Russell Kirkpatrick, Julie Eastman, Richard King, Jon Bonnel at the 2025 Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival [Photo: Russell Kirkpatrick]

The Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation has unveiled the Kirkpatrick Visionary Fund and launched the inaugural Kirkpatrick Visionary Award, providing grants of up to $5,000 to culinary professionals, artisans, producers, and entrepreneurs across North Texas whose projects strengthen both their businesses and the broader hospitality community.

The foundation, dedicated to championing and cultivating the region’s hospitality community, was created in honor of the vision and leadership of FWFWF co-founder and board chair emeritus Russell Kirkpatrick. Applications for the award are now open.

A scene from the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival. [Photo: Nancy Farrar]

Kirkpatrick is known for his nearly two decades at Reata and his current role as director of Operations at From Scratch Hospitality. He’s one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival.

“Fort Worth is a city that thrives on vision, and I’ve been fortunate to see what happens when a community rallies behind its culinary talent,” Kirkpatrick said in a statement. “The Kirkpatrick Visionary Fund is about giving back to the very people who make this region such a dynamic place to eat, drink, and gather. It’s an honor to see this award carry my name, but more importantly, it’s about the next generation of trailblazers who will push us all forward.”

Russell Kirkpatrick, Julie Easteman, Lindsay Brown, Chris Shepherd [Photo: Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation]

Inspired after seeing all the local talent showcased at the Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit, Kirkpatrick championed the idea of creating a festival that celebrated Fort Worth’s own culinary community—a vision that grew into today’s annual event, which welcomes more than 7,000 guests each spring.

Applications for the inaugural award cycle close Oct. 31, with recipients to be notified by January.

Culinary Workers Information Session at TX Whiskey Ranch [Photo: Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation]

‘Shaping the future of North Texas hospitality’

Beginning in 2026, the award will follow an annual May–August cycle, ensuring ongoing support for projects that blend creativity, feasibility, and community impact. Each award will be chosen by a selection committee of North Texas business leaders, the foundation said.

The inaugural committee is composed of Marcelle LeBlanc (Velvet Box), Joey Turner (BREWED, Daymakers), Maurice Ahern (Gold Ribbon Confections/Grounds & Gold), Tina Howard (Leaves Bakery and Books), and Hao Tran (Hao’s Grocery & Café).

The Kirkpatrick Visionary Fund builds on Kirkpatrick’s legacy by helping bring fresh ideas to life, the foundation said.

Burgers, Brews, and Blues [Photo: Nancy Farrar]

According to the foundation, the fund is designed to support projects that move both a business and the North Texas culinary scene forward—whether it’s launching a new product line, expanding a beloved neighborhood spot, reimagining a business model, or creating a program rooted in community.

“The foundation was built on Russell’s vision: that Fort Worth’s culinary talent deserved a stage, and that the funds raised could go right back into growing that community,” Julie Eastman, executive director of FWFWF, said in a statement. “This fund is an extension of that same mission—to champion, cultivate, and celebrate the people shaping the future of the North Texas hospitality industry.”

The Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation said that to date, it has invested $613,000 back into the community via culinary scholarships, classroom grants, chef stipends, emergency relief funds, partnerships with organizations such as Southern Smoke Foundation, and now, the Kirkpatrick Visionary Fund.

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