents on every dollar to 185 farmers, ranchers, and producers in North Texas.
Delivered 34,000+ restaurant and home orders.
Donated over 90,000 lbs of fresh food to area charities and food banks.
Hosted dozens of interns and hundreds of volunteers for hands-on learning on our farm.
Helped over 22 companies launch food-based business in our incubator kitchen and hub.
Hosted tours for more than 15,000 people, schoolchildren, and aspiring farmers.

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