On the eve of Texas-OU, Park And Palate‘s Down To The Roots at Klyde Warren Park became a splendiferous open-to-the-skies-above cuisine center. So, while Uptown, Greenville Avenue and other party joints were elbow-to-elbow with out of town visitors on Friday, October 13, Klyde Warren had such heavy hitters as SMU’s First Couple Gail and Gerald Turner and Nancy and Randy Best grazing the grounds, thanks to the area’s top chefs led by Chef Dean Fearing. Here’s a report from the field:
Klyde Warren Park kicked off Park & Palate on Friday, October 13, with Down to the Roots, its VIP celebration for park donors and sponsors. For its signature fundraising event, Klyde Warren Park transformed its normally bustling greenspace into a food-lover’s paradise with plush lounge areas, inviting highboy tables and of course makeshift kitchens for some of the state’s top chefs sprinkling the lawn. Guests like event co-hosts Lyn and John Muse and Carolyn and Rob Walters, Sheila and Jody Grant and Mayor Mike Rawlings enjoyed unique dishes created by top chefs including Dean Fearing, Kent Rathbun, Jason Dady and Jon Bonnell
The evening’s theme was “Pillars and Protégés”, in which well-known pillar chefs selected a friend, co-partner, or up-and-coming protégé to be paired with to create a unique collaborative dish for the night’s tasting. A friendly competition raised the “steaks” for the participating chefs and after a fierce (and filling) competition judges Luke Mathot, Richard Ruskell and Tara Green, president of Klyde Warren Park named Jason Dady and Jeff Bekavac the evening’s winners. The two received a pair of boots from event sponsor Lucchese for their Short Rib Tacos.
While the Blood Orange Margaritas and Jameson Sours flowed, guests enjoyed dessert from Fluff Bake Bar and Chef-host Dean Fearing while they danced to country music artist David Nail.
Thanks to the help of event sponsors like Republic National Distributing Company, Texas Capital Bank and Winston & Strawn LLP, Klyde Warren Park exceeded its revenue goal for the third year of this delicious fundraiser.