The Butcher's Ball

Rockin' Star Ranch out near Brenham – perfect for a daytrip – is once again the site for this fourth annual culinary event that features more than 50 chefs, butchers, farmers, ranchers, educators, bartenders, and other leaders in the Texas food industry. (Bramwell Tripp from Loro and Foreign & Domestic's Sarah Heard & Nathan Lemley are just three of the Austin-based chefs.) There'll be so much going on at this carnivore-centric celebration – the Golden Cleaver competition, a public vote for the “best bite” of the day, the Open Fire Farm & Ranch Showcase, top chef cooking demonstrations, butchery demonstrations from two of the state’s top butchers (Central Texas Meat Collective's Julia Poplawsky and Jack Matusek of Raw Republic Meats), panel discussions, even kids’ activities – that you might forget for a tiny second you're surrounded by Texas ranchland. But live music will bring you back to the beautiful environs and you'll sip your expertly made cocktail and think, "Yes, this is exactly where I want to be." And, bonus, this all goes to benefit the Houston-based nonprofit Urban Harvest.