This Week in Gluttony

Abacus turns 15 to top best food and drink events in Dallas-Fort Worth

You know fall has arrived when your calendar fills up with food events. That's the case this week, because there are oodles of festivals, fundraisers and foodie celebrations. Heck, there's even a boozy 5K. And we can't even begin to explain the wackiness going down at Garden Cafe.

Dig in.

Wednesday, September 24

Chef's Table Wine Dinner With Joel Harloff at Bridge Bistro
Join chef Joel Harloff for a pairing dinner with Oak Cliff Cellars. Menu items include sea scallops, herb-brined game hen and summer wine bread pudding. Tickets are $65 each, and dinner starts at 6:30 pm. Call 214-740-1985 or reserve your spot online.

Saint Arnold Beer Dinner at Libertine Bar
Enjoy a five-course meal with pairings from Saint Arnold Brewing Company. Dishes include sweet potato egg pasta with pancetta and snow peas, chicken sausage with mousse, alligator with crumpets and corn, venison with pearl onions and pickled okra, and pear tart with a chocolate toffee crisp. Dinner costs $60, including pairings, and starts at 7 pm. Call for reservations 214-824-7900.

Thursday, September 25

Oktoberfest Fort Worth at Panther Island Pavilion
This is an authentic German festival with just the right amount of Texas thrown in. Expect authentic German food, music, dancing, games, biergarten, dachshund races, and Spaten and other craft Oktoberfest and fall beers from around the country. Tickets range in price from $5-$15 and can be purchased online. The festival runs through September 27. Gates open at 6 pm on Thursday and Friday and 11 am on Saturday.

Foodiepalooza at Time Ten Cellars
The East Dallas Boys & Girls Club Advisory Council presents its annual event with special guest John Tesar of Spoon Bar & Kitchen and Knife. Join them for a night of food and wine, fun, and music by Chris Austin Martinez. They will be joined by nationally renowned pastry chef Katie Kennedy and chef Grant Morgan of the Ranch at Las Colinas. The evening also includes silent and live auctions with offerings such as dining packages, VIP Las Vegas getaway and private wine tasting for 20. The fun starts at 7 pm. Tickets start at $65 and can be purchased online.

Friday, September 26

Greek Food Festival of Dallas at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Enjoy all your favorite Greek foods — prepared right in the festival kitchen — at this cultural extravaganza that runs through Sunday. Also expect live music, authentic Greek dancing, kids area and marketplace filled with a range of Greek goods. Attendees can also tour the church and visit the Greek Cultural Center and church bookstore. Admission is free for kids under 13 and $6 for adults, and you can buy those tickets online. You must also purchase food tickets to buy food and drinks inside. Doors open at 4 pm on Friday and 11 am on Saturday and Sunday.

Grapevine Brewery Beer Dinner at Cook Hall
Cook Hall welcomes Grapevine Brewery for its latest beer dinner. Courses include pork rillette with crisp plantain chips, red and white endive salad, roasted organic chicken with fall vegetables, roasted venison, and apple and pecan sticky bun with brown butter ice cream. Tickets are $55, and you can reserve your spot by calling 214-397-4111. Dinner start at 7 pm.

Taste of the Fair at Pegasus Plaza
The State Fair kicks off this weekend, and the downtown parade starts at noon. While you're there, you can start your eating adventures at Pegasus Plaza from 11 am-1:30 pm. Food vendors offer State Fair classics such as Fletcher's corn dogs, roasted corn and more.

Saturday, September 27

Past and Present Dinner at Abacus
Abacus turns 15 this month, and that calls for a party — starting with this dinner. Celebrated chefs and former Abacus toques Tre Wilcox and Omar Flores return to the kitchen for one night. Alongside Kent Rathbun and executive sous chef Chris Patrick, they are creating a four-course dinner with wine pairings, including dishes such as duck three ways, deconstructed red chili pork "pozole," dark chocolate pate with pistachio and Bing cherry sorbet, and much more. You can make reservations between 6 and 11 pm by calling 214-520-0151. Cost is $200 per person.

Oktoberfest 5K and Biergarten at Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Who doesn't enjoy an ice cold beer after running a 5K? Runners for this fun event, presented by Discover Brewtopia, get a Rahr commemorative pint glass, tech-fit shirt and Bavarian treats. There is also a post-race biergarten and live polka music. Tickets are $40, and the race starts at 9 am. You can register online.

Sunday, September 28

Bangarang Ball at Garden Cafe
Drawing inspiration from Neverland and many other strange places, Garden Cafe's kitchen garden will be transformed at this unusual event. In addition to a special menu and wine, there will be beer from Deep Ellum Brewing Company and cocktails from Whistlepig. (If none of that excites you, then feel free to BYO drink of choice.) Chefs such a Graham Dodds and Justin Box plan to attend, along with the Rye Boys, who will keep you entertained. This event starts at 6 pm and should go strong until midnight. Tickets are $85. Buy them online.

15 Year Anniversary Party at Abacus
Help Abacus celebrate 15 years in Dallas at this party featuring food, craft cocktails, and cooking and mixology demonstrations. The restaurant is also bringing in Downtown Fever with a repertoire spanning from the '60s to today's most popular hits. Festivities take place from 2-8 pm, and the price to attend is $100 per person. For more information, call 214-559-3111 or buy your tickets online.

Rahr & Sons invites you to run a 5K and then enjoy music and beer on September 27.

Photo by Mary Tuab Flickr

Rahr & Sons invites you to run a 5K and then enjoy music and beer on September 27.

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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.

closings sustainability farmer-diaries