Downtown Foodie Festival
Klyde Warren Park ignites foodie festival with big-gun chefs
Klyde Warren Park has announced the lineup for its new food-and-wine festival. Called Park & Palate, it will take place on September 25-26 and will feature a swath of chefs from across Texas.
The VIPs include Amanda Freitag, a frequent Food Network guest and judge on Chopped, and chef-restaurateur Jonathan Waxman.
Showcasing chefs from across Texas, the lineup runs from Austin's Tyson Cole to Top Chef contestants such as John Tesar, Tiffany Derry and Tre Wilcox. The goal is to pump up Texas' culinary scene while raising funds for the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, which operates Klyde Warren Park, said chairman Jody Grant in a statement.
"Few things bring people together like great food and wine, so we feel like Park & Palate is both on-mission and a great way to raise awareness and funds," Grant said.
The festival will kick off Friday night with a competition between a dozen Texas chefs to create "comfort food with a modern twist." Participating chefs include Alma Alcocer (El Alma Restorante and Bar), Andrew Wiseheart (Contigo), Becky Masson (Fluff Bake Bar), Jeff Balfour (Southerleigh), Julio Peraza (Madrina), John Tesar (Knife), Kent Rathbun (Hickory), Michael Fojtasek and Grae Nonas (Olamaie), Tyson Cole (Uchi), Jason Dady, Tiffany Derry, and Tre Wilcox.
A grand tasting on Saturday September 26 features more than 30 Texas chefs and 30 wineries along with an open bar.
Chefs, mostly from Dallas, include Anastacia Quinones (Kitchen LTO), Brian Luscher (Luscher's Red Hots), Danyele McPherson (Remedy), Dennis Kelley and Melody Bishop (Lark on the Park), Graham Dodds (Hibiscus), Jeramie Robison (Shinsei), Meaders Ozarow (Empire Baking Company), Omar Flores (Casa Rubia), Richard Blankenship (CBD Provisions), Sarah Snow (The Grape), Stephen Rogers and Allison Yoder (Gemma), and more.
Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, July 14, at 9 am at ParkAndPalate.org. They start at $150 and vary in pricing for each day. General admission is $250. VIP tickets, which include entry to the VIP lounge in Savor Gastropub with food by Jonathan Waxman, wine seminars, and mixology demonstrations, plus prime viewing of the main stage, are a mere $450.