Top Chefs Create One-of-a-Kind Pies to Raise Scholarship Funds
Press Release Highlights
- The Piehole Project pie auction returns for the third year
- The online auction runs from October 17-27
- Piehole Project pie auction will feature unique pies prepared by 39 chefs and bakers including Katherine Clapner of Dude, Sweet Chocolate, John Tesar of Knife, and Junior Borges of Meridian.
- Piehole Project is expanding into Austin with 17 Austin chefs providing pies for auction
- The event is expected to raise $40,000 for Chefs for Tomorrow Scholarship which funds scholarships to culinary programs at Dallas College, Collin College, Johnson & Wales, and more.
- FestEvents Foundation is led by Alison Matis and Chery Weis, co-founders of FestEvents Group, an event production company specializing in festivals, galas, and food-centric special events.
DALLAS, TX (DATE) – The most pie-ous fundraiser of the year is happening October 17-27 when the third annual Piehole Project’s pie auction takes place online. This year’s auction features 39 unique pies from North Texas’ top chefs and bakers who will create and donate pies to raise funds for culinary scholarships. Piehole Project founders Alison Matis and Cheryl Weis expect the event, which has expanded to include 17 Austin chefs, to raise $40,000 for students.
The auction will take place online at virtualauction.bid/PHP22Dallas and starts at 8 am October 17, concluding at 8 pm October 27. Winning bidders will be contacted by Piehole Project representatives to arrange delivery of the pies.
Knife’s Chef John Tesar, a Michelin Star winner for his Orlando restaurant Knife and Spoon, is creating a Caviar Pie for this year’s auction. “I wanted to do something savory and kind of retro,” Tesar said, “And I used to make a Caviar Pie in the 80s in New York.” This year’s event theme is Celebrating the 80s, which makes this luxurious pie a perfect entry.
The Piehole Projects 2022 Chefs
| Matt Balke | Encina |
| Jill Bates | Cafe Momentum |
| Jeff Bekavac | Cane Rosso, Zoli’s, Thunderbird Pies |
| Dunia Borga | La Duni Baking Studio |
| Junior Borges | Meridian |
| Justin Box | Chef Justin Box |
| Keith Cedotal | KEESH |
| Katherine Clapner | Dude Sweet |
| Steve DeShazo | Dallas College |
| Eric Dreyer | Monarch Restaurant |
| Joshua Gianni Farrell | Will Call |
| Dean Fearing | Fearing’s |
| Matt Ford | Billy Can Can |
| Donna Griffin | Garden Cafe |
| Joshua Harmon | Birdie |
| Jeffrey Hobbs | Slow Bone BBQ |
| Maggie Huff | Homewood |
| Sean Jett | Humble: Simply Good Pies |
| Jeana Johnson | Talbot-Hill Ranch |
| Susan Lor | TJs Seafood Market |
| Mike Matis | Fearing’s Restaurant |
| Andrea Meyer | Bisous Bisous Patisserie |
| Misti Norris | Petra and the Beast/STEPCHILD |
| Joel Orsini | Profound Microfarms/Allevare |
| Chris Patrick | Bright Box Foods |
| Nikky Phinyawatana | Asian Mint |
| Daniel Pittman | 33 Restaurant Group |
| Janice Provost | Parigi |
| Anastacia Quinones-Pittman | José |
| Kent Rathbun | Imoto |
| Jeramie Robison | Thompson Dallas |
| Andrea Shackelford | Harvest Seasonal Kitchen |
| Graham Shockley | Ocean Beauty Seafood Dallas |
| Jon Stevens | Stock & Barrel |
| John Tesar | Knife |
| David Uygur | Lucia |
| Sharon Van Meter | Beckley 1115 |
| Nick Walker | The Village Dallas |
| Ashleigh Wright | Dallas Cowboys @ The Star |
Since launching the Piehole Project in 2020, Matis and Weis have raised and donated more than $30,000 for students such as Le Bich Ngoc Vo who studied BLANK at UNT and Tyrone Crawford who students Blank at Dallas College.
Quote from scholarship student.
This year’s Piehole Project theme is “Celebrate the 80s,” which is carried through in the pie flavors and photos. In the 1980s, culinary trends included blackened redfish, New Coke, and Vol au Vents. Culinary schools and programs in the United States were few and very expensive. Workforce development in the restaurant industry meant getting your foot in the door at a restaurant and working for next to nothing. Matis and Weis chose this theme as a fun way to celebrate the progress made in workforce development, and fashion, since then.
To apply for a Chefs of Tomorrow Scholarship, visit URL To learn more about FestEvents, visit https://festeventsgroup.com.
About FestEvents Group and FestEvents Foundation
FestEvents Group is Dallas’ premier event production company that specializes in food-centric festivals, galas, fundraisers, and public and private events. Founded in 2017 by Alison Matis and Cheryl Weis, FestEvents has planned and executed some of the most successful events in Dallas, including Taste of Dallas, Dallas Arboretum Food & Wine Festival, Chefs for Farmers, and Go Oak Cliff’s Mardi Gras parade.
FestEvents Foundation is a 501c3 organization that supports workforce development in the restaurant and hospitality industries in North Texas. Founded by Alison Matis and Cheryl Weis in 2019, FestEvents Foundation engages in strategic partnerships with like-minded
organizations in the Food & Beverage industry to provide scholarships, professional development, and assistance to those looking to make a career in the restaurant industry.
CONTACT: Kersten Rettig
kersten@pretmarketing.com
214.912.3154