This week in gluttony

These are the 8 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week

Learn to make the perfect charcuterie platter at The Meat Board.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

Brunch, lunch, dinner, dessert and drinks after dark are covered this week in events that span all hours of the day. From dumplings and tea to ice cream and truffles, the flavor possibilities are wide-ranging, as well. One chef is making a special appearance at not one, but two events. There’s even a book club meeting paired with beer. Cheers to a lineup with something for everyone.

Tuesday, July 6

Dumplings & Tea at The Table
Every Tuesday in July, the chef duo Hao Tran and Dixya Bhattarai of The Table Market & Culinary Studio will serve a bento-style lunch of hot dumplings and a cool summer salad paired with exotic teas. The menu will change weekly and starts with Buffalo chicken dumplings, potato curry dumplings, spicy smashed cucumber salad, and ginger lime rooibos tea. Note that lunches ($15) are preorder only and must be picked up between 11 am and 2 pm.

Wednesday, July 7

Intro to Charcuterie at The Meat Board
Learn the secrets of a good charcuterie board from the experts at this Camp Bowie Blvd butcher shop, from pairing flavors and complementing colors to selecting the best accompaniments for the occasion. The $100 registration fee includes all supplies and food items along with a custom board to take home. (Beer and wine will be available for purchase.) Class will run from 6-7:30 pm.

Books & Brews at T&P Tavern
Combine beer and cocktails with books and conversation at this monthly book club meeting hosted by the Fort Worth Public Library. This month’s meeting location is the T&P Tavern, and discussion will cover the fiction novel Celine by Peter Heller. Meeting time is 6:30 to 8 pm, and there is no cost to attend. Attendees can purchase their own beer and cocktails at the T&P bar.

Saturday, July 10

1920s Ice Cream Social at Nash Farm
The historic Grapevine farmstead will transport guests to simpler times with a 1920s-era ice cream party. Along with old fashioned hand-cranked ice cream, sundaes, and root beer floats, there’ll be antique cars, vintage bicycles, and even tunes from records spinning on an antique phonograph. The Lone Star String Band will play traditional Texas-style prairie music, and kids can play lawn games like croquet and horseshoes. This evening event runs from 7 pm until dark. Admission is $5 per person and includes ice cream and refreshments.

Friday, July 9

After Hours in the Garden at Fort Worth Botanic Garden
A summer sunset in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden is as dreamy as it sounds. Catch one this Friday when the garden opens after hours for live music and drinks. The $25 ticket ($18 for members) includes one beer or glass of wine, light bites, and live music by the Trinity River Ramblers. The event runs from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

Rhythm & Roots Summer Concert Series at Rahr & Sons Brewing
Fort Worth’s OG craft brewery is hosting live music every Friday this month, and the ticket price comes with craft beer. This week, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors will take the stage. Tickets are $45 in advance ($55 at the door) and each ticketholder receives three Rahr beers. There’ll also be food trucks on site with items for purchase. Doors open at 6:30 pm, and the show starts at 7:30 pm.

Saturday, July 10

Truffle Party with Bria Downey at The Virgin Olive Oiler
Visit the Sundance Square gourmet olive oil shop for an appearance by tenured local chef Bria Downey, who’ll prepare mouthwatering bites using exclusive black truffle and white truffle. The event is free and runs 12-3 pm.

Sunday, July 11

ByWasonga Presents Brunch at WineHaus
Chef Bria Downey is making her rounds this week as she’s set to visit the Southside wine bar for Sunday brunch. Patrons can order an expansive brunch board of goodies that feeds two, paired with a bottle of bubbly and juice for mixing for $60. There’ll also be live music. Reserve your spot in advance. Brunch will be served from 11 am to 2 pm.

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Chef News

Fort Worth's Will Rogers Memorial Center welcomes bright new chef

FortWorthtx.gov

Will Rogers Memorial Center

There's a new chef in town: Waylon Cornelius, named executive chef of catering and concessions for Craft Culinary Concepts, the food and beverage provider at Will Rogers Memorial Center.

Will Rogers Memorial Center is the 120-acre entertainment complex anchoring Fort Worth’s Cultural District, owned and operated by the City of Fort Worth. Cornelius will oversee menus for trade shows and other events at the center which bring in more than 2 million visitors a year.

Craft Culinary Concepts is headquartered in Glendale, Arizona, and manages food and beverage programs for entertainment, sports and cultural facilities.

Chef Waylon Corneliusfortworthtx.gov

According to a release, Cornelius joined the team this summer and is already shifting the expectations of guests from a typical “BBQ and beans” menu to a bill of fare satisfying every kind of palate.

“We always have fajitas ready to go, but we also make a beautiful Beef Wellington or baked salmon with a pink salt crust,” Cornelius says in a statement.

For consumer trade shows, Craft and its partners Caribou and Taco Heads offer more choices for the thousands of guests who attend events at WRMC annually.

“Some of our equestrian guests are away from home and here for several days, and they need more than popcorn and hot dogs,” Cornelius says. “Our concessions offer biscuits and gravy, burritos made in-house, strawberry salad, fruit and yogurt cups.”

A native of Mansfield, Cornelius grew up helping in a farm-to-table kitchen. He was raised on a farm with his mother, grandmother, and grandfather -- a Vietnam veteran who enjoyed vegetable gardens and raising hogs and chickens. He studied computer science after high school and holds an associate's degree in Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis from Tarrant County College.

He's a 2003 graduate of AIMS Academy of Culinary Arts in Dallas where he was mentored by a number of great chefs. While training as assistant executive sous chef at the AAA four-diamond Grand Hyatt DFW, he worked with Executive Chef Sutti Sripolpa, chef Eric Dreyer (who went on to be Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef), and Chef Jean-Claude Plihon, under whom he honed his French cooking skills.

As executive sous chef at the opening of Perry’s Steakhouse and Grille in Southlake, Cornelius gained expertise with volume. While at HG Sply Co., he learned about gluten-free items and other food allergies.

HG Sply is also where he crossed paths with Chef James R. Schell III, Craft’s general manager at WRMC, who recruited Cornelius to the complex.

"James said he needed someone who can hit moving targets, push the culinary team to be more avant-garde and use locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, so here I am," Cornelius says. "Culinary is a small world."

“I want people to say, ‘When we were in Fort Worth, you won’t believe what we got at Will Rogers!’” Schell says. “Even the celebrities who perform [in the auditorium] are surprised. When Chicago played here recently and we served dinner backstage, they said they felt treated like the Rolling Stones.”

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