Last night, local chefs, farmers and curious diners alike packed Times Ten Cellars in Fort Worth for the second Chefs for Farmers dinner benefitting Meals On Wheels of Tarrant County. Chefs Matt McCallister (Chefs for Farmers), Blaine Staniford (Grace), Dan Landsberg (former chef at Tillman's roadhouse), Dena Peterson (Cafe Modern), Jon Bonnell (Bonnell's), Michael Morabito (Colonial Country Club), Zach Townsend (Pure Chocolate Desserts), Gwin Grimes (Artisan Baking Co.) and Jay Jerrier (Il Cane Rosso) created an elaborate six-course meal using ingredients from Burgundy Pasture Beef, Dominion, Scott and Tassione Farms.
Though the food was top-notch, the atmosphere was far from stuffy. Following dinner, an impromptu auction took place in which attendees could bid on private, in-home chef dinners. Eager guests jumped at the chance—the wine was flowing all night—and offered way more than the $500 starting bid. Shortly thereafter, everybody hopped on shuttle buses and headed out to J Bar L Ranch for the bonfire after party. Aside from the keg, the scene was straight from an old-school Western flick: a guitar-playing cowboy sang country tunes as partygoers roasted marshmallows over open flames. To top it all off, an unidentified Indian decked out in a feather headdress and face paint rode up on a white horse to join the festivities. (If you don't believe us, just click through the photos. We have proof.) A third Chefs for Farmers dinner is scheduled to take place in March, though we're not sure how organizers Matt and Iris McCallister plan to top real-life cowboys and Indians. Stay tuned for details. [The Feast]
