Will travel for food

Delicious wine and food festival springs into Texas Hill Country

Say cheers to the Hill Country at the Dripping with Taste Wine & Food Festival.

If you call yourself a Texas foodie or wine connoisseur, there’s really no excuse not to make a jaunt to the Texas Hill Country. But if the siren song of top-notch wineries, tasty restaurants, and award-winning breweries isn't alluring enough, make a date for this year's Dripping With Taste Wine and Food Festival.

The 11th annual event is returning to the Dripping Springs Ranch Park on September 8 for a day celebrating the best in Texas Hill Country food and drink. The party combines tastings from two dozen area wineries and bites from top chefs with live music, cooking and mixology demos, and grape stomping among the fun diversions.

“Dripping With Taste is the place to discover a new Texas winery, or to try a new concoction from one of our distilleries or a craft beer from a local brewery,” says Pam Owens, president and CEO of the Dripping Springs Visitor Bureau, in a release. “Better yet, it’s a great way to spend an afternoon with friends enjoying some toe-tapping music and having some great food, too.”

The beverage lineup this year features favorites like Lewis Wines, Duchman Family Winery, Treaty Oak Distilling, and Jester King and a fresh slate of newcomers. Freshman wineries include Bingham Family Vineyards, Henly Vineyards, and Whitefox Vineyards. They join boozy newbies like Texas Sake Company, Desert Door Sotol, and Nine Banded Whiskey.

There are plenty of new restaurants on the lineup, too. Wimberley Shave Ice will be dishing out frozen treats, while Winner Winner, Enrico’s Blaze Pizza, Rancho Queso Cheese Shop, The League Kitchen & Tavern, The Salty German, and more will take care of savory cravings.

Yet another first-timer at the festival, chef Andrew Stiver of Vista Brewing restaurant, will lead a cooking demo with free tastings for the first 75 attendees. Later in the day, Whiskey Chick’s Deb Niemeyer will lead a class on how to develop a whiskey palate.

As if all that wasn’t enough, there will be a cigar lounge, a visit from the traveling Beer Museum of Texas, and door prizes will be given away all day. And with pre-sale tickets running only $40, it is one of the biggest festival bargains in the state.

Proceeds from Dripping with Taste go to promoting tourism through the visitors bureau and the Dripping Springs High School's hospitality program. We hope at least a few of the graduates will wind on the event’s lineup in the coming years.

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Airport News

DFW Airport seeks local restaurants to fill 14 new open slots

Manning

DFW Airport restaurants

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is seeking new restaurants who want to open a location on the premises. According to a release, the airport has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), inviting local brands and flavors to apply for 14 retail and dining locations across multiple terminals.

“As we build new gates, reimagine existing spaces and construct a new Terminal F, DFW Airport is committed to showcasing our region through our shops and restaurants so that when people travel through our terminals, there’s no denying they have arrived in the heart of Dallas and Fort Worth,” says DFW Chief Revenue Officer Ken Buchanan in a statement. “DFW serves tens of millions of travelers each year, and this is a chance for local businesses to help create an incredible sense of place within our terminals.”

The RFP is open for submissions now through February 2, 2026, and includes 11 food and beverage opportunities and three specialty retail locations across Terminals A, B, E, and F.

Concepts range from fast-casual, fast-food, and grab-and-go concepts to frozen treats, popcorn, cosmetics, and specialty retail.

All proposal submissions must be made through the Bonfire Procurement Platform.

DFW welcomed approximately 87 million customers in 2024, with continued growth projected to surpass 100 million passengers per year before 2030.

The latest RFP opportunity comes as DFW continues to make progress on its $12 billion capital improvement plan, DFW Forward, which is transforming terminals, expanding gate capacity and enhancing the customer experience across the entire airport. In addition to the new Terminal F, DFW is rebuilding Terminal C and expanding gate areas in Terminals A and C – projects that will introduce modern spaces, new amenities and a stronger platform for small and local businesses to grow inside one of the world’s busiest airports.

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