Thursday, April 25, 2024
DISHING DELIGHTS: Granbury High School baseball coach Brad Eppler, far right, in an animated discussion with Todd Gibson, center, and other participants at the 50 Fellas Food Festival in 2021.
Hood County residents will be putting on their chef’s hat and tying their apron — some for the first time — to whip up some delectable samples for the 50 Fellas Foodfest.
The ninth annual event, which benefits the Granbury ISD Education Foundation, will be held from 6-8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Reunion Grounds, 641 Reunion Ct.
During the event, 50 teams of two men (minimum age 21) will try their hand at preparing and serving about 350 one-bite samples of their choice: appetizer, entrée or dessert. Attendees are given tokens that they can use to vote for their Best of Show and top three in each category.
A live and silent auction will also be taking place during the event, with all proceeds benefitting the Granbury ISD Education Foundation. GEF provides funding for classroom grants that local teachers can apply for, to offer their students more innovative educational programs or ideas.
“I'm excited about this year in particular because we do have new teams that are part of the 50 Fellas who have not had the opportunity to participate, and that's exciting because it's great to be able to involve more businesses that really want to support a mission and support the goal of the foundation.” said Holly Martin, board member of the Granbury ISD Education Foundation and co-chair of the 50 Fellas Foodfest with Michelle Lucero and Stacy Martin. “It's helping to extend the reach in our community by having more businesses that haven't participated in the past.”
Cooks will range from district administrators and men from each school campus to elected officials and businessmen in the community.
“We've got a lot of community support, and that's one of the things that I love so much about this event is that it really benefits the entire community,” Martin said. “It’s fun, it’s casual and people love it. It’s just such a huge community event because there’s so many different businesses that come together to cook, plus they’re there to help support Granbury ISD and the Education Foundation, and I think that’s what I really love the most about it — and the fact that 100% of the proceeds goes right back into the schools.”
Since its inception in 2011, the GEF has awarded almost $730,000 in classroom grants to teachers at every campus in the Granbury ISD.
“Every year we really try to raise more and more. Our goal is to raise $150,000 this year,” Martin said.
In 2021, the GEF awarded $110,000 in grants. Over the years, the nonprofit organization has also provided more than $100,000 in scholarships, $45,500 in CTE certifications and $17,000 for college visits, according to the GEF brochure.
“Between this year and then next year being our 10th annual, our goal is to raise a million,” Lucero said.
Individual tickets for the 50 Fellas Foodfest are $60, but only 20 are left. Tickets and sponsorships are only pre-sold online and will not be available for purchase at the door. Tickets can be purchased at granburyisd.org/50fellasfoodfest.
“This is an event that we're always excited about every year,” Martin added. “The community really comes together, and I know that we are blessed like that with so many events in Granbury and in our community, but it never disappoints. People are very giving and people are excited about it. The energy is always there. People want to be there.”
“We truly couldn't do it without our cooks, that's for sure, because they are the ones who bring and provide the food,” Lucero added. “Some of them bring so much energy and fun along with them. We're just so grateful that they believe in what we do. It's a testament to what the foundation does that everyone is so willing to give and support because they know exactly where the money's going.”
For questions or sponsorship opportunities, contact gef50fellasfoodfest@gmail.com.
