It is one of the events of the greater Round Top year — and it is still happening (while moving to a unique new venue) in 2021. The annual Butcher’s Ball brings together top Texas chefs and community leaders to celebrate the state’s small, independent farms and ranches engaging in sustainable growing practices.

What began as a small gathering of 15 chefs and a handful of ranches in 2016, has grown into one of the Round Top region’s most anticipated events. When The Butcher’s Ball last took place in 2019, it drew more than 2,000 people and showcased nearly 100 different culinary outlets.

After taking 2020 off due to COVID-19 concerns, The Butcher’s Ball is returning for the 2021 Round Top Spring Show. The dinners will be hosted at the new, reimagined event venue called The Halles (which takes over the space which housed The Boneyard at Round Top) at 1465 Texas 237 in Round Top.

This spring’s edition of The Butcher’s Ball Farm to Table Dinner Series will take place both show weekends — Saturday, March 20 and Sunday, March 21, and Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28.

Each dinner will feature two notable Texas-based chefs working together to create a five course meal, and utilizing products sourced within a 100-mile radius of the Round Top venue  From displaying some show-stopping open-flame cooking techniques to the locally-sourced and designed tablescapes (which are available for purchase), these tend to be memorable diners.

There will be live music and interactive art experiences at the hybrid indoor-outdoor space as well. Seating for each dinner will be capped at 70 people, with everyone seated at private tables of two, four or eight to keep health and safety in mind.

.

The chefs for the opening weekend have already been revealed. Chefs Dawn Burrell and Dominick Lee will team up for the Saturday, March 20 dinner. Burrell is one of Houston’s true food stars, known for her award-winning global comfort food. She was a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2020. Lee is the former Poitín chef, known for his New Orleans style cooking.

The Butchers Ball dinner on Sunday, March 21 features chefs Sasha Grumman and Sarah McIntosh. Grumman who hails from California and trained in Italy, is the former executive chef of Rosalie inside Houston’s C. Baldwin Hotel. McIntosh brings French-Louisiana bonafides to the table as chef and owner of Épicerie in Austin.

The chefs pairing up for the following weekend’s Butcher’s Ball dinners will be revealed shortly.

Locally sourced pork belly grilling over an open flame.

Cocktails and music for each of these unique, collaborative meals are set to begin at 6:30 pm with the seated dinners following at 7:30 pm each night. Tickets are $125 per person, and are available for purchase now.

To date, Butcher’s Ball events have showcased the talents of more than 300 chefs, growers, butchers, mixologists, educators, advocates and leaders from all aspects of the food and beverage industry, raising more than $100,000 for food-based charitable initiatives in the process.

For more information on the Butcher’s Ball or to purchase tickets, click here.