Annual Events

Southern Smoke Festival

Save the date for SSF25! We will be back at Discovery Green on October 4, 2025 with more great food, drinks and music to take care of our own. Thank you to everyone who cooked, poured, and attended in 2024. We couldn’t do what we do without you.

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Southern Smoke Decanted 2025

Welcome aboard S.S. Decanted: Yachty by Nature—a vintner’s tasting reception and auction where luxury meets purpose—chaired by Chuck and Vanessa Ames. Imagine yourself savoring the finest wines and gourmet delights, with the breezy beats of Yacht Rock and classic Hip Hop setting the perfect backdrop.

Enjoy an expertly curated tasting reception before raising a toast (and a paddle!) to the food and beverage industry at a seated live auction benefiting Southern Smoke Foundation. So gather your friends, dust off your captain’s hats, and join us for an inspiring celebration that toasts to resilience, community, and the power of giving back. Tickets and tables are sold out!

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Respect the Rosé

We’ve been drinking pink wine with some of our favorite chefs since 2016! We’ll be back May 17, 2025 with a new theme and another great party!

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Events Calendar

Name: The Truffle Masters
Start: 2025-03-03T18:00:00+00:00
End: 2025-03-03T22:00:00+00:00
Location: The Revaire

Interested in hosting an event to benefit Southern Smoke? Reach out at
caroline@southernsmoke.org

Mar 24, 2025 | 6:00–8:30 pm

Elijah Craig Barrel Select Bourbon Dinner

Dallas, TX

Join us for an unforgettable evening of exceptional bourbon, chef-curated cuisine and community impact as Café Momentum, Dallas Bourbon Club, and Southern Smoke Foundation come together to host a one-of-a-kind Elijah Craig Barrel Select Bourbon Dinner. This exclusive event will feature a specially selected Elijah Craig barrel, hand-picked by the Dallas Bourbon Club and Chris Shepherd of Southern Smoke Foundation, paired with an exquisite multi-course dining experience—all in support of two incredible organizations dedicated to transforming lives.

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Apr 3, 2025 | 7:00–9:00 pm

2025 Culturemap Tastemaker Awards

Houston, TX

The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards return to celebrate Houston’s top restaurant and bar talent for 2025. Our mission is to shine a spotlight on the people and places that make Houston a world-class culinary destination. Benefiting Southern Smoke Foundation.

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Apr 27, 2025 | 5:00–8:00 pm

Back to the Future Dinner: Part II

Houston, TX

We're going back to the future...AGAIN! Just like in the hit 1985 film, we will look to the past with a pitstop in 2015 in order to preserve our future, honing in on what some of our chefs were up to during that very year. In addition to nostalgic favorites, the evening will also highlight current dishes made famous by our talented lineup of chefs—featuring our very own Doc, Houston chef, Eat Like a Local host and Southern Smoke Foundation co-founder Chris Shepherd, along with a few of his proteges: Patrick Feges, Erin Smith, Lyle Bento, Ryan Lachaine, Lucas McKinney, Kaitlin Steets, Nick Vera, Chris Bednorz, JD “Nooji” Woodward and Nick Fine. In an intimate, family-style setting, these chefs will prepare a multi-course menu with wine and beverage selections hand-picked by Matthew Pridgen. Reminiscent of the old days, we'll gather around the butcher table—yes, THAT table—to share fun memories from cooking together and the stories behind each dish. And for old time's, sake we'll shotgun a beer or two! All proceeds benefit Southern Smoke Foundation. "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads." - Dr. Emmett Brown

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Jun 20–22, 2025

Food & Wine Classic

Aspen, CO

Join us in 2025 for the ‘unofficial kick-off to the summer,' a spectacular weekend of premier epicurean adventures at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen! This leading culinary event which has been a must-visit experience for four decades consists of three incredible days of cooking demonstrations, wine & spirit tastings, and panel discussions led by world-class chefs and beverage experts. In 2025, Food & Wine will continue its efforts to raise funds and awareness for culinary causes with Food & Wine Gives. Food & Wine will donate a portion of net proceeds to charity partners, No Kid Hungry and Southern Smoke Foundation.

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