Malcolm Mayhew
The 2021 Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival (FWFWF) is canceled. What's happening instead — a 20-night dinner series featuring 40 of the area's top chefs.
The Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation, which hosts the annual festival, will launch a new event this year called Forty at the 'Fork. As hinted by the name, 40 local chefs will participate in 20 pop-up dinners, each held on a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday evening between Feb. 28 and April 13 at the former Twigs American Bistro space at The Shops at Clearfork.
Each dinner is limited to 50 guests, and according to the Food + Wine Foundation, the former Twigs space (at 8,896 square feet) will allow for social distancing, keeping each dinner under 20-percent seating capacity.
While participants can select which date they'd like to attend, the featured chefs will be kept a surprise until the night of the dinner. Diners will, however, get a preview of the multi-course menu the week before the event to help as they purchase their own wine selections. Chris Keel, owner of Put A Cork In It, and Richard King, co-owner of Ellerbe Fine Foods, will be offering suggestions on wine pairings.
The Food + Wine Festival was originally scheduled to take place April 8 – 11, but due to the ongoing uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the board of directors decided to cancel the event and host Forty at the 'Fork instead. According to a news release, the Food + Wine Foundation will focus on small-scale events this year — a "small-scale activation" is planned for Oct. 22 – 24 — and return to the more traditional food festival format in April 2022.
Smaller events also allow the foundation to continue raising funds for grants and culinary scholarships for aspiring chefs, as well as local service staff struggling during the pandemic. According to the Food + Wine Foundation, more than $110,000 has been raised for its Restaurant Employee Relief Fund since the launch of the initiative in 2020.
“The purpose of the Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation is to celebrate local culinary talent today while also helping protect it for tomorrow,” Julie Eastman, executive director of the Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation, said in a statement. “Forty at the ’Fork is an opportunity for FWFWF to showcase 40 amazingly talented chefs, plus many local business owners, who’ve been working tirelessly despite current industry challenges, while also continuing to grow our culinary scholarship and classroom grant offerings.”
Tickets and more information about Forty at the 'Fork are available here. The following chefs have confirmed their participation, with more to be announced at a later date:
- Jon Bonnell, Bonnell's Restaurant Group
- Cindy Crowder, Tributary Café
- Graham Dodd, Elm & Good
- Steve Estes, Brewed
- Rena Frost, Mac’s on Main
- James Gaines, Reata Restaurant
- Paco Islas, Paco’s Mexican Cuisine
- Christian Lehrmann, Tinie’s Mexican Cuisine
- Tim Love, Lonesome Dove Western Bistro
- Chris Magallanes, Panther City BBQ
- Kevin Martinez, Tokyo Café
- Molly McCook, Ellerbe Fine Foods
- Ben Merritt, Fixture - Kitchen and Social Lounge and Ben’s Triple B
- Marcus Paslay, Scratch Hospitality
- Tuan Pham, Four Sisters - A Taste of Vietnam
- Stefon Rishel, Wishbone & Flynt
- Juan Rodriguez, Magdelena's
- Trevor Sales, Brix Barbecue
- Blaine Staniford, Grace
- Michael Thomson, Michaels Cuisine
- Donatella Trotti, Nonna Tata
- Laurie Williamson, Black Cur Steak
Additionally, Forty at the 'Fork will include collaborations with other local brands like MELT Ice Creams, FunkyTown Donuts, Hao & Dixya, Sweet Lucy's Pieces, and more.
