Chefs For Farmers is turning 16 this year, and it’s marking the milestone by handing out something it’s never given before: an award that has nothing to do with a dish or a wine pour. The festival is launching its inaugural Community Impact Awards, honoring four Dallas hospitality figures whose influence runs well past the dining room.
The dinner happens September 30 at CBD Provisions inside The Joule, presented by Headington Companies and emceed by Bob Sambol of Bob’s Steak & Chop House. A portion of the proceeds benefits Cafe Momentum, the nonprofit restaurant that trains formerly incarcerated teens for careers in the industry.
Four categories, four honorees this year. Greg Katz of Katz Brothers Hospitality takes the Restaurant award. Jamey Bellan, EVP and General Manager of Southern Glazer’s Texas, gets the Wine & Spirits honor. Richard Torres, vice president and co-owner of Chefs’ Produce Company, is this year’s Purveyor honoree. And Marisol Lopez, director of sales at HALL Arts Hotel, rounds out the group with the Hospitality award. The evening will also reveal the winner of the 2026 Chad Houser Catalyst Award, named for the Cafe Momentum founder himself.
Chefs For Farmers founder Iris Midler pointed to Tim Headington’s own footprint on the city as part of what made this pairing make sense, noting that Headington Companies has employed hundreds of culinary professionals over the years, many of whom went on to open their own restaurants. Headington, for his part, framed the honor as really belonging to the people who’ve worked across his restaurant concepts over the past eighteen years rather than to the company itself.
The menu for the night is a collaboration between three chefs: Sezar Denis of CBD Provisions, Eduardo Osorio of Meridian, and Aaron Collins of Cafe Momentum, which is a fitting lineup given where the proceeds are headed. The evening starts with a 6:30 p.m. welcome reception at The Eye at The Joule, followed by the awards dinner at 7:30.
Chefs For Farmers has spent sixteen years building its reputation around the people who grow and raise what ends up on Dallas plates. Adding an award built around the people who mentor, employ, and give back to that same community is a natural next step, and organizers already have plans to make the Community Impact Awards an annual tradition starting in spring 2027.
Tickets are $165 per person plus tax, available through Resy. Complimentary valet parking is available at 1530 Main Street.
The Community Impact Awards dinner is a lead-up to the festival’s own headline weekend. Chefs For Farmers Dallas runs November 4 through 6, with the Main Event at Old City Park bringing together the city’s top chefs, farmers, and artisans for a weekend of tastings, chef-led dinners, and live entertainment. Tickets for the full festival, including the Main Event, are available now at chefsforfarmers.com/dallas.
