Farm to Fork:
Junior Chef Challenge

April 10, 2027

FARM FRESH FOOD ・ LIVE MUSIC ・ FARM TOURS ・ KIDS ACTIVITIES

The Farm to Fork Junior Chef Challenge is a lively fundraising event pairing 4 youth competitors with Central Texas chefs to create dishes using Hope Full Farm’s organic produce. This family-friendly event benefits Hope Full Farm’s mission to fight childhood hunger through regenerative agriculture.

2027 Chef Mentors

  • Comedor

    Award-winning Chef Philip Speer is the chef behind Comedor, where modern Mexican cuisine is shaped by Texas influences and a commitment to organic and sustainably sourced ingredients. A four-time James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef, Philip has helped earn Comedor national recognition, including Best New Restaurant honors from Texas Monthly, Esquire, and Robb Report, as well as recognition from the MICHELIN Guide.

  • Suerte and Este

    Chef Fermín Núñez is the chef behind Suerte and Este and one of Austin’s most celebrated culinary voices. He was named a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2021 and a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Texas. Known for bringing together the flavors and techniques of Mexico with locally sourced Texas ingredients, his cooking has earned national attention from The New York Times, Bon Appétit, Netflix, and more.

  • Emmer & Rye

    Chef Alexa Mejia is Chef de Cuisine at Emmer & Rye, where she leads and mentors the culinary team behind the restaurant’s acclaimed, sustainability-focused menu. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, she has been recognized as a two-time CultureMap Rising Star Chef nominee and an Austin American-Statesman 'Best of' Sous Chef of the Year nominee. Emmer & Rye has also earned a MICHELIN Green Star and Bib Gourmand.

  • Épicerie

    Chef Kate Schwarzlose is Chef de Cuisine at Épicerie, bringing experience from acclaimed kitchens across Texas, Louisiana, and France. Her career includes time at the historic Brennan’s in New Orleans and as Executive Sous Chef at Lutie’s at Austin’s Commodore Perry Estate. Her background in French and Louisiana cuisine brings a thoughtful, seasonal perspective to the Épicerie kitchen.

Support our mission and be part of the Farm to Fork Junior Chef Challenge!

Sponsorship opportunities are now available—support food access, youth education, and community impact.

Become a Sponsor

Special Thanks to Our 2026 Sponsors

H-E-B

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Planwise Financial Group

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Quartz Financial

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Kathryn Scarborough Real Estate Group | Engel & Völkers

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Austin Monthly

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Giant Noise

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Agouti Investments

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Lisa & Matt Hickey

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Henna Chevrolet

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Oakview Group

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H-E-B - Planwise Financial Group - Quartz Financial - Kathryn Scarborough Real Estate Group | Engel & Völkers - Austin Monthly - Giant Noise - Agouti Investments - Lisa & Matt Hickey - Henna Chevrolet - Oakview Group -

Group of children and adults sitting outdoors on a wooden deck, listening to a man standing in front of a rural landscape with trees and a dirt road, during a sunny day.
A person playing guitar and singing into a microphone on an outdoor stage with a tent overhead and greenhouse in the background.
A young woman standing in a farm field holding a carrot in her right hand, wearing a gray t-shirt, black jeans, a beige cap, and black sneakers, smiling and celebrating.
A group of people, including men and women, walking and listening to a guide in a garden or farm with trees and plants, under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
Children picking peaches from a tree in a garden.
Close-up of tall green grass and leafy plants on a farm field, with a pathway on the right side.
Person holding fresh purple beans in a farm field during sunset.
People sitting at a long table on a wooden outdoor patio with a view of trees and blue sky, some wearing hats, during daytime.
Group of six people, including children and adults, planting or tending to a garden on a sunny day, with trees and garden tools in the background.
People sitting at tables under a yellow canopy outdoors, with some children and adults, engaging in arts and crafts activities, with a white tent and greenhouses in the background.
Person holding a colorful Swiss chard leaf with green, red, and yellow stalks. The background shows straw mulch and other leafy greens.
People harvesting carrots in an outdoor farm field.
A garden with various plants, flowers, and shrubs surrounded by a rock border, in front of a modern gray building with white trim and a raised wooden deck. There is a green house in the background and overcast sky.
A lush vegetable farm with rows of green plants under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds, surrounded by trees and a building in the distance.
A group of people walking through a sunflower field and a garden with green plants under a partly cloudy sky.

Hope Full Farm is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit corporation. Donations are deductible to the full extent of the law. EIN 86-3818067.