Fall Food Festivals for Fun and Funds

While September may not seem like autumn for Houstonians, it is the month that leads into many of our fall festivities. While there are numerous ways to enjoy different cuisines around the city, the next couple of months offer opportunities to not only eat, drink and be merry but also to help raise money for non-profits that benefit our fellow Houstonians and Americans in need. The following list of food events helps those suffering from food insecurity, natural and financial disasters and lack of access to mental health, reproductive and medical care.

As the cooler weather tempts us outside, we can take advantage of the festivals and dining opportunities that not only feed our stomachs but also our souls.

I’ll Have What She’s Having 3rd Annual Rock & Roll Picnic
Last Concert Amphitheater
1403 Nance
September 15, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
General Admission $45, GA plus picnic upgrade $95, Kids 12 and under $15
illhavewhatsheshaving.org

This is the third family-friendly event for I’ll Have What She’s Having, a 501(c) 3 non-profit which helps those in the restaurant and bar community, of all genders, to access free preventative medical and mental healthcare services. With Texas woefully behind in providing its residents with affordable and quality health insurance and services, IHWSH helps those in the hospitality industry who often go without medical insurance, forcing them to do without healthcare or visit hospital emergency rooms, resulting in costly medical bills.

Some of the free services the organization, which was founded in 2017, has been able to provide access to include breast and cervical cancer screenings, IUDS, vasectomies, doula services and mental health counseling.

The event will feature a wide variety of foods from award-winning chefs and volunteers such Dawn Burrell, Evelyn Garcia, Nick Wong, Dominick Lee, Beatriz Martinez, Mary Cuclis and Suu Khin. The pit masters from Blood Bros. BBQ will also be on hand,  as well as Josh Deleon of Underground Creamery. 

Cocktails will be provided by mixology pros like Liz Becerra (Anvil), Natrese Rudison (Toasted Coconut) Jennifer Pilling (Rosewater), Adriana Medina (Cantina Barb), Alexandra Bourgoin (’93 Til), Miles Conde (Josephine’s) and Olivia Vargas (Lei Low). Equal Parts Brewing, a longtime partner with IHWSH’s mental health programs, will be the official beer sponsor while Cut Above Spirits will be serving N/A drinks at its Zero Proof Bar.

There will be a silent auction plus musical entertainment from India Tigers in Texas, Jump Rope and Shame on Me. Artistic poetry activation will be done by T. Lavois Thiebaud and there will be a DJ set from GRRRL Parts.

Tickets can be purchased here.

Houston Restaurant Weeks 2024 Extended
Restaurants across Houston
September 3 though September 30
houstonrestaurantweeks.com

This yearly fundraising event usually takes place from the first of August through Labor Day. However, due to the economic damage wreaked by the Derecho storm this past May and Hurricane Beryl in July, The Cleverley Stone Foundation, the nonprofit behind HRW, has decided to extend the citywide event through the month of September in order to help promote business for participating restaurants. While the event is a major fundraiser for Houston Food Bank every year and has raised more than 21 million dollars for the county-wide food bank since its inception in 2003, the extended days will allow the restaurants to lower their donations from $3,$5 and $7 to just $1 per brunch, lunch or dinner sold from the HRW menus. This will allow the participating restaurants to keep more of the HRW profits while still raising money for the foundation’s efforts.

While more than 400 restaurants participated this year, not all are continuing through the extension. Diners can check the HRW webpage for lists of businesses that are taking part in the extended month, along with the HRW menus.

Chefs for Farmers
Autry Park
3711 Autry Park
September 28 and September 29, VIP 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. General Admission 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
General Admission $145, VIP Admission $195
chefsforfarmers.com

Originally founded in Dallas, this two day event now makes its way to Houston annually. The mission is to support and showcase local farmers and purveyors while also raising funds for non-profits such as The Seed Project Foundation in Dallas and Houston’s Urban Harvest and Houston Food Bank.

Its culinary lineup includes over 30 of Houston’s top chefs and their teams utilizing fresh produce and quality proteins for delicious plates that draw in big lines. But there’s plenty to go around as the festival spreads out over the park with a number of spots to grab a cold beer, glass of wine or refreshing cocktail, all included in the admission fee.

Some of the superstar chefs include Master Chef champion Christine Ha (The Blind Goat), David Skinner (Ishtia), Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu (Jun), Man Nguyen (Hando), Kirthan and Kripa Shenoy (Auden), Sunil Srivastava (Verandah Progressive Indian), Drake Leonards (Eunice), Shaun King (Uchiko), Yotam Dolev (Hamsa) and many more.

The event is for adults 21 and up only. No pets are allowed other than service animals.

Southern Smoke Festival
Discovery Green
1500 McKinney
October 5, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
General Admission $225, Lexus VIP $500
southernsmoke.orgThis festival is always one of Houston’s most popular, luring in festival-goers with some of Houston’s best and brightest chefs along with culinary talent from across the country. This is the event to see nationally-known celebrity chefs and meet many of the men and women behind Houston’s restaurants, bars, breweries and distilleries. And the event raises funds for Southern Smoke Foundation, which aids hospitality workers and businesses in times of financial, medical and mental health crises.

First founded in 2017 by James Beard Award-wining chef Chris Shepherd and his now wife and SSF executive director Lindsey Brown, it originally raised money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. In 2017, after Hurricane Harvey flooded Houston and its outer areas, it shifted focus to help food and beverage employees who were economically devastated by the natural disaster. Over the years, it has broadened that mission with funds to aid workers with medical issues, mental health needs and other financial crises.

SSF has given more than 12.3 million dollars to hospitality workers over the past seven years and since 2020, it has provided more than 5,400 no-cost counseling sessions to food and beverage employees as well as their children in Texas, California, Illinois, Louisiana and several other states with its Behind You mental health program.

Joining Shepherd and Brown in this mission is a wide variety of local and national chefs, food and beverage workers and restaurateurs. Attendees will see familiar faces such as Aaron Franklin,  Ashley Christensen, Chris Cosentino, Sarah Gruenberg, Leonard Botello IV, Ryan Lachaine, Martin Stayer, Michelle Wallace, Greg Gatlin, Patrick Feges, Erin Smith and many more. Some of the more than a dozen new participants includes Austin Simmons (Tris, Houston), Isabel Cross (Lutece, Washington D.C.), Don Nguyen (Khoi BBQ, Houston) and Lee Anne Wong (Koko Head Cafe, Honolulu).

In the Lexus VIP area will be chef Billy Durney serving his famous Red Hood Tavern burgers along with Paola Velez of Doeki Doeki in Washington D. C. and Houston’s Kate McLean, executive chef at Tony’s. James Beard Award-winning bar owner Alba Huerte of Julep will be creating cocktails behind the bar.

Southern Smoke Festival will also be hosting Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs 2024, making it the first venue in which the 2024 class of Best New Chefs cook together. There will be cooking demos, book signings and wine bar pop-ups from around Texas and the country. The Lake House at Discovery Green will be taken over that day by The Central Market Wine Bar.

If you’ve never been to Southern Smoke Festival, this is the year to go.

A Taste of Cy-Fair
Bridgeland Lakeland Village Center
10615 Fry
October 5, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., early VIP admission 4 p.m.
General Admission Adult $40 to $50, children 2 to 12 $15 to $20, children under 2 free
VIP Early Admission Adults 21 and up only $80 to $90
atasteofcyfair.com

A Taste of Cy-Fair returns for its 6th year featuring dozens of local restaurants and businesses. Attendees will find bites from Texas Roadhouse, Chuy’s, Creekwood Grill, Marvino’s Italian Steakhouse, Backyard Grill, Andy’s Kitchen, Rock’n Roll Sushi and much more. There will be a wide array of wines as well as craft beers. Live music will be performed by Randy Hulsey on the main stage and Nate Gordon in the VIP area.

Founded in 2017, the event eventually began as a fundraiser for those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. It has since evolved to a major fundraiser for Cy-Hope, a local organization which has nine programs aimed at making a difference in the lives of underserved kids in the Cy-Fair community and beyond. Some of its programs include Cy-Hope Mentoring, the Backpack Feeding Program, Cy-Hope Counseling and Camp Lemonade.