This week in gluttony

These are the 8 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Hattie B's is here for a tease.

Photo by Joseph Woodley

This week includes a celebration of Dia de los Muertos and a celebration of farmers. Save room for Nashville hot chicken pop-ups, a virtual wine and cheese pairing class, a tequila dinner, and an outdoor grilling soiree under the stars.

Tuesday, November 2

Dia de los Muertos at Taqueria La Ventana
Visit the downtown Dallas location of the popular taco spot for free pan de los Muertos (traditional Mexican bread) for the first 150 guests, live DJ music, hot chocolate and churros, tequila tastings, and giveaways. Each Taqueria La Ventana location will create its own altar paying homage to deceased family members and friends in shrine-like fashion.

Thursday, November 4

Central Market Online Class: Cheese & Wine Pairing
Wine and cheese expert Janet Fletcher, who’s written more than 25 books on food and beverage, will lead participants virtually through a tasting of five cheeses paired with wines. Varieties include goat, buttery camembert, and creamy blue cheese, and Fletcher will discuss how to pair wine and cheese. The $70 class includes a tasting kit that serves two to four, and the $20 options provides access to the class only, which will run from 6-7:30 pm.

Azunia Tequila Dinner at Cantina Laredo
The Frisco location of the Mexican restaurant will offer a four-course dinner paired with Azunia tequila cocktails. But first, start with a tequila flight during an opening reception to sample all options. Dinner is $59.99 per person and begins at 7 pm.

Friday, November 5

Hattie B’s Texas Tease
The Nashville-based, family-founded and operated hot chicken spot will open its first Dallas location by spring 2022. Hold over the hunger pangs at three upcoming pop-up events, when Hattie B’s food truck, a 1974 Airstream, will serve a sampling of menu items. On Friday, head to Peticolas Brewing Company (5-9 pm or until sellout) for hot chicken sandwiches and fried pickles. Saturday, visit Klyde Warren Park (1-5 pm or until sellout) for samples of the Dirty Bird Fries topped with pimento mac and cheese and dark meat tender bites. On Sunday, the truck will be BrainDead Brewing (1-5 pm or until sellout) for hot chicken and Belgian waffles and hot chicken and bacon-cheddar grits.

World Food Championships
There’ll be more than 20 tasting experiences at this three-day culinary competition, where more than 1,500 chefs will compete for best in their category. To be held inside Centennial Hall at Fair Park Friday through Sunday, the event will feature bourbon and rib tastings, brunch and bubbly, barbecue sampling, “Grilling Grannies,” and more than 8,000 dishes to be judged. Ticket prices vary per event, but general admission starts at $15 and includes lots of opportunity for sampling.

Saturday, November 6

Chefs for Farmers
Highlighting local and regional farmers over three days with four different events, Chefs for Farmers is back after taking a year off. While Thursday’s Mot Hai Ba Dinner is sold out, tickets are available for two events on Saturday: The Farm Tour ($125, 10 am-4 pm) aboard a bus that will make three stops at area farms for drinks and seasonal dishes; and the Devour Street Food Festival ($85, 3-6 pm) at the AT&T Discovery District, featuring street food from more than a dozen restaurants. The Main Event ($125, 3-6 pm) will cap things off Sunday at Dallas Heritage Village, featuring Dallas chefs and restaurants with bites and drinks throughout the park.

RARE at Bear Creek Golf Club
Dine under the stars at the newly updated Dallas golf club during this dinner event featuring eight culinary action stations. Start with tray-passed oysters and pork belly bites before indulging in grilled specialties, from bison to redfish. The $99 all-inclusive price per person includes wine selections and craft cocktails, too. Doors open at 7 pm.

Sunday November 7

Dot's Hop House Five-Year Anniversary
Craft beer bar and beer garden in Deep Ellum opened in 2016, which feels like a lifetime ago in Deep Ellum years. Their creation of a sprawling outdoor space now feels clairvoyant in these post-pandemic times, and probably helped them survive. They'll celebrate the occasion by tapping some rare beers, with drink specials and giveaways including an anniversary T-shirt to the first 150 people. Party starts at 1 pm, live music starts at 2 pm.

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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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