Chefs For Farmers started in 2010 as one farm dinner for about a hundred people. This week it takes over Dallas for the 16th time, and the idea hasn’t changed much. Iris Midler founded it, and every chef still gets a stipend from the festival to buy from local farms, then cooks something worth the trip.
This is CraveDFW’s last look before the gates open. If you caught our early bird preview last month, here’s what has firmed up since, and eight chefs to find once you’re inside.
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If you’ve been planning to buy Chefs For Farmers tickets, do it this week. Early bird pricing for the Dallas festival ends Friday, Oct. 16, and some of the VIP options have already sold out.
This is the 16th year for the festival. Iris Midler started it in 2010 as a single farm dinner, and it now runs for five days in early November, Wednesday, Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 8. It ends with the Main Event at Old City Park. The idea hasn’t changed in all that time. Chefs cook with ingredients from farms they buy from directly, and guests taste the results.
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photos by Evelyn Goldstein
The 2025 Chefs for Farmers festival in Dallas felt like a living map of Texas flavor, a weekend-long celebration of farms, fire, and fearless cooking. Held October 29 through November 2 at Old City Park, the festival brought together hometown stars and returning culinary talents, each working directly with local farms to craft dishes that were as much about provenance as they were about technique. Two days of chef tastings kicked off the weekend, allowing early attendees to savor multi-course dishes in an intimate setting while easing crowd flow for the main event, giving the festival a sense of rhythm and letting diners linger over each bite.
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High above the city lights, Mirador, the beautifully reimagined dining destination perched atop Forty Five Ten, is turning up the heat for one extraordinary night. On Wednesday, October 29, 2025, from 7 to 10 p.m., the glass-wrapped restaurant will host Flavors on Fire, a sizzling culinary collaboration presented by BMW in partnership with the Chefs for Farmers Food & Wine Festival.
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Dallas food lovers, take note — one of the city’s most beloved fall traditions is back. From October 29 through November 2, 2025, Chefs for Farmers (CFF) will return for its 15th anniversary, celebrating the chefs, farmers, and artisans who make Texas cuisine so distinctive.
What began as a one-night farm dinner in 2010, founded by Iris Midler, has blossomed into a full-fledged culinary festival that now draws food enthusiasts from across the country. Yet even as it’s grown, CFF has stayed true to its roots — championing local talent, honoring sustainability, and building bridges between rural and urban communities through food, hospitality, and heart.
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The 2025 Chefs for Farmers Food & Wine Festival in Dallas is set to be a culinary celebration like no other. Taking place from October 29 to November 2, 2025, at Old City Park, the festival will feature a series of events, culminating in the main event. The festival brings together top chefs, local farmers, and food enthusiasts to celebrate Texas’ rich culinary heritage and the farm-to-table movement.
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photos by Joey Stewart
The 2024 Chefs for Farmers event was a stunning success, bringing together some of the finest culinary talent, dedicated farmers, and passionate food lovers for an unforgettable weekend of celebration, education, and community-building. Held annually, this year’s event continued its mission of championing the relationship between chefs and local farmers, highlighting the importance of sustainability, seasonality, and regional food culture. This event was conceived and run by Iris Midler.
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One of Dallas’ most anticipated events, Chefs For Farmers Food & Wine Festival, returns with a powerhouse lineup up of chefs and restaurants for the Main Event on November 3, 2024. To celebrate the festival’s 14th anniversary, Chefs For Farmers is bringing together Dallas’ top chefs and restaurants, highlighting the very best from local, and out-of-town, farms and artisans.
This year’s festival features a lineup of Dallas’ most acclaimed chefs, each offering something special for the city’s food lovers. Among the highlights is Chef Toby Archibald of Quarter Acre, whose New Zealand-inspired Kingfish ceviche, prepared with locally sourced ingredients, will be a must-try at the Main Event. With a focus on creating innovative dishes that reflect his international influences, Toby’s presentation at the festival will provide attendees with a taste of both global flair and local produce.
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