AUSTIN — Beef Loving Chefs, a program of the Texas Beef Council (TBC), hosted 14 chefs for a week-long “Pasture to Plate” tour in Amarillo, May 17-23, 2021. This in-person Pasture to Plate tour was the first since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“We were really excited to get back in the field last month after a long hiatus,” said Robert Hale, manager of culinary and foodservice for the Texas Beef Council. “There was no better way to reignite the momentum we’d been building with our Bee
f Loving Chefs program than to host chefs from all over the state of Texas for a Pasture to Plate tour. It’s a great way for us to connect chefs with the people who are producing the beef they and their customers love.”
Since 2018, Beef Loving Chefs has arranged Pasture to Plate tours by working with beef producers and industry professionals to secure tour locations. TBC staff take chefs out to cattle ranches where they can chat with the producers themselves about how they raise wholesome, delicious beef. These groups also tour other sectors of the beef industry to learn about beef’s role in a sustainable food system.
At the most recent Pasture to Plate event in Amarillo, chefs went behind the scenes to get a firsthand look at the inner workings of the cattle industry. First, they visited West Texas A&M University where professors in the Animal Science department spoke on a wide range of topics, including sustainability, carcass grading and cattle genetics. The group also toured a cattle feedyard, a cow/calf operation and a beef packing plant, all located near Canyon, Texas.
“As the foodservice industry regains its footing after a difficult 2020, we want to ensure that chefs throughout Texas consider beef as they develop their new menus,” said Russell Woodward, senior manager of channel marketing for the Texas Beef Council. “When they’re able to see the care that goes into producing quality beef products from start to finish, they can feel good about choosing beef.”
For more information about the Texas Beef Council and the Texas Beef Checkoff, or to sign for the Cattle Talk e-newsletter, visit .
–Texas Beef Council
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