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Frontera Farmer Foundation's "Dinner Like No Other" Is October 5
Chef Rick Bayless' Non-Profit Has Donated >$3 Million to Small Farms Since 2003
When Chef Rick Bayless moved to Chicago 40 years ago with plans to open his flagship Frontera Grill, he thought the farm state of Illinois would have many local growers selling into the restaurant trade. He quickly learned that the rise of the conventional food system had overwhelmed the region's small-farm community.
Rick's pioneering efforts to bring local back included lending money to farmers to scale up their production, which ultimately culminated in 2003 with the creation of the non-profit Frontera Farmer Foundation. The foundation has given outright grants totaling more than $3 million — for capital improvements of up to $15,000 each — to small and mid-size farmers in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin that sell products in the Chicago area.
And it will continue to do so with the help of the proceeds from the annual Frontera Farmer Foundation "Dinner Like No Other," which will take place on the evening of Monday, October 5 at Frontera Grill and adjoining Topolobampo restaurants at 445 N. Clark St. in downtown Chicago's River North neighborhood.
Here is how the organizers describe what looks like another amazing event:
Chef Rick Bayless and the Frontera culinary team will be crafting a wildly inventive dinner featuring six one-of-a-kind courses, complete with bespoke wine pairings by sommelier Jill Gubesch and specialty cocktails from spirits expert Julianna Arquilla and Lanie Bayless.
You best believe this won't just be a stellar dinner party (excuse me, party dinner) — there will be raffles, an auction and maybe a few extra surprises.
This year’s Frontera Farmers Foundation dinner will take place on Monday, Oct. 5 at Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, 445 N. Clark St. (Yep, best Monday ever.) Please note: this event will be seated communally; please check in with us for special seating requests. Dinner starts at 6:00 pm.
Or you can opt for a VIP ticket that includes a special reception featuring Chef Rick and a special guest in conversation in Bar Sótano, our subterranean mezcal speakeasy located beneath Frontera Grill. Special bites and drinks, too. The reception takes place 5-6 p.m. Dinner follows immediately after.
While the individual grants are relatively modest to enable the Foundation to spread its money around, the recipients use them for vital improvements or infrastructure that will make their farm businesses more efficient and profitable. The following list of 2026 grant recipients and their projects gives a clear idea of how the Foundation helps.
Arrowleaf Prairie Farm – Wonder Lake, IL
Project: Build a perimeter fence on our animal grazing areas, allowing us to graze more area and manage our land more effectively.
Beyond Sustainable.Farm (Goats For Hire) – Kalamazoo, MI
Project: Implement virtual fencing technology for our goat and sheep herd in order to streamline our grazing operation, reduce labor costs, and increase animal welfare.
Elder Oaks Farm – Elburn, IL
Project: Purchase of a utility tractor to help increase production, as well as adding bird houses and native plantings to promote natural pest control.
Fruitful Hill Farm – Bradford, IL
Project: Drill an irrigation well and lay waterlines to the field, and build a packing shed for washing produce after harvest.
GRON – Neponset, IL
Project: Purchase a used track skid-steer loader for pasture management and expansion.
Honeysuckle Farm – Morris, IL
Project: Purchase and install an outdoor walk-in freezer to support increased production, maintain consistent inventory, and expand direct sales and delivery.
Irish Grove Farms – Pecatonica, IL
Project: Purchase a tedder, a piece of equipment that improves hay quality for grass-fed beef.
J2K Capraio – Walkerton, IN
Project: Purchase a milk hauling trailer to improve the transportation of milk between our dairies and creamery.
Kath Family Farms – Carlock, IL
Project: Install a walk in cooler, improve equipment storage, and build a permanent office space.
Mastodon Valley Farm – Viola, WI
Project: Purchase a used full-sized van to make home deliveries and haul meat from our processors to our cold storage and shipping facility.
Middlebury Farms – Harvard, IL
Project: Purchase two utility golf carts to improve transportation across our farm for both production and agritourism activities.
Otter Oaks Farm – Woodstock, IL
Project: Acquire tools, machinery and equipment that will enable Otter Oaks Farm to meet the needs of increased production acreage as a small team.
Prairie Folk Farm – Chilton, WI
Project: Purchase and install an automated feed storage and delivery system for the certified-organic pastured egg enterprise, which will address the challenges created by manually feeding thousands of laying hens.
Rising Moon Acres – Wonewoc, WI
Project: Build a root cellar for underground storage of root crops and other perishable fruits and veggies in the summer months.
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