Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation ― New Format and Special Collaborations

This year’s Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation is making major updates to its beloved festival’s format, including two newly reimagined signature events. Plus, there’s news of some major collaborations with other regional festivals, for the very first time. Tickets are on sale now for the spring festival, as well as a very special dinner planned in February ― giving you a first taste of the fest, by some of the city’s most notable chefs. This is what’s new this year.

The Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation (FWFWF) has reimagined its 2026 Spring Festival, which is planned for April 9 through 12. In past years each event was positioned either at the top of the Ranch or at the bottom of the Ranch (held at Heart of the Ranch, near Shops at Clearfork). This year, both Saturday and Sunday will see expanded full-venue programming. It’s gonna be a foodie wonderland— a smorgasbord of monumental proportions.

Expanded Events Give Guests More Access

This year, festival-goers will enjoy “the full breadth of Heart of the Ranch without having to choose between overlapping events,” says Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation.

Fan-favorite signature events Tacos + Tequila and The Main Event will return as usual, but on Saturday and Sunday, things get bigger. Much bigger. Two new full-venue anchor experiences will include: Fork + Fire and The Big Brunch. “Each brings together restaurant-driven tastings, live-fire cooking, beverage partners, and musical entertainment for an immersive and wide-ranging event experience that reflects the evolution of Fort Worth’s culinary scene.”

“This refreshed festival format allows us to bring even more to the table — more room for chefs to shine, more opportunities for guests to explore, and new ways for us to share what makes food culture in Fort Worth so special,” says Julie Eastman, Executive Director of the Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation.

Welcome To a Taste of Texas Row

“This year also marks a groundbreaking moment of culinary collaboration,” they say. This is the “first collaboration of its kind in the Southwest, and one of the first in the nation, in which multiple regional food festivals join a host city’s lineup.”

Foodies will get to enjoy what’s cooking in other cities around the state, from Chefs For Farmers Dallas Food + Wine Festival in Dallas, to Hot Luck Festival in Austin, and Southern Smoke Festival in Houston. Each of these regional festivals will showcase a few of their local chefs, offering guests an unprecedented statewide tasting experience.

Taste of Texas Row is one of the most significant additions this year. It will debut on Saturday, a major draw at Fork + Fire. This collaboration with other regional food festivals will create “a statewide tasting experience unlike anything the spring season has offered before.”

“Each festival will curate a lineup of four chefs who reflect the distinct culinary identity and creative spirit of their home city, complemented by FWFWF’s own tent showcasing leading North Texas talent. Rounding out the experience is a dedicated Hidden Gems showcase featuring exceptional restaurants and chefs from across Texas — off-the-beaten-path standouts whose work deserves recognition alongside the state’s major culinary players.”

Special Dinner Showcases Fort Worth’s Culinary Community

The FWFWF hosts an annual collaborative dinner, held at The Fort Worth Club. This year, the special evening, called Metamorphosis, will take place on Thursday, February 19, bringing five acclaimed chefs together. Four chefs will present a four-course experience celebrating collaboration and the evolving Fort Worth culinary scene.

The Walter Kaufmann Lifetime Achievement Award ― one of the Foundation’s highest honors — will be presented to Ben E. Keith Foods, as a special part of the event.

Representing everything from British fare to coastal Mexican, and premier club to new American cuisine, this dinner will be an interesting collaboration of top talent. “Designed as an elegant seated dinner, Metamorphosis offers guests a first-hand look at how five chefs, each with their own background, discipline, and approach, shape a cohesive vision across four courses.”

Here’s the Metamorphosis chef lineup:

• Craig Walter is the Executive Chef at The Chumley House, and Jared Harms is the Culinary Director for Duro Hospitality.
• Rodrigo Cárdenas serves as both the Culinary Director and Vice President of Dos Mares, which opened in mid-November next door to Don Artemio.

• Tim Prefontaine is the Executive Chef at The Fort Worth Club.
• Michael Arlt is the Culinary Director at The Mont Fort Worth ― Around the Fire Hospitality. The Mont opened in Far West Fort Worth in August.

Tickets are $250 per individual or $2,500 per table of eight and are available for purchase at fwfwf.org.

This Foodie Paradise Is a Culinary Community Linchpin

Events like Metamorphosis, demonstrate the Foundation’s year-round dedication to education, opportunity, and the long-term vitality of Fort Worth’s hospitality community. As a key fundraising event, Metamorphosis will also feature a live auction to support the Foundation’s community-based initiatives.

To date, the Foundation has invested more than $610,000 back into its community ― supporting local students through scholarships and grants, providing relief resources for food and beverage workers, and championing emerging chefs and entrepreneurs ― all while elevating and championing the Fort Worth culinary scene. Tickets for all spring events are available now at fwfwf.org.