Southern Smoke Basis Pageant 2025 Tickets

The countdown is on: The extremely anticipated Southern Smoke Pageant 2025 (SSF25) is formally set to gentle up Discovery Inexperienced in Downtown Houston on Saturday, October 4 with a star-studded lineup — and tickets are on sale now.

Annually, this unmissable occasion brings collectively an unbelievable lineup of culinary and beverage expertise from throughout the nation, all in assist of the Southern Smoke Basis’s important mission: offering emergency aid and psychological well being assist to meals and beverage business staff nationwide. Over time, Southern Smoke Basis has granted greater than $14.5M to meals and beverage staff, and since 2020, has supplied over 7,400 no-cost counseling classes.

Hosted by 2013 F&W Finest New Chef Chris Shepherd and Government Director Lindsey Brown, the Southern Smoke Pageant was based in 2015. This yr, anticipate the most important, boldest, and most scrumptious iteration but, with over 85 cooks, mixologists, sommeliers, and hospitality icons providing show-stopping bites, sips, cooking demonstrations, and experiences.

SSF25’s chef lineup reads like a who’s who of the nation’s high kitchens. From Wylie Dufresne (Stretch Pizza, NYC) to Rodney Scott (Rodney Scott’s BBQ, Charleston), and from Cheetie Kumar (Ajja, Raleigh)  to Tim Flores and Genie Kwon (Kasama, Chicago), this pageant is a feast of expertise.

Representing Houston, fan favorites like Aaron Bludorn, Ope Amosu, Greg Gatlin, Alba Huerta, Evelyn Garcia, and Henry Lu will showcase town’s finest. You may additionally catch nationwide stars like Ashley Christensen, Aaron Franklin, Mason Hereford, Erick Williams, and Lee Anne Wong firing up the motion.

Moreover, most of the collaborating cooks are F&W Finest New Cooks, together with,: Valerie and Nando Chang, Isabel Coss, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Calvin Eng, Angel Barreto,  Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Ana Castro, Kevin Fink, Silver Iocovozzi, Caroline Schiff, Lawrence “LT” Smith, Caroline Glover, Rob Rubba, Amanda Shulman, Ed Szymanski, Brian Lea, and Leina Horii, and extra.

And right here’s one thing further particular: the 2025 Class of F&W Finest New Cooks — that’s but to be revealed — will prepare dinner collectively for the primary time ever in a devoted zone introduced by Skadden.

Whereas SSF25 is a celebration of meals and group, it’s rooted in a deeper objective. Cash raised on the occasion helps Southern Smoke Basis’s direct work offering emergency help and accessible psychological well being providers to these in want within the meals and beverage business. Greater than only a meals pageant, it’s a celebration with objective, the place you possibly can indulge, join, and provides again. Tickets are on sale now at southernsmoke.org.