CFF lineup revealed

Houston's top chefs and hottest new restaurants star in farm-to-table food festival returning this fall

A Dallas-based food festival will return to Houston for its second year. Chefs for Farmers will be held Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1 at Autry Park, the new mixed-use development near the intersection of Allen Parkway and Shepherd Drive.

Saturday’s event is a barbecue-themed happening titled “You Can’t Handle the Truth.” Led by Truth BBQ owner Leonard Botello IV, the event will also feature chefs such as Christian Hernandez (Albi), Travis Lenig (Field & Tides), and three representatives from Blood Bros. BBQ: co-owner Robin Wong, chef Arash Kharat, and pitmaster/co-owner Quy Hoang.

It also offers a first taste of four restaurants that will open at Autry Park later this year: Annabelle Brasserie; an all-day restaurant from Berg Hospitality; Turner's Cut, a luxurious steakhouse from Berg Hospitality; Auden, a globally inspired, vegetable-forward restaurant; and Mayahuel, a Mexico City-inspired cantina and cocktail bar.

At Sunday’s “Flavor Face Off,” attendees will vote for their favorite creation from a roster of more than 25 participants. Headliners include James Beard Award winner Hugo Ortega (representing Backstreet Cafe), Top Chef finalist Evelyn Garcia and her business partner Henry Lu (Jun), CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Rising Star Chef of the Year nominee Jerrod Zifchak (Navy Blue), and James Beard Award semifinalist Alex Au-Yeung. (See below for a full list of participants for both days.)

Early bird pricing for both days is $135 for general admission and $180 for VIP passes that offer entering an hour earlier. Prices rise to $150 and $200, respectively, on Saturday, August 19. Tickets include food, wine, beer, cocktails, live entertainment, and more.

Having covered the “chefs” aspect of the event, let’s turn to “for farmers.” According to press materials, the event worked with local nonprofit Urban Harvest to identify local farmers who will supply ingredients for the chef’s dishes. CFF hopes to foster relationships between the participating chefs and farmers in the hope of exposing the farmers to new customers.

A representative tells CultureMap that each participating chef is given a $200 stipend to spend with the local farmer they partner with. Confirmed farms include Animal Farm, Stakar Farms Wagyu, Laughing Frog Farm, Blackwood Educational Land Institute, and Verdegreens Farms.

In addition, the Houston Food Bank will be on-site promoting its Empty Bowls fundraiser. Created by local artists, each $25 bowl sold benefits the food bank. Last year, CFF donated $5,000 to Urban Harvest and $5,000 to the Houston Food Bank, which also raised an additional $1,500 from selling bowls.

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Participants for Saturday, September 30

Albi – Christian Hernandez
Annabelle Brasserie and Turner’s Cut – Russell Kirkham
Auden – Kirthan Shenoy
Blood Bros BBQ – Robin Wong, Quy Hoang, Arash Kharat
Chi’Lantro BBQ – Ryan Sumagaysay
Craft Creamery – Steve Marques
Davis St. at Hermann Park – Mark Holley
Field & Tides – Travis Lenig
Georgia James – Greg Peters
Loch Bar – Aaron Panganiban
Mayahuel – Luis Robledo Richards
SmallBites Mini Donuts – Erika Villarreal
Truth BBQ – Leonard Botello IV
Wolfgang Puck Catering Houston Commissary – Larry de la Flor

Participants for Sunday, October 1

Amrina – Jassi Bindra
Andiron – Mario Da Silva
Backstreet Café – Hugo Ortega
Brasserie 19 – Michael J. Hoffman
Craft Creamery – Steve Marques
Degust – Micah Rideout
Eau Tour – Kent Domas
Eunice – Drake Leonards
Frankie B. Mandola’s Catering – Adolfo Monjaras
Hidden Omakase – Marcos Juarez
Jūn – Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu
Lees Den – Maria Gonzalez
Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette – Luis Machuca
Lick Honest Ice Creams – Anthony Sobotik & Kendall Melton
Local Foods – Geoff Hundt
Lulu’s – Jose Monterrosa
Magnol French Baking – Otto Sanchez
Mayahuel – Luis Robledo Richards
Navy Blue – Jerrod Zifchak
Nobu Houston – Joe Murphy
Ostia – Travis McShane and Ray Melendi
Phat Eatery – Alex Au-Yeung
Rainbow Lodge – Mark Schmidt
Roma – Shanon Scott
Rosewood Beef – Michael Scott
Th Prsrv – David Skinner
Toro Toro – Paul Peddle
Wild Concepts – German Mosquera

Photo by Robert Jacob Lerma

Sample dishes from more than 25 restaurants at Chefs for Farmers.

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Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

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