It’s obvious this city has a place in its heart for three things in particular: food, local artisans and celebrating the two together. With at least two festivals a week there’s always a chance to get involved, learn a thing or two, meet the faces behind our favorite products, shuffle our feet to some tunes, party and most importantly, binge eat for three days straight. Well, this year there’s a new festival in town and it’s a Chipotle addict’s heaven. On Saturday, October 18 at Lake Carolyn in Irving from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Chipotle will host its Cultivate Festival. Here are some things you should know before you go:
Dallas is one of three host cities
Cultivate has ventured to a variety of cities every year since 2011. This year, citizens of San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Dallas will take part in the one-day festival.
It’s FREE
I really shouldn’t have to explain this, but besides the free entry ticket, you can earn your way to a free burrito. Visit four of the five exhibits throughout the festival and bring your stamped program to the info tent by 7 p.m. that night to earn your right to a free burrito, bowl, salad (I scoff at you salad eaters), or order of tacos at any Chipotle.
Okay, maybe not that free
Depending on how hungry you are, you can end up dropping a good chunk of change. All Chipotle food is $5 to $7 per serving, beer and wine starts at $6 per glass or $2 for a beer taster, all non-alcoholic drinks are $2, and the food from the vendors in the artisans’ hall is individually priced. Chipotle allows you to bring a water bottle (factory sealed) in to the festival, but no other outside food or drinks are allowed. The tasting hall and other bars throughout the festival accept major credit cards, but it is up to the individual vendors in the artisans’ hall whether they accept plastic or not.
It’s not all about Chipotle
Expect cooking demonstrations from big names like Sean Brock, Omar Flores, Matt McCallister, Amanda Freitag, Kent Rathbun, and Paul Qui. There will also be an artisans market offering a selection of local artisan-crafted foods; local and specialty beers, wine and hard cider; and a kids’ zone with activities for the entire family. Eat, drink, mingle, and work off that fourth serving of tacos as you dance to live music from MS MR, The Colourist, Sylvan Esso, Amos Lee, DJ Christopher Golub and O.AR.
You can learn how to replicate their guacamole glory
So, Chipotle guac may not be on the level of say, Mr. Mesero or Meso Maya, but I know you slightly lose your breath every time they pile that scoop onto your fully loaded burrito. Watch the top chefs of Chipotle artistically craft that guacamole, devour as many samples as possible, check out the other exhibit tents, and circle back for more. Other Chipotle exhibits include The Cinema (several short films on the journey to better food and a healthier environment), Factory vs. Farm (experience how a majority of pigs are raised in factories compared to responsibly raised), Fresh vs. Processed (see what’s served at a typical fast food stop compared to that of Chipotle and ShopHouse), and GMO Experience (learn about genetically modified organisms and how they are used in the food supply).
There’s a special menu
No, I’m not talking about the secret menu items like the quesarito or nachos. The Chipotle culinary team will have new dishes to debut like gorditas, sofritas tacos, kale salad, a rice bowl from ShopHouse Kitchen and a Cultivate Farmhouse Ale. The gorditas include a choice or pork belly and pineapple or barbacoa on grilled flatbread with cabbage, tomatillo-red chili salsa and crumbled queso. The tacos include a choice of sofritas or grilled chicken in a soft corn tortilla with fresh tomato salsa, lettuce, and shredded cheese. The kale salad will contain some roasted corn escabeche, crumbled queso, crispy tortillas, chipotle-honey vinaigrette, and an option of steak. The rice bowl has either pork and chicken meatballs or tofu with jasmine rice, charred green beans, chili jam, green curry, green papaya slaw, and a herb salad. The winner here is the Farmhouse Ale from local Lakewood Brewing Company that brings a hop-forward ale with floral aromas and notes of grapefruit and citrus, brewed with Texas wildflower honey. Participating sponsors like Ben & Jerry’s have a few surprises up their sleeves as well for attendees.
They’re going vegan
The sofritas I mention above are part of Chipotle’s new vegan menu concept, which rolls out across the South on October 13. Organic shredded tofu comes braised with chipotle chiles, roasted poblano peppers, and a blend of aromatic spices. It gets its name from “sofrito,” a combination of peppers, onion, sautéed garlic, and tomatoes, which is often used in many Spanish and Latin American dishes. You can order it on burritos, tacos, burrito bowls and salads.
