Mark your calendars, Chefs Fest returns in August

Smokehouse sasquatch to join the 405 diningscape's top chefs in the Asian District

Happy Friday everyone, back at you after a brief tech-fueled hiatus. Will be low-key blowing up inboxes this weekend to make up for it, so prepare them for impact.

Today I’ve got some news to share about a coming event, then I’ll have some breakfast news for you to wake up to tomorrow followed by the July dining report.

First things first, Chefs Fest 2023 is coming to the Asian District on Aug. 19. My company Foodiciary is working with Super Cao Nguyen Market this year to present the event featuring the 405 diningscape’s finest chefs and a barbecue pitmaster from Bigfoot country. We’ll have James Beard Award-winning chefs and nominees on the roster from 11 to 9 p.m. at Super Cao Nguyen.

Chefs Fest 2023 coincides with the Asian Night Market Festival, which will operate two nights this year. The event sponsored by the Asian District Cultural Association will include food and retail vendors along with programming at Military Park that includes cultural dance from a variety of cultures represented by local residents, a fashion show and food-eating contest. The event operates 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Aug. 18 and 19.

When Chefs Fest gets started on Saturday the 19^th at 11 a.m., holy smoke will be in the air and on the tongues of folks filing into the market to do their grocery shopping.

Chef Tabb Singleton, owner of Phat Tabb’s BBQ in Idabel, will be parked in the lot serving Smoked Hawaiian-style Shoyu Pork Belly and Pork Cracklin’ Burnt Ends.

The event will feature up to 10 booths with a roster of rotating chefs occupying them throughout the day. They will be set up in the parking lot of Super Cao Nguyen. In case of inclement weather, it will move inside the mall area adjacent to the store on the south.

“Top Chef” season ten’s Josh Valentine is among the early commitments who will fill out the roster from more than 80 invited chefs. Chef Porkbelly is currently at Milo restaurant in The Ellison Hotel along with two-time James Beard nominee Jeff Chanchaleune of Ma Der Modern Lao Kitchen. “Guys Grocery Games” champ Kevin Lee of Birdie’s Fried Chicken is also joining us.

Chef Andrew Black, who recently won the state’s first Best Chef Southwest Award from the Beard Foundation, plans to be in attendance along with Oklahoma’s culinary Big Kahuna, Kurt Fleischfresser of The Tasting Room.

We’re also negotiating with Victoria Kemp of Florence’s Restaurant about occupying a booth, and Oklahoma’s indigenous chef emeritus Loretta Barrett Oden of the First Americans Museum plans to attend.

More roster and menu details will be released as we get closer to the event, but mark your calendars now for Aug. 19. Save your shekels, plan to dine with us at least twice to support Pivot, a turning point for youth.

Because the booths will rotate, Chefs Fest is still extending invites. Chefs, food truck operators or restaurant owners who would like an invite can contact me at foodciary@gmail.com. Same goes for subscribers who would like to participate as volunteers. We have a few slots available to help take and sell food tokens, T-shirts and assist the kitchens. Be sure to include Chefs Fest in the subject line.